Hedley Fletcher Smith
Lewis and Clark County
History of Montana, 1913

To say that Mr. Smith has had an active part in the up 
building of Helena is no figure of speech, although it 
happens to be true in both a literal and a figurative 
sense, for the occupation of this progressive citizen 
of Helena is that of a contractor and he has had a 
share in the erecting of more than one of its notable buildings.

Mr. Smith is a Canadian by birth, being a native of Prince 
Edward Island.  Here he was born on April 19, 1862 on the 
farm of his father, Isaac Smith.  In the year 1817 
Christopher Smith, the grandfather of Hedley Fletcher 
Smith, immigrated from Yorkshire England, with his wife 
and infant son, Isaac.  He was a civil engineer and when 
he came to Canada he engaged in farming besides following 
his profession.  His son continued in the same occupation 
and became one of the influential citizens of that district. 
He lived to be more than ninety years of age and died full 
of years and honors in 1909.  One of his brothers, the Rev. 
Matthew Smith, is now, at ninety-eight, still filling the 
pulpit of a church in New Brunswick.  Age has had no power 
to sap the mental and spiritual vigor of this minister and 
the Baptist denomination of New Brunswick regards him as 
one of the able leaders in the army of those who climb 
the steep ascent to heaven, mid terror, toil and pain.  
Hedley Smith's mother was of Welsh descent.  Her family 
came to America in the same year (1817) as that in which 
his father's people settled there.  Anne Meyers was born 
in Canada and died in Prince Edward Island in 1900, at 
the age of sixty.  Her people followed farming and also 
followed the sea-faring occupations.  Mr. Smith has 
inherited a large share of the sturdy qualities of his 
ancestors and has proved himself a worthy descendant of 
the race which has shaped the destiny of the western 
hemisphere.

The provincial schools of Canada provided Mr. Smith with 
his elementary education and for a time after completing 
his study there, he worked on his father's farm.  Obeying 
the impulse which seizes most young men to seek newer 
country, he went a thousand miles or so to the west and 
settled in Winnipeg.  He remained in that flourishing 
town for one year, and then moved to Cooperstown where 
he followed the same occupation he had been working at 
in Winnipeg, that of a carpenter.  At the end of three 
years, Mr. Smith left North Dakota, and in 1887 went to 
Butte.  Half a year was then spent in the mining city of 
Montana, at the end of which period Mr. Smith came to 
Helena.  He adopted the capital as his permanent 
residence and has been engaged in business there ever 
since.  Until 1905 Mr. Smith did not operate as a 
contractor but was employed by other building concerns 
in various capacities of an executive nature.  For nine 
months the state capitol was in process of erection, he 
was for a year and a quarter in charge of the entire 
force in this period, he was employed on that of W.G. 
Conrad for eight months, as well as upon a number of 
other contracts.  Since starting in the contracting 
business, Mr. Smith has been connected with many of 
the most important building enterprises entered upon 
in Helena, during the last seven years.

Mr. Smith's family consists of four members besides 
himself.  His eldest son, Walter Harold Smith, born in 
Helena in 1892 is now at work at his trade.  The one 
daughter, Victoria Ruby is attending business college 
in Helena and Herbert N. is in the grades at school 
being thirteen years of age.  Mrs. Smith was formerly 
Miss Anne Catherine Gallagher.  Her birthplace was 
Ireland but she was reared in England.  In 1891 she 
came to America alone and the same year was married 
to Mr. Smith at Helena.