At the age of 13, Edward Smith stopped attending school.

The family of Edward Smith and Catherine Hancock welcomed Edward John Smith into the world in January 1850. In Staffordshire's Hanley, the family resided. One of the interesting facts about Edward Smith is that his father was a potter and he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. He thus made every effort to instill a passion for pottery in young Smith. His mother Catherine was a bank employee. Due to his family's needs, Edward was forced to quit school when he was 13 years old.

Edward lost his father when he was just 12 years old. His mother chose to create a store after quitting her work as a bank employee. The family had no money, despite the business's relative success. Edward J. Smith left his neighborhood school, the Etruria British School, at the early age of thirteen for this reason. At the adjacent Etruria Forge plant, a steam-powered mill, Titanic Captain Edward Smith was able to secure employment. He was in charge of operating a steam hammer.