Creating Fiction from History: 9/14/2022

Harriet Peregrin Smith, Hattie for short, possibly pictured here, was born to a mixed couple in Georgia. Her parents, Reginald and Darlene Smith, had been approved for a marriage license after special consideration, even though the ban against interracial marriage remained in effect at the time. One may wonder at the strings that must have been pulled.

Fortunately for Hattie, the strings were pulled and thus her birth was legitimized! Hattie was possibly three-months-old when this photograph was taken during a much needed vacation to visit those famous falls in western New York. The Smith family, soon after arriving in these less rigid Northern climes, decided to make their vacation a permanent one and celebrated by baptizing young Harriet at the First Presbyterian Church, one of the original churches in the area.

Having grown up in a fairly religious South, both of Hattie's parents were anxious to thus establish themselves in their new home. Hattie herself, in her early years, became the youngest member of First Presbyterian's choir (she may have been only five at the time) and so distinguished herself that she might have become a famous jazz vocalist, later in life. This, of course, would have occurred after her parents no longer ruled over her and she had left the sleepy Falls behind!

If you would like to create fiction from history with one of the museum's photos, please contact the Ledger at (406) 287-5301 or email whledger@gmail.com.