Henry Clay Smith Jr.

Henry Clay “H. Clay” Smith Jr. (1906-1971) was a Scott County and educator. Along with Esther Sharp Sanderson and Paul Roy, he was among the most prolific historians of Scott County.

Biography

Born Feb. 14, 1906, H. Clay Smith was the son of Henry Clay Smith Sr. (1865-1934) and Phylana Lucinda Terry (1868-1939) of Oneida. He was one of 15 children. His siblings included Harlin Smith, Florence Thompson, Elmer Smith, Carl Smith, Viola Marcum, Charles Smith, John Quincey Smith, Clarence Lee Smith, Laurence Smith, Lory Smith, Zelta Smith, Roma Fetterman, Corneal Frye, and Othal Smith.

H. Clay married Susan Eulus “Ola” Williams (1915-1998), the daughter of Gillesbie Blaine and Gertrude Ipock Williams of Pall Mall, Tenn. They had one daughter: Patricia “Patty” Smith Johnson.

Professional Life

Smith graduated from East Tennessee State Teacher’s College in Johnson City, Tenn., and was also educated at Tennessee Polytechnic Institute in Cookeville, Tenn., and Bowling Green Business University in Bowling Green, Ky.

Smith was a lifelong educator in Scott County.

Historian

H. Clay Smith served as Scott County’s first county historian. He wrote an historical column in the Scott County News for several years.

Smith’s preeminent work was his book, Dusty Bits of the Forgotten Past, which he compiled over a 40-year history. His manuscript was typeset from his original, hand-written account in the early 1960s. In 1985, after Smith’s death, the book was published by the Scott County Historical Society. It was printed by Williams Printing Company in Nashville, Tenn.

After the original, hardback book sold out, a second edition was printed and published directly by the Historical Society, and included an index.

Death

Smith died on March 26, 1971, at age 65. He was buried at H.C. Smith Cemetery in the Coopertown community in West Oneida.

Ula Smith, his widow, died in 1998, and was buried beside her husband.

Their daughter, Patty, died in 2024 and is also buried at H.C. Smith Cemetery.