James Henry Smith, b. 30 March 1871 at Toronto, Ontario, d. 4 December 1948 at Duncan, British Columbia
Father: Richard Smith, b. 1840 at Fort William, d. 19 March 1906
Mother: Agnes Noel, b. 10 December 1840, d. 24 October 1931
Uncle Henry, as he was affectionately called by the Sahtlam Smiths, was son of Richard Smith, cousin of Thomas William. He was a hardworking businessman who arrived in Duncan about 1919, several months before Thomas. He opened a general store called J.H.Smith, The People's Store with an initial declared value of $50,000. Soon a restaurant was added above the store and a second store opened in Cowichan.Thomas and Henry had always been close. It is thought that Henry may have been the persuasive force that coaxed Thomas west.
The ties between the two families stemmed from the early days back in Winnipeg. Thomas had worked in the hotels owned by Richard Smith (R.R. Smith and Co.) Henry had also managed several facets of the family business before he came west. The Richard Smith family became wealthy and influential, supplying goods to the CPR along the Manitoba route.
Henry's claim to fame among the Smiths of Duncan, happened after he moved to San Francisco. He was there during the famous earthquake of 1937 and sent back a first hand account.
His final business, which began in Duncan but eventually carried him to the USA, was manufacturing shoe inserts similar to those produced by modern podiatrists. Henry became "Doctor J.H.Smith", head of the Corrective Foot Appliance Company of Long Beach. He had returned to Duncan for a few months in 1948, when he died suddenly from a cerebral hemorrhage.
Spouse: Agnes Pauline Cooper
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