Licensed in both Louisiana and Mississippi, Ernesto has been a French Quarter and Woodville, Mississippi resident since 1970. Over the years he has been involved with restorations from New York to New Orleans and in 1986 was a co-recipient of the Vieux Carre Honor Award for the restoration of 516 St. Philip Street,  a block from the French Market. His home is now a c.1805 creole cottage at 1022 Dauphine which will be on the Patio Planters Tour on October 10^th of this year.

 In 1970 he came South because of the restoration of Rosemont Plantation, the home of President Jefferson Davis, in Woodville.   In June of 2010 the 18^th Davis Family Reunion will be held at Rosemont in conjuction with the 200^th anniversary of the establishment of the plantation by Jefferson Davis’ parents Samuel and Jane Davis. Ernesto has done the genealogy of the family for The Papers of Jefferson Davis,  a multi-volume project,  housed in the library at Rice University, and published by LSU Press.

He has been Executive Director of the all-volunteer Wilkinson County Museum in Woodville, a former 6 year trustee of the Mississipppi Heritage Trust, a board member of The Friends of the Cabildo for four terms and awarded the outstanding volunteer award in 2000, a former board member of the Vieux Carre Property Owners & Associates Inc. and chair of the last three fund raising Gala’s held in the Quarter.

Prior to coming South he had attended Dartmouth and lived in New York City, and was, in the 1960’s, Associate Producer of the long-running CBS-TV daytime drama Search for Tomorrow.

 He has been a top producer for Dorian Bennett Sotheby’s since 1989 and is a Super Star Life Member of the New Orleans Realtor’s Association and is also a member of the Natchez Realtors Association.

For the last few years he has partnered with young David Abner Smith of New Orleans and Woodville. David is an Ole Miss graduate, a restauranteur, a ten year member of the Board of Alderman in Woodville, a dedicated preservationist, founder of the Main Street Association in Woodville, and founder and chairman again of this year’s 3^rd Woodville Antiques Show & Sale, with dealers from 9 states, to be held the mid weekend in November.

David and Ernesto focus on historic properties and bring two lifetimes of business experience and knowledge of the local scene to their real estate practice.