Charles Carman Smith settled in the Exeter area  in 1870 with his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Horace Greeley Smith. The Smith's homesteaded a 160 acre farm which eventually became the site for the village of Exeter, Nebraska, because the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad was extended from Lincoln to Hastings in 1871 as passed through their land.  Charles C. Smith graduated from Doane College in Crete, Nebraska and after spending some time in Colorado returned to Exeter to work in his father's bank. While working at the bank in 1895, he developed some adjustable metal tags to flag frequently used accounts.

In 1896, Charles C. Smith patented a metal indexing system for use in bookkeeping systems.  He founded a factory to produce adjustable index tags in Exeter, Nebraska. He initially began the manufacturing operation in the bank building, and later expanded the operation by acquiring an adjacent building. This factory was known as a world leader in producing "signaling items" and operated in Exeter until it closed in 1962. 

Residence of Charles C. Smith in Exeter, Nebraska
circa 1900

25 Years Service
1935

L to R Back Row: M.L. Rogers, Frank Lewis, Nesbit Whitmore, George McGhee and Clarence Kimberly
L to R Front Row: Elula Smith, Belle Alexander, Nina Chambers and Ida Skinner

(Photo from Exeter Public Library - Posted on Village of Exeter website hosted by Leesa Bartu)
 

Time has taken its toll on the Tag Factory building. Demolition of the building was started in June 2016 and the landmark structure in Exeter, Nebraska was torn down. (Photos courtesy of Liz Kallhoff)