Page 49 - Cornelius Hedges Story

For This And Succeeding Generations Gardiner 36

Four years later, almost to the day, he wrote “Communion at our
church - I was ordained elder, with some hesitation and misgiving - I
hardly know what my duty was.”117

There were also times in Montana, that the lack of reliable
communication was very disturbing to Hedges with his inquiring
mind. The following comment expresses the point well Presidential
election in the states - “We got very little news - in the evening
just as we expected to hear the results, the wires gave out most
provokingly.”118

Grief struck the Hedges family again at the opening of 1873.
Edna and the children were visiting in New England and had been
for most of the year 1872. On the evening of New Year’s Day, 1873
he received news of Langford’s death his youngest son, named after
N. P. Langford.

Hedges wrote “Overwhelmed by it Sat up all night alone in
my office - It seems too bad to believe possible - Tried to write
a comforting letter to Edna - Thus ends my Happy New Year -
even at its beginning - Our loss is the Childs gain - Gods Will
be done.”119
The year 1873 did bring some joy nevertheless. On October
23, along with several others, he was elected to membership in the
Historical Society of Montana. Here also his talents were recognized
and utilized by his being immediately elected Recording Secretary.120
He prepared much material for the Montana Historical Society
and was its recording secretary until 1885 and its president in 1905.
If the year 1873 opened with grief, it could at least be said that the
year 1874 opened in discouragement for Hedges and most of the
other residents of Helena. Helena’s most destructive fire occurred
on January 9. Cornelius version of the holocaust was written in his
journal:
“The Greatest Fire for Helena - The alarm first about 7 in
morning as I was getting up - I went at once - Wind was blowing
a hurricane …tried to save some things from my office but lost
all - Feared for dwelling house till 2 p.m. when we started a
cooking-fire and took first meal - Lost much but saved more
- The miracle is that anything is left - Both banks destroyed -
Had only 75 cents in pockets -Thank God -Take Courage.”121