Clementine Helena Leonard Smith

Clementine Helena Leonard Smith was born on May 9, 1911on Salt Island.  Like Norwell Durant, the last Salt Islander, she left her impact. After attending elementary school in Tortola, Clementine returned to her island where she fished, tended to livestock, and mined for salt. She had nine children who eventually moved to nearby Tortola. Spending her days tending to the burial ground of passengers from the wreck of the Rhone, Clementine maintained the beaches and the salt ponds and welcomed the occasional tourists with bits of island folklore. Officially recognized for her efforts in 1985, Clementine received the British Empire Member Medal, and in 1996 the Frederick Pickering Memorial Foundation honored her for social and cultural contributions. Clementine died in 1998 and was buried in the graveyard that she cared for during her many years on Salt Island. Clementine’s grave is marked with large stones and conch shells.