Thomas F. Lloyd

Thomas F. Lloyd (died 1911) was a prominent North Carolina industrialist who built the Alberta Cotton Mill in 1898 in Carrboro, North Carolina, which is now home to the Carr Mill Mall. He was part of an important family that settled in Orange County in the 1750-60s. After having served in the Confederate States Army, Lloyd returned to his native Orange County. There he recognized the economic possibilities of the newly constructed State University Railroad in the town of West End, which is now known as Carrboro. Carrboro derives its name from the industrialist and tobacco magnate, Julian S. Carr, who purchased the Alberta Cotton Mill from Lloyd in 1909 and who subsequently supplied electricity to the town. Lloyd, whose textile business grew rapidly, never learned know how to read or write, yet he displayed great business acumen and skill. At one point Lloyd had become the richest man in Carrboro and Chapel Hill. In 1885 Lloyd and his wife, "Tiney," purchased the West Cameron Ave. antebellum home, no. 142. Lloyd is buried in the cemetery at Bethel Baptist Church located on 9326 Bethel Hickory Grove in Chapel Hill.