William P. Smith, Mormon Immigrants from Bury, Lancashire
(Note: Webpage in preparation)
Rebecca Mary Grimshaw was born on March 15, 1815 in Lancashire, the daughter of Jonathan and (Ann or Nancy Lisonbee or Lazenbee) Grimshaw; her grandparents were William and Jand (Hindle) Grimshaw. On May 23, 1834 Rebecca, who apparently went by her middle name, married William Smith against the wishes of her parents. Rebecca and William converted to Mormonism and emigrated to America in 1842, where they participated in the dramatic history of the Mormons in Illinois, Iowa and Utah. The family migrated to Salt Lake City with other Mormon families in 1852. Mary died in Utah on November 14, 1856. William remarried after Mary's death, to Anna Bengston. Both William and Mary are buried in the Union Pioneer Cemetery in Murray, Utah, near Salt Lake City.
Mary's sister, Ann, married Samuel Entwistle, and this couple also emigrated to America, settling in Missouri, where they are buried. Ann and Samuel are the subject of a companion webpage.
Chronology of Events of William P Smith Family
Preface to the William P Smith Genealogy Collection
Rebecca Mary and William P. Smith Descendant Chart
Family Group Records for Mary Grimshaw
Mary (Grimshaw) Smith's Sister, Ann (Grimshaw) Entwistle
Where is Tottington in Lancashire?
William and Mary Grimshaw's Final Resting Place
 | Website Credits |
Thanks go to Roland Smith for creating an outstanding website on (Rebecca) Mary and William P. Smith, which is located at the following address:
| Chronology of Events of William P Smith Family |
Chronology of Events in William P Smith Family
Compiled by Becky S. Porter (descended through Nathan Smith, son of William and Mary)
(using the Gregorian calendar as calculated by computer)
[William Smith]
WILLIAM SMITH was:
BORN: on Monday 22 Jan 1810 Tottington, Lancashire, England (map)
CHRISTENED: Saturday, 3 Mar 1810 Tottington, Lancashire, England
PARENTS:
Dr. Thomas Smith
Alice Smith
BROTHERS & SISTERS:
Ann 1804 Summerseat, Lancashire, England.
Susannah 18 Feb 1806 Tottington, Lancashire, England.
John 17 Feb 1808 Tottington.
Zilpha 22 Apr 1813 Tottington.
Alice 3 July 1815 Tottington,
Thomas 23 August 1818 Tottington.
William spent his childhood there with parents. He was taught about medicine and herbal usage by his father. It was said that his adolescence was rough and wild. He liked to fight and gamble and be with his friends. He was a large young man and strong.
MET: Mary Grimshaw (Ann in Alice Smith Done's history, and Rebecca Mary in Susan Easton Black's file). Mary was BORN Tuesday 15 Mar 1814 in Shadsworth, Lancashire, England a daughter of Jonathon Grimshaw and Ann or Nancy Lazenby/Lazen/Lisonbee. Her parents did not approve of her suitor and so expelled her from their home when plans of marriage were told.
MARRIED: Friday, 23 May 1834 at St. Peter, Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, England after banns had been given.
BAPTISED: Wednesday 30 September 1840 and from then prepared to leave England and go to Zion with other members and friends in their area or branch.
CHILDREN:
NATHAN: was born in Bury, Lancashire, Sunday 1 Mar 1835 (cemetery marker).
ANN: was born in Bury, Saturday, 18 Feb. 1937, but died Wednesday 6 Sept. 1837 when 7 months old.
RICHARD: was born Friday 14 Sept 1838 but died in April 1839, also when 7 months old.
MARIA: was born Monday 6 July 1860 about the same time that her parents heard of the Mormons and the Elders in Bury.
ALICE: was born 21 August 1842 in Bury on a Sunday (cemetery marker).
Preparations were made and the family was ready to go. Alice was only a few weeks old when they set sail on Sunday 4 Sept 1842. Different ships are mentioned and research has yet to be done on that part. One history mentions the ship "New York" which sailed in Aug 1842, another mentions the ship "The Great Western" (which record needs to yet be found and could have also been the name of the riverboat taken on the Mississippi trip). Alice Smith Done states that they were on the Ocean for 6 weeks and 3 days, while others say 7 weeks. If the first time period were true they would have reached New York on the 18 October, if the latter were true they would have reached New York on Sunday 23 October. From there the most common course for the emigrants to travel and the most economical was down the Eastern Coastline around the Gulf of Mexico and up the Mississippi to Nauvoo. Some histories say the family stayed in New York for a year to earn money and recoup and that little Maria had died during this part of the journey. However, Alice Smith Done and Nathan Smith states that Maria was sick for 2 days and died on the boat on Friday 9 Dec 1842 at the age of 2 years, 5 months and was buried on an island in the middle of the river. There had been another grave prepared for someone else who had died also. Nathan Smith (who was 7 years old at the time) remembers that she was buried on an island in the middle of the river and that he had nightmares afterwards because he knew that the river would rise or change its course and would wash the little body away.
Alice also states that the family continued on to "Ke-aKirk" (actually Keokuk, Iowa (map) which is located just south of Nauvoo on the Mississippi) where they stopped and her father, William, found work as a butcher to earn money for the remainder of the journey.
History books also note that the Mississippi freezes over during the winter months and transportation is closed down for a season until the spring when boats can again travel the river.
This left Nathan who was 7 yrs, and Alice was 4 months.
By March of 1843 the river was again opened to traffic and we know that the family of four reached Nauvoo by the first of April. We have a record of land being purchased by William of 20 acres outside of the Nauvoo city limits Section 25 on the 17th of April 1843 (his neighbor happens to be Joseph Griffiths). A book about Nauvoo states that during the spring of 1843 thousands of emigrants arrived who had been waiting in towns from New Orleans all the way to Keokuk.
William purchased land near to other emigrants from England, some whose names appear near each other throughout this whole time period on boat registrations, land purchases, branch memberships, even Union Ward records. Joseph Griffiths, who bought land in Nauvoo next to William, also settled in Union when they reached the Salt Lake Valley (map).
They would have been residing in the Mound Branch in Nauvoo.
William worked on the Temple while Nathan carried water. He also worked on improving his land. Cattle and sheep were herded in large numbers from the east to the Mississippi through this area, perhaps giving William an idea for future business dealings when he reached Utah and Idaho. Work on the Temple was a tithe-labor project which helped the emigrants greatly because their food and clothing were donated to them. Land could also be purchased for little more than their labor.
They knew the Prophet Joseph Smith and his family personally. They were probably met at the docks when they arrived and shook the Prophet's hand since he usually was available to greet the Saints as they arrived in the city. Arrangements were made to disperse the Saints to different areas of the settlement and to aid and direct them to a place to stay until they could get things arranged and organized. Whenever there were a number of Saints who were destitute, they were assigned someone to look after them and their needs were taken care of. Nathan remembers seeing the Prophet and the Nauvoo Legion in parades and in their dress uniforms often telling his grandchildren of seeing the Prophet on his magnificent black horse.
One history states that Mary worked for Emma in her home and helped with the laundry. A story was written in the Children's Friend Dec 1990 by Nancy B. Fuller, a great great granddaughter of Mary and William, called "The Girl Who Washed The Prophet's Clothes." In talking to Nancy she wrote the story in a way to get it published in the Friend so it isn't quite accurate in some details.
We know what history states happened in Carthage on 27 June 1844 and we know also the traumatic experiences that followed. Mob violence became unbearable. The family kept farming, and working doing what needed to be done. The Saints were told about the plans to leave Nauvoo in the future and that they should prepare to go. And still emigrants kept coming by the thousands into Nauvoo. Houses were continued to be built, trees were still planted, improvements were still being made.
William was ordained 19 Jan 1845 by Henry Jacobs in Nauvoo, which is recorded in the 70's records and is at the Salt Lake Geneological Library on file.
JOSEPH: was born Thursday 17 Apr 1845 in Nauvoo (cemetery marker).
Nathan was 10 years old. Alice was 3 years old.
The city continued to grow - It was hard to keep up with homes to be built. It didn't look like a city whose inhabitants were preparing to leave.
By fall of 1845 wagons were being built more than homes because the saints had been forewarned about the move West which would take place in the spring.
Great persecutions were taking place at this time. Divisions and murmurings were happening also and the people were making the choices of where they were going to stand when the time came. The Smith family was right in the middle of all of these things. They had seen the martyred bodies of their Prophet and Patriarch, they had heard all the debates and conferences where speeches were made. They had to prayerfully decide where they stood and whom they were going to follow.
As the persecutions became worse and the mobs could tell that the Mormons were preparing to leave the area they proceeded to harass the outlying farms and settlements, burning and looting as they went. This mob violence forced a lot of the saints in the outlying areas to move into the city of Nauvoo for protection and they needed to do so because everything they may have owned had been burned and pillaged. This might have happened to William and his family, we don't know for sure. He was assigned later to do business for the church in Nauvoo.
Work went forward on the Temple and men worked long hours trying to complete it before it had to be vacated. Endowments were possible at this time, however, sealings could not yet take place. Brigham Young had told all the people to receive their endowments in the Holy Temple of the Lord before they were forced to leave it behind. He told them they knew not whether or not they would survive to see another temple built and needed this blessing of protection to travel with them. So work went forth at a furiously fast pace until the temple was completed to the point that endowments and baptisms could take place. (An interesting story was told to us by a lady in Nauvoo who ran the bed and breakfast house that Kent and I stayed in during our visit there in September 1991. She said that her great grandfather needed to be baptized, except he was not going to be baptized as a Mormon. He belonged to another church there in Nauvoo and they didn't have a meeting house to be baptized in. So the Priest or Father, who was a good friend of Joseph Smith's told the Prophet of the problem, The Prophet Joseph told them to bring the boy up to the temple and baptize him there in the font. So they did. Baptisms were taking place in the Temple before the martyrdom.)
William and Mary were endowed in the Nauvoo Temple 2 Feb 1846 as recorded in the records at the Geneological Library in Salt Lake. Sealings for living couples took place in the Nauvoo Temple from 9 Jan 1846 to 7 Feb 1846, so it is curious that a sealing record does not exist for William and Mary at this time. Perhaps they were sealed on this same day, perhaps not. Nevertheless, they were sealed in 1863 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake. February 2, 1846 was the same day that two thousand persons were ready to go and that the first wagons moved toward the river to cross the Mississippi. On February 21, 1846 weather is noted as being "snow, wind, cold...ice flows breaking up making treacherous crossings."
All during the spring and summer the wagons departed. William's family didn't have the means to buy their supplies in order to go with the first exodus. They were part of the 'poor' who had been left behind. Brigham Young did assign William to be on the committee to dispose of Church property as efficiently and profitably as possible. There were also many other church members who had not left with the first movement. Everyone tried to do the best they could and to continue to get ready and prepared to be able to catch up to the main contingency.
On March 1, 1846 the weather was "19 degrees outside and fair."
During the ensuing months, Brigham Young and other brethren traveled back and forth across the Mississippi to aid in the preparations to leave the City. "By mid-May 1400 wagons and 12,000 persons had crossed the river. But hundreds and perhaps thousands yet remained."
On June 13th a hostile force of 400 tried to attack the city but were repelled.
During this time Brigham Young and the forward group of Saints were traveling over Iowa territory, planting crops, organizing settlements such as Garden Grove and Mount Pisgah.
On August 4th the search for a place to winter took on earnestness.
In September the forward group reached the Winter Quarters area (map). It had taken 8 months. There had been much confusion and trouble in traveling. Companies got separated, people wouldn't move out as fast as they needed to. They took months to go only about 2 1/2 miles each day on an average. Men were not used to such travel and operating wagons. Some turned back to Nauvoo.
Many came from other directions and joined with the companies.
On September 9th Brigham Young prepared to send 12 teams to Nauvoo to bring the poor and others still remaining there to the main group. On September 10th the committee chose the site for the city called Winter Quarters.
Then on September 17th, another force attacked the city of Nauvoo at the head of Mulholland Street with a cannon. This time they succeeded in making a breach in the barricades and went on a violent spree looting and demolishing everything. It had indeed turned into a battle. The Saints immediately began leaving the city. They crossed the river and camped at Montrose.
On September 23rd a rainstorm hit at about noon. Torrents of rain fell running under tents and through wagon covers. Everything was drenched. Several babies were born during the day and night. Many were ill and fevered, crammed into one tent to keep dry and warm. Some found cover under wagons and bushes. This rain lasted for several days making life extremely miserable. This is the time that the Lord sent the Miracle of the Quail to feed His people. We are told that the William Smith family were there and witnessed this event, but the family actually stayed in Nauvoo for another year.
In trying to sort through this fact and how the family came to be back in Nauvoo for the birth of another child, I was stuck, until I came across an old Daughter's of the Pioneers lesson manual written in March 1964. In it is a history about a pioneer family who were expelled from Nauvoo in a destitute condition and who witnessed the Quail Miracle also. She writes, "Some of the Saints continued their journey to the West, but we were in too destitute circumstances to travel across the plains, so we went with some other families of Saints down the Mississippi River to where it was narrow where we forded the stream to Nickerson Island. This was a small island in the Mississippi River. There were a few log huts on the island which were used by the men in the summertime to live while cutting timber." (These islands have been covered up by the rising river). The mob saw their condition and with softened hearts told them they could return to Nauvoo. Perhaps this is what happened, perhaps not, but the family stayed in Nauvoo another year. When the governing body of the saints had left the city, the mob was satisfied and for the most part persecution stopped for those who remained. Brigham Young's 12 teams soon came to help the beleaguered families.
By October 1846 Nauvoo was a virtual ghost town. Visitors to the area record it as such in their writings.
Mary and one or two children had been suffering from malaria or 'fever' (as the pioneers called it) and couldn't leave. The mob had hired William to clean out the "poisoned" wells for the new inhabitants of the city. They thought the Mormons had poisoned all the wells when they left. Many deaths occurred during this time from malaria. The "Nauvoo Neighbor" a community newspaper listed many deaths of children and elderly especially during this year.
One day the mob came to the home and warned the family to leave immediately. They saw Mary and the children ill to extreme in the cabin and relented and told them they could stay for a few more days but Alice states that they were told to be gone by the following Monday.
The mob came back on Monday to see if they were gone, but the mother was still ill and couldn't go. Thirteen armed men came into the house and searched for weapons. William had seen them coming and guessing what they would do had passed the guns out through the chinking in the back of the house to Nathan who hid them in the cornfield.
After finding no weapons the mob left them in peace to get well and to finish their preparations.
The next recorded event occurred on Sunday 10 Oct 1847 when MARY ANN was born in Nauvoo.
The family finally left on Saturday 16 Oct 1847 when the baby was only 6 days old. Mob violence and threats probably forced the family to leave at this time as well as wanting to be with the other saints. The mother and baby had not had sufficient time to recover and left under very poor and meager circumstances, a wagon with no cover when the weather was very wet and cold.
On November 28th the first snow came which was very cold and caused a rapid icing of the Mississippi River.
The family passed through Garden Grove and Mount Pisgah on their journey where they replenished their food supplies. By December they had reached the area near Winter Quarters called Ferryville or Ferry (map). William was called to stay and be branch President with councilors Clark and Harris. The family stayed here from 1847 to 1852. They ran a ferryboat and became reasonably comfortable. They were able to purchase cattle and wagons and horses during this time for the trek West. Nathan helped his father with the Ferry. Indians lived in this area also, and they raised corn and other crops for their use. Mention is made of several forts and Indian encampments in the area in a booklet about "Winter Quarters Revisited", but no mention of Ferryville is made.
Here WILLIAM was born on Sunday 17 Feb 1850 in Council Bluffs, Pottawattomie County, Iowa.
Then HYRUM (picture) was born on Tuesday 15 June 1852 also in Council Bluffs.
Hyrum Smith Family Photograph
Standing: Sarah Smith Anderson, William H. Smith, Elizabeth Smith Wardle, Hyrum E. Smith, Alvira Smith Wardle, and Arthur Smith.
Sitting: Hyrum Smith, Sarah Pidd, and Lucy Griffith Smith.
Council Bluffs is a beautiful area of rolling hills and lots of green farmland. (At least on the Eastern side of the river). I can understand why the family loved it here. I cannot understand however, the desire to work on the river. The Missouri River is also wide and fast moving, very frightening to me. The Church has done a wonderful job in establishing a Visitor's Center there and a beautifully kept Pioneer Cemetery on a hill overlooking the area known as Winter Quarters and the Missouri River (map).
When Hyrum was 6 weeks old (about the middle of August) the family left Ferryville with Captain Wheelock's Company, They were divided into a company of 50 families until the Platte river then into companies of 10s (map of the Pioneer Trail).
Nathan was 17, a strong young man who liked to dress in buckskins and had become a "frontiersman". He must have learned the art of tanning while here because later he made many things such as making and braiding his own whips out of leather.
Alice was 10. Joseph was 7. Mary Ann was 5.
William was 19 months.
Hyrum was 6 weeks.
Cholera broke out among the wagon train and Nathan contracted it. He said that it was only through his mother's tea and doctoring that he survived.
The family decided to leave the Wheelock company and joined the Captain MacCray (McGray) Company. Nathan's history states that they reached the Salt Lake Valley Wednesday 6 October 1852 having been on the plains 7 weeks.
By October 16, 1852, a Saturday, the family moved to Little Cottonwood 12 miles south of Salt Lake to a community later know as Union Fort (map; see also Union Ward).
Eva Leyland, a descendant of Hyrum Smith, son of William, states that the family built a log home along the Little Cottonwood creek and that William planted Maple trees that he had brought with him across the plains. Some of those trees were still standing in the 1990's. (Now, January 1996, most of the land has been covered by asphalt and shopping malls as well as a high school there on Fort Union Blvd. At one time William owned a lot a property there.)
Little WILLIAM died at Union on Tuesday 22 Feb 1853 aged 3 years.
THOMAS: was born Friday 7 April 1854 in Union.
Thomas Smith at age 21
JOHN: was born in October 1856 in Union.
MARY, THE MOTHER, was good to help her neighbors when they ever had a time of need. She acted as midwife to many. Although she had a baby only a few weeks old she still went to help one cold wet night. The winter of 1856 was one of the worst experienced since the Saint's arrival in the Valley (History of Salt Lake). Mary came home one night after helping a neighbor during a storm and tried to put the horse away. The gate or post hit Mary across the chest. It injured her in such a way that she became very ill with congestion and passed away on 14 Nov 1856, a Friday at the age of 42 years leaving a family of 7 living children. William was 46 years of age (cemetery marker).
Two days before she died she received her Patriarchal Blessing. We hope that she was able to understand what was being said because it is a beautiful blessing to her and to her family. A copy of it is in my possession.
Nathan was 21: Out and around the valley working, riding the mail route, freighting, aiding the emigrants still coming across the plains, making several trips a year back and forth from Winter Quarters to the Salt Lake Valley. His history is written and in my possession.
Alice was 14: Taking a lot of the responsibility of the children upon her shoulders with her mother's death. Her history is written and in my possession.
Joseph was 11: Helping his father on the farm and feeling the absence of his mother in the home.
Mary Ann was 9. Took over the housekeeping when Alice wasn't there.
Hyrum was 4: We can only imagine his heartache. His history is in my possession.
Thomas was 2: I am still searching to find his history.
John was only a month old.
The story is told about this baby's death and the appearance of his mother, Mary, to carry him Home. He died 20 Jan 1857 in the morning as foretold.
NATHAN: Aided in the Canyon when Johnston's Army threatened the peace in the Valley. In the spring of 1860 moved to Smithfield and lived there in the Fort (map). He married JANE SANT (cemetery marker; photograph) whom he had met earlier on one of his times across the plains and they were married 3 Oct 1861. Nathan was 26 and Jane was 15. They lived in Smithfield until 1871 when they moved to Idaho to Banida Flats, near Preston (map). He freighted to Montana, they ran a boarding house for railroad workers when they were there, and also ran herds of cattle and sheep for his father, William, in Gentile Valley.
William P was made First Counselor in the Union bishopric in 1862 and served in this capacity for about 5 years or until 1867. He was also the first watermaster of Union where he served almost the rest of his life. This appointment made him some friends and a lot of enemies. His descendents also kept the job.
ALICE: stayed with father and brothers and sisters until 9 Sept 1858 when she married George Done at 16 years of age. She later moved to Smithfield on 17 June 1860 where she raised her family and passed away there.
JOSEPH: married Sarah Owens (cemetery marker) 8 Feb 1863 when 18 years old. He moved to Smithfield also and died there 8 Mar 1928 at 83 years.
William married Anna Bengston 12 Dec 1863 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake. They had 3 children and were divorced. Their sealing was later canceled in 1867. The same day they were married Anna stood as proxy for Mary while she was sealed to William.
Between 1863 and 1867 William became dissatisfied with the Mormon Church and disassociated himself from it. Whatever the reason may be we do not know, several have been given, we know only that he continued to believe in the truths of the gospel and the Book of Mormon. He became associated with the Reorganized Church and was in contact with Joseph Smith III whom he had seen in Nauvoo. William was excommunicated 21 Apr 1867 and Anna left him soon afterwards with their children (the third being born several months afterwards). Reinstated by baptism 26 May 1969.
William met and married Sarah Pidd Griffiths (picture), widow of Joseph Griffiths who owned land by him in Nauvoo and lived near him in Union, 26 Nov 1867 at Fort Douglas. Their histories are in my possession (History of Sarah Pidd Griffiths Smith and In the Early Days of the lives of William P Smith and Sarah Pidd Griffiths). William was 57 and Sarah was about 15 years younger. Twins were born to them in 1868, Isaac dying at three days and Sarah living to be about 8 years old (1875) (cemetery marker). Sarah had a daughter by Joseph Griffiths, and she was a young teenager when her mother married again. This daughter, Lucy, later married William's son, Hyrum (family picture),
MARY ANN; married George Stoll/Stahl 20 Mar 1866 aged 19 years and moved to Burnt Fork, Wyoming (map).
HYRUM & THOMAS stayed and helped William on the farm until their marriages.
SARAH: daughter of William P and Sarah died in 1875 and is buried in Union cemetery, as is her twin brother, Isaac.
HYRUM: married Lucy Ann Griffiths 21 May 1876. They lived in Union all their lives.
THOMAS: married Emily Cope 24 Feb 1873 in Salt Lake City at the age of 19. They lived in Union and Burntfork, Wyoming for a while. In 1885 he was murdered, shot in the back by a man named King who was jealous of his strength and wanted his ax. Joseph Smith III was in Utah at this time and spoke at the funeral in Union. He also mentioned the incident in his memoirs. Thomas left a young wife and family. He was 31 years old when he was killed.
William and Sarah continued to live in Union. They wove cloth together and Sarah was an excellent seamstress. They had endured many hardships and tragedies in their lives, both losing children and loved ones. They stayed close to Hyrum and Lucy and Thomas and Emily. They stayed active in the Reorganized Church there with William being the President of the branch. They have been said to have taken a trip back to Missouri at some time.
William died 12 Nov 1893 in Union and was buried there with his scriptures (cemetery marker). He always believed in the truths of the gospel and taught his family that. He was 83 years old.
Sarah lived with Lucy or near to her for the remainder of her life.
(There is a lot of other information that I haven't mentioned here that can be found in life histories written about them by their descendants. I have copies of them in my possession.)
NATHAN: died 20 Jan 1909 in Smithfield at the home of his sister, Alice Smith Done just short of his 74th birthday. He had separated from his wife of many years. His log cabin is still standing in Banida, near Preston (1996).
MARY ANN: Is recorded as dying 30 Nov 1915, but she is mentioned as a living relative in 1919 at Alice's funeral. She is buried in Burntfork, Wyoming.
HYRUM: died 17 Aug 1916 in Union and is buried in the Murray City Cemetery. Age 64.
ALICE: died 27 Sept 1919 in Smithfield age 77 and is buried in Smithfield.
JOSEPH: died 8 Mar 1928 in Smithfield the oldest surviving child at the age of 83.
I am trying to locate histories and family members of Joseph's, Mary Ann's, and Thomas's families. Further information will be added as it becomes available.
| Preface to the William P Smith Genealogy Collection |
Preface To The William P Smith Genealogy Collection
By Becky S. Porter
I do not pretend to be a writer or a journalist, I only want to make available to all of William "P" Smith's children his story. What might be new to some of us might be well known by others and vice versa. My purpose was to gather all the information available to me and to compile it into one place one story - for his descendants.
There are a lot of discrepancies in dates and different versions of the same story, but still we can gather much from the memories of others. We all have different perspectives on any one subject and it was interesting to see the similarities and the differences in the different stories written.
This man and his first wife, Mary, have held a fascination for me for quite a few years. I have also grown to admire Sarah who was his companion in his later years. In my visits with other members of the family that settled in Cache Valley (map), very little was known about their progenitors. It was hard to find information, although everyone I talked to wanted to help as much as they could. For this reason I have tried to accomplish the task of letting them know about the family.
I am grateful for the part of the family in Union (map) who kept such a good record of William "P" and who answered many of my questions. They were as excited to learn about their cousins from up North as I was learn about them.
Genealogical information was taken from old family group sheets in possession of family members, records of all kinds in the Church Family History Library in Logan and Salt Lake City, IGI 1984, 1991, 1994 version, Ancestral File, also histories written by descendants. Some information varies with different family members.
Dates in some instances were different, ordinances that were performed early in the history of the family could not be verified on the church records so permission was given to have them redone - a difference in spelling also causes permission for redoing the work. In all cases I tried to use the original date where possible, taking note of any other dates listed. I have tried to be as correct as possible and if a date differs on a sheet don't be worried because several dates could and do apply.
Please forgive the errors and mistakes I have made in the typing and format. There is still yet much that can be done the story is never ending. Your own personal family history needs to be added to the ones enclosed and there is still research on the family lines that needs to be continued.
During this project I have been given several old photographs of children and family members that have not and sometimes cannot be identified. It has reminded me to identify any pictures that I have that I haven't identified. It is such a shame that time passes so quickly and that much needed information is lost with the passing of our loved ones. So many things are forgotten until our memories are jogged by a question or two from someone.
It has always seemed such a tragedy that someone's life and their experiences and knowledge need to be condensed into a few words on paper. I have always wanted to know the "whys" and the "wherefores" surrounding a family's history instead of the routine.
I hope that we will remember to write down the things that are important to us in our own families and that our children can remember their ancestors and the great heritage that they have.
Genealogy Collection provided by:
Becky S. Porter, 2493 S. Hulls Crossing, Preston, Idaho 83263
| Rebecca Mary and William P. Smith Descendant Chart |
William P. Smith (22 Jan 1810 - 12 Nov 1893) & Rebecca Mary Grimshaw (15 Mar 1815 - 14 Nov 1856)
|-----Nathan Smith (1 Mar 1835 - 20 Jan 1909) & Jane Sant (8 Mar 1846 - 6 Feb 1918)
|-----|-----William Smith (25 Oct 1863 - 6 May 1945) & Margaret Kay Sant
|-----|-----Mary Smith* (23 Aug 1865 - 15 Dec 1936) & Sylvester , Sr. Low
|-----|-----Mary Smith* (23 Aug 1865 - 15 Dec 1936) & Frank Elsworth Bevans
|-----|-----Eliza Jane Smith (14 Sep 1867 - 27 Dec 1872)
|-----|-----Nathan Smith (26 Nov 1869 - 10 Aug 1927) & Hannah Hansen (30 Oct 1869 - 16 Oct 1950)
|-----|-----|-----Nathan Leroy Smith* (17 Jul 1892 - 17 May 1987) & Mamie Ransom (18 Sep 1903 - )
|-----|-----|-----Nathan Leroy Smith* (17 Jul 1892 - 17 May 1987) & Mary Burton (2 Jul 1903 - 16 Mar 1963)
|-----|-----|-----Thomas Smith (21 Dec 1893 - 21 Dec 1893)
|-----|-----|-----Howard Rasmus Smith (2 Jan 1895 - 6 Jul 1952) & Hortense Maud Hunsaker
|-----|-----|-----George Lyman Smith (20 Oct 1896 - 20 Nov 1932) & Annie L. Anderson
|-----|-----|-----Annie Jane Smith (14 Mar 1898 - 14 Mar 1898)
|-----|-----|-----Mary Smith (13 Apr 1899 - 18 Feb 1991) & Alvin Ernest Anderson ( - 27 Jun 1968)
|-----|-----|-----Oral Christian Smith (19 Dec 1900 - 21 Dec 1935)
|-----|-----|-----Wilford John Smith (5 Oct 1902 - 11 Mar 1926)
|-----|-----|-----Nellie Smith (24 Feb 1904 - SeeNotes) & Guy H. Stalker
|-----|-----|-----Joseph Franklin Smith (12 Sep 1905 - 1 Oct 1907)
|-----|-----|-----Mabel Smith (10 Aug 1908 - SeeNotes) & James Ransom Burton (8 Jul 1905 - 26 Feb 1969)
|-----|-----|-----Albert Smith (4 Jan 1912 - 9 Sep 1929)
|-----|-----Margaret Smith* (30 Sep 1871 - 12 Apr 1938) & Sylvester , Jr. Low
|-----|-----Margaret Smith* (30 Sep 1871 - 12 Apr 1938) & William , Jr. Griffiths
|-----|-----John Sant Smith (30 Nov 1873 - Aug 1876)
|-----|-----Thomas Smith (3 Jan 1876 - 18 Nov 1957) & Lucy Crossley
|-----|-----George Albert Smith (22 Mar 1878 - 5 Jul 1954) & Hannah Margret Nielsen (3 Jan 1882 - )
|-----|-----Alice Smith (9 Feb 1880 - 4 Aug 1938) & David Treasure Sant
|-----|-----Maria Smith (1 Dec 1882 - 19 Sep 1970) & Byrum Heber Prescott
|-----|-----Harriet Ann Smith (18 Jun 1885 - 30 Apr 1951) & Alpheus Samuel Andersen
|-----|-----Sarah Smith (29 Jun 1888 - 10 Mar 1967) & Seth Sant
|-----Ann Smith (18 Feb 1837 - 6 Sep 1837)
|-----Richard Smith (14 Sep 1838 - Apr 1839)
|-----Maria Smith (6 Jul 1840 - 9 Dec 1842)
|-----Alice Smith (21 Aug 1842 - 27 Sep 1919) & George , Sr. Done (18 Mar 1834 - 14 Sep 1906)
|-----|-----Mary Done (18 Sep 1859 - 16 Mar 1945) & William , Jr. Coleman
|-----|-----Alice Done (14 Jan 1862 - 5 Oct 1921) & Jonathan Heber Smith
|-----|-----Sarah Ann Done (23 May 1864 - 26 Feb 1866)
|-----|-----Maria Done (25 May 1866 - 9 Mar 1936) & Amasa Lyman Taylor
|-----|-----George , Jr. Done (5 Sep 1868 - 27 Dec 1941) & Zylpha Clarinda Raymond
|-----|-----William Done* (8 Jan 1871 - 9 Dec 1944) & Abigail Raymond
|-----|-----William Done* (8 Jan 1871 - 9 Dec 1944) & Aurelia Rosekelley
|-----|-----James Done (16 Mar 1873 - 7 Dec 1877)
|-----|-----John Done (5 May 1875 - 26 Oct 1879)
|-----|-----Donna Jane Done (17 Nov 1877 - 28 Dec 1909) & Thomas Henry Chambers
|-----|-----Bertha Eleanor Done (11 May 1880 - 19 Oct 1944) & William Mather
|-----|-----Nathan Done* (22 Mar 1883 - 14 Feb 1932) & Alice Nielsen
|-----|-----Nathan Done* (22 Mar 1883 - 14 Feb 1932) & Laura Pearl Douglass
|-----|-----Lillian Done (10 Nov 1886 - 10 Nov 1886)
|-----Joseph Smith (17 Apr 1845 - 8 Mar 1928) & Sarah Owens (31 Jul 1848 - 29 Mar 1931)
|-----|-----Baby Smith (1864 - 1864)
|-----|-----Baby Smith (1865 - 1865)
|-----|-----Sarah Smith* (19 Sep 1867 - 20 Dec 1938) & Joseph Alexander Anderson
|-----|-----Sarah Smith* (19 Sep 1867 - 20 Dec 1938) & Ira William Merrill
|-----|-----Baby Smith (1869 - 1869)
|-----|-----Catherine Ann Smith (5 Jun 1870 - 28 May 1942) & Theodore Gyllenskog
|-----|-----Mary Smith (13 Jul 1873 - 12 Feb 1955) & Moroni , Jr. Price
|-----|-----Joseph Owens Smith (22 May 1875 - 13 Jun 1945) & Ella Ellis
|-----|-----Ada Thresia Smith (19 Nov 1877 - 20 Mar 1895)
|-----|-----Sylvia Smith (30 Jul 1879 - 24 Dec 1968) & Charles McCann
|-----|-----Amelia Almira Smith (9 Jan 1882 - 17 Jun 1942) & Jeddie Le Roy Miles
|-----Mary Ann Smith (10 Oct 1847 - 30 Nov 1915) & George Stoll (26 Dec 1837 - 1914)
|-----|-----George Stoll (20 Apr 1867 - 7 Feb 1939) & Lillian McDougall
|-----|-----William Stoll (3 Apr 1869 - 18 Feb 1943) & Ida Sadlier
|-----|-----Elizabeth Stoll (8 Jun 1871 - 6 May 1949) & Fletcher F. Kirkendall
|-----|-----Mary Ann Stoll (16 Oct 1873 - ) & Thomas Welch
|-----|-----Daniel Stoll (7 Mar 1876 - 1883)
|-----|-----John Stoll (3 Nov 1878 - 1947) & Betty Finch
|-----|-----Alice Stoll (15 Jun 1881 - 14 Sep 1962) & Henry Elwood McMillin
|-----|-----Edith Stoll (1884 - ) & Ed Bremm
|-----|-----Lillian Stoll (1 Aug 1887 - ) & Voorhees Pearson
|-----|-----Robert Stoll (28 Dec 1888 - 1918)
|-----|-----Raymond Stoll (18 Jul 1892 - Jan 1893)
|-----William Smith (17 Feb 1850 - 22 Feb 1853)
|-----Hyrum Smith (15 Jun 1852 - 17 Aug 1916) & Lucy Ann Giriffiths (24 Feb 1857 - 25 Dec 1933)
|-----|-----Sarah Olive Smith (23 Sep 1877 - 31 Mar 1962) & Martin Anderson
|-----|-----William Henry Smith (16 Dec 1879 - 26 Aug 1938) & Lornea Jacobsen
|-----|-----Hyrum Ernest Smith (17 Mar 1882 - 13 Aug 1922) & Bertha Sears
|-----|-----Elizabeth Ann Smith (22 Jul 1884 - 16 Feb 1967) & Charles Derry Wardle
|-----|-----Mary Alvira Smith (5 Mar 1887 - 10 Oct 1959) & Clarence Leroy Wardle
|-----|-----Arthur Thomas Smith (1 Jul 1889 - 20 Mar 1960) & Elizabeth D. Smith
|-----Thomas Smith (15 Jun 1854 - 28 Jul 1885) & Emily Cope (10 Feb 1855 - 13 Jun 1937)
|-----|-----Mary Ellen Smith (19 Aug 1873 - 20 Apr 1940) & Ruben Garrett
|-----|-----Ishmael Smith (27 Apr 1875 - 20 Apr 1876)
|-----|-----Rachel Smith (25 Jan 1877 - ) & Henry Hansen
|-----|-----Emily Smith* (8 Mar 1879 - 10 May 1963) & William Albert Fillmore
|-----|-----Emily Smith* (8 Mar 1879 - 10 May 1963) & David Lorenzo Hewlett
|-----|-----William Smith (28 Apr 1881 - 23 Oct 1892)
|-----|-----Thomas Smith (23 Aug 1883 - 23 May 1968) & Mary Rhuperta Whiting
|-----John Smith (Oct 1856 - 20 Jan 1857)
| Family Group Records for Mary Grimshaw |
Grandparents: William Grimshaw and Wife
Husband: William GRIMSHAW LDS Ordinance Data
Born: ABT 1757 Place: Bap:
Chr: 30 Jul 1757 Place: Church, Lancashire, England End:
Married: 9 Feb 1786 Place: Seal: 3 Jan 1952 Salt Lake
Died: Place: SP:
Buried: Place:
Father: William GRIMSHAW
Mother: (Mrs.) William GRIMSHAW
Other Spouses:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wife: Jane HINDLE
Born: 5 Sep 1762 Place: Cross Church, Lancashire, England Bap:
Chr: Place: End:
Died: Place: SP:
Buried: 5 Feb 1774 Place:
Father: James HINDLE
Mother: Ann HARGREAVES
Other Spouses:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Children
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 James GRIMSHAW
M Born: ABT 1786 Place: Bap: Child
Chr: 19 Aug 1786 Place: Church, Lancashire, England End: Child
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 6 Nov 1969 Idaho Falls
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Nanny GRIMSHAW
F Born: ABT 1786 Place: Bap: 18 Apr 1949
Chr: 19 Aug 1786 Place: Church, Lancashire, England End: Dec 1950
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 3 Jan 1952 Salt Lake
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 Jonathan GRIMSHAW
M Born: ABT 1791 Place: Bap: 23 May 1899
Chr: 8 Mar 1791 Place: Oswaldtwistle ch, Lancashire, England End: 24 May 1899
Married: Place: Seal: 23 Aug 1957 Salt Lake
Died: 25 May 1874 Place: Hazelhurst, Holcombe, Lancashire, England SP: 23 Aug 1957 Salt Lake
Spouse: Ann or Nancy LAZENBY\LISONBEE
Parents: Jonathan and Ann or Nancy Lazenby/Lisonbee
Family Group Record
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Husband: Jonathan GRIMSHAW LDS Ordinance Data
Born: ABT 1791 Place: Bap: 23 May 1899
Chr: 8 Mar 1791 Place: Oswaldtwistle ch, Lancashire, England End: 24 May 1899
Married: Place: Seal: 23 Aug 1957 Salt Lake
Died: 25 May 1874 Place: Hazelhurst, Holcombe, Lancashire, England SP: 23 Aug 1957 Salt Lake
Buried: Place:
Father: William GRIMSHAW
Mother: Jane HINDLE
Other Spouses:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wife: Ann or Nancy LAZENBY\LISONBEE
Born: 1793 Place: Yorkshire, England Bap: 22 Jun 1886
Chr: Place: End: 24 May 1889
Died: Place: SP:
Buried: Place:
Father: William LAZENBY
Mother: ANN
Other Spouses:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Children
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Jane GRIMSHAW
F Born: ABT 1810 Place: Bap: 4 Oct 1951
Chr: 13 Sep 1810 Place: Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, England End: 17 Nov 1951 St. George
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 8 Nov 1969 Idaho Falls
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 William GRIMSHAW
M Born: ABT 1814 Place: Bap: 4 Oct 1951
Chr: 18 Dec 1814 Place: Oswaldtwistle ch, Lancashire, England End: 6 Dec 1952
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 23 Aug 1957 Salt Lake
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 Rebecca Mary GRIMSHAW
F Born: 15 Mar 1815 Place: Shadworth, Rishton, Lancashire, England Bap: 1840 England
Chr: 14 Apr 1816 Place: Blackburn Parish, Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, England End: 2 Feb 1846 Nauvoo
Married: 23 May 1834 Place: St. Peter, Bolton-le-moors, Lancashire, England Seal: 12 Dec 1863 Salt Lake
Died: 14 Nov 1856 Place: Union, Salt Lake, Utah SP:
Spouse: William P SMITH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Faith GRIMSHAW
F Born: ABT 1816 Place: Bap: 8 Nov 1968 Logan
Chr: 14 Apr 1816 Place: Oswaldtwistle ch, Lancashire, England End: 17 Jan 1969 Logan
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 11 Nov 1969 Salt Lake
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Alice GRIMSHAW
F Born: ABT 1817 Place: Bap: 26 May 1951
Chr: 30 Nov 1817 Place: Oswaldtwistle ch, Lancashire, England End: 5 Sep 1951
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 23 Aug 1957 Salt Lake
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 Betty GRIMSHAW
F Born: ABT 1818 Place: Bap: 4 Oct 1951
Chr: 21 Jun 1818 Place: Oswaldtwistle ch, Lancashire, England End: 17 Nov 1951
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 23 Aug 1957 Salt Lake
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 James GRIMSHAW
M Born: ABT 1820 Place: Bap: 4 Oct 1951
Chr: 3 Sep 1820 Place: Oswaldtwistle ch, Lancashire, England End: 5 Dec 1952
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 23 Aug 1957 Salt Lake
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8 Jane GRIMSHAW
F Born: ABT 1822 Place: Bap: 4 Oct 1951
Chr: 24 Feb 1822 Place: Oswaldtwistle ch, Lancashire, England End: 17 Nov 1951
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 23 Aug 1957 Salt Lake
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9 Riley GRIMSHAW
M Born: 10 Nov 1822 Place: Bap: 4 Oct 1951
Chr: 26 Jan 1823 Place: Oswaldtwistle ch, Lancashire, England End: 4 Dec 1952
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 23 Aug 1957 Salt Lake
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 Margaret GRIMSHAW
F Born: 4 Feb 1824 Place: Edgeworth, Lancashire, England Bap: 1 Jan 1842
Chr: 1825 Place: Bolton, Lancashire, England End: 2 Feb 1867 Endowment House
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 22 Jan 1974 Idaho Falls
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11 Henry GRIMSHAW
M Born: ABT 1825 Place: Bap: 4 Oct 1951
Chr: 5 Jun 1825 Place: Oswaldtwistle ch, Lancashire, England End: 4 Dec 1852
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 23 Aug 1957 Salt Lake
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 Mary GRIMSHAW
F Born: ABT 1828 Place: Bap: 4 Oct 1951 Logan
Chr: 19 Oct 1828 Place: Oswaldtwistle ch, Lancashire, England End: 17 Nov 1951 St. George
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 23 Aug 1957 Salt Lake
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13 Ann or Hannah GRIMSHAW
F Born: ABT 1831 Place: Bap: 1968
Chr: 31 May 1831 Place: Elton, Lancashire, England End: 19 Sep 1879
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 19 Oct 1957
Spouse:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14 Hannah GRIMSHAW
F Born: ABT 1832 Place: Bap: 13 Nov 1968 Logan
Chr: 28 Oct 1832 Place: Church, Lancashire, England End: 24 Jan 1969 Logan
Married: Place: Seal:
Died: Place: SP: 13 Nov 1969 Idaho Falls
Spouse:
| Mary (Grimshaw) Smith's Sister, Ann (Grimshaw) Entwistle |
| Where is Tottington in Lancashire? |
Located near Bury, southeast of Blackburn and northwest of Manchester.
| William and Mary Grimshaw's Final Resting Place |
Union Pioneer Memorial Cemetery, Murray, Utah
| Background on William P Smith |
Background On William P Smith
By .........Long (given to Becky Porter by Eva Leyland)
William P Smith was born January 22, 1810 at Tottington, Lancashire, England (map), a son of Alice Smith and Dr. Thomas Smith. Often William would accompany his father on herb gathering trips. William learned to make healing salves and medicines and helped his father set bones.
As a young man William was high spirited and head strong. He did a lot of boxing and he liked to gamble. Once he won a watch. He won it three times and lost it twice. The third time he won it he kept it and brought it to Utah.
The young men of that vicinity liked to meet together to drink and gamble and often on their way home on a lonely road they would see a ghost all in white. Some were frightened and wanted someone to "lay the ghost", so fearless William offered.
One night he hid near where the ghost usually appeared and when it came he ran up and grabbed it. The ghost was a woman who didn't want the young men drinking and getting into trouble so decided to scare them. She promised that she would never appear again if William would keep her identity secret.
William began courting Mary a daughter of Jonathan and Ann Grimshaw. The Grimshaws didn't approve, as William was classed as wild and irresponsible. One night when William brought Mary home later than her parents thought was proper her father came out to scold. William became angry and doused him in the rain barrel. Being unable to get Mary's parents approval to their marriage, William and Mary had their banns posted in a neighboring shire. For seven Sundays they traveled there and then were married.
While living at Berry (Bury), Lancashire they had five children (2 died in England).
The first time William attended a "Mormon" meeting, it is said he went to scoff, but he was invited to come up front and help with the singing and so he stayed to listen. A friend who had previously joined the church had quite a bit of influence with him, and when Nathan (cemetery marker) was seven years old the Smith family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They set sail the same year in August 1842 for America taking their children Nathan 7 years, Maria 2 years, and Alice a baby of 3 weeks with them (cemetery marker).
Not long before they were scheduled to reach New York. Maria became very ill and died. The Ship's captain wanted to bury the little Maria at sea, but William persuaded him to wait until they reached land. As soon as land was sighted they stopped and buried the dead child (ed. note: other histories indicate that Maria died after the family left New York and was on their way up the Mississippi River going to Nauvoo). Then they went to New York. The sea voyage took about seven weeks. They stayed in New York awhile and then continued their journey to Nauvoo. They went by water by way of the Gulf of Mexico and up the Mississippi River as it was less expensive. The Smith's lived in Nauvoo (map) for about 4 years and there Joseph (cemetery marker) and Mary Ann were born. William worked on the Temple while there and Nathan helped by carrying water. When the majority of the Saints were driven out of Nauvoo, William's wife, Mary, and two children were very ill with fever so ill they could not be moved. Armed men came and ordered the family to leave, William, who had seen the men approaching had quickly passed the guns and ammunition through a hole in the chinking between the logs in the back of the house to Nathan, who hid them in the cornfield.
After seeing how sick Mary and the children were and finding no firearms, the men gave them more time to move. They even gave William a job cleaning out the wells that the saints had been accused of poisoning.
On October 16, 1847 with an outfit of one horse, one oxen and an old wagon with no cover, they with other saints started toward Utah. The weather was wet and cold and the Mother Mary especially suffered from exposure and poor health. Everyone was in the same fix, poor outfits, scant clothing and very little to eat. However, with stout hearts they moved forward. They had exhausted their scanty food supply and the winter winds were beginning and they were many miles from help in either direction, but they had faith in the Lord for whom they had sacrificed so much to follow, would not forsake them. A cold west wind was blowing and snow began to fall. It seemed they had reached almost the end of their endurance and despair was in their hearts when flocks of quail began drifting into camp. The hunters had searched far and wide for food and had found nothing. The quail, indeed, seemed Manna from Heaven (map).
The saints stopped at Ferryville near Council Bluffs, Iowa (map) to rest and recuperate and William P Smith was called to preside over that branch of the Church while they were there. William and his family stayed there five years and William Jr. and Hyrum (picture) were born there. Nathan and his father operated a ferry boat across the river. They saved up enough to buy a fine wagon with horses, instead of oxen to pull the wagon.
They had many tools and nice household utensils. There were plenty of provisions and many kinds of seeds to be planted in their new home, and also there was a nice sized herd of cattle and sheep.
In 1852 William and family again started on toward Utah (map of the Pioneer Trail), overtaking Captain Wheelock's company. Cholera broke out among the people and many died and were buried on the plains. Nathan contracted the disease and his mother's faith and warm catnip tea were believed to have saved his life. Later the Smith family separated from that company and traveled the rest of the way to Salt Lake City under the leadership of Captain McGray arriving in Salt Lake City October 6, 1852, after a seven week trip. Ten days more and they moved to land bordering on the Little Cottonwood Creek and later known as Union (map; see also Union Ward). Union Fort was built by the settlers to protect them from the Indians.
Most of the families built their homes inside the fort; however, William's first home was of logs brought from a nearby canyon, but built outside the fort.
One day when a group of men were in the canyon getting wood they heard a groaning. When investigating they found an Indian with a broken leg. William set the bone and cared for the injured Indian. Because of William's skill in setting bones and making medicines with herbs, he was looked upon as a great medicine man by the Indians and they never harmed him or his family. William Smith never moved inside the fort. Whenever his neighbors would urge or mention the Indians he would say "Tut, tut, they will not harm thee." The Indians liked and trusted him and many times came to him for aid when they were ill or had broken bones.
One day an Indian squaw came running to his house and wanted William to save her. Her husband had died and as it was the custom to bury all an Indian's earthly possessions, even his wife, with him; therefore the squaw had fled to the home of William for help. She said her tribe lived farther north and if she could get to them she would be safe. William hid her and when her pursuers came he directed them in the wrong direction. Later he helped the fleeing squaw to get safely back to her own people.
William also acted as a doctor and dentist for his neighbors and friends. He used a queer instrument for pulling teeth called a turn key. The turn key was fastened onto a tooth with a piece of soft cloth placed over the near by teeth and the rotten tooth was pried out. This was very painful for the patient.
It was a hard and a trying process making a home in a new land. Willows and sagebrush had to be uprooted before the soil could be made ready and crops planted. Ditches had to be dug from the creeks to carry water to the fields. And the grasshoppers seemed to return every second year. When they came they would devour every living green thing in their path. The settlers would drive them into the streams to drown them. Then they would scoop them out by the bucketful. Huge piles of grasshoppers would decay and stink. The chickens ate grasshoppers until the egg yolks were red.
To add to their troubles little William became sick and on February 22, 1853 he died and was buried in the Union Fort Pioneer Cemetery, Two more sons were born to the Smith's in Union: Thomas and John. Thomas was later killed with a gun by a villain (Ed. Note: See History Of Emily Cope Smith Cutler).
When John was about three weeks old his mother Mary, a midwife went to help a neighbor. It was a cold wet night in October and when she returned home and was putting up her horse, one of the pole bars slipped and struck her on the chest. It was not known whether it was the injury or if she caught cold which caused the congestion in her lungs and caused her death on November 14, 1856 (cemetery marker).
The following January little John lay very ill. A colt had been missing for several days, and the older boys had been hunting for it. Thomas, about four, who was looking out the window called, "Come quickly here is Mother bringing the colt home." Members of the family ran to the window. There was the colt but they could not see Mother. Tommy said, "Can't you see her? She's standing by the chopping block. She is coming for the baby in the morning."
The next morning the baby John died. Alice the oldest daughter cared for the younger children for a couple of years until she married. Then Mary Ann served as house keeper.
William worked very hard to take care of his motherless children. He helped in the home and farmed with his boys help raising hay, grain, fruit, and vegetables.
He gave his time and service to help his friends and neighbors, his church and his community. Although he was not a licensed doctor he could help his fellow man in many ways. He understood herbs and their usage. He made very good salve from herbs mixed in bees wax and tallow for skin and infections. His canker medicine combining herb tea and golden seal drug was widely used. He would gather the herbs in season and dry them to cure them.
When Bishop Silas Richard's (cemetery marker) counselors were called elsewhere in 1862, William served as a counselor in the Union or Little Cottonwood Ward, he also owned one of the first hand-powered farming mills used to blow the chaff from grain and peas.
As a youth in England, William had learned to be a weaver. He wove three kinds of cloth, one was called jeans for men's or boy's clothes, one was linsey or linsey-woolsey for women's and girl's clothes and the other was flannel. He also wove blankets. His interest in weaving led to his meeting and marriage to a woman who could also weave cloth and blankets. William and Anna Bengston were married in the Endowment House December 10, 1863. They had three children, James (cemetery marker), Zelphia and Elizabeth. Zelphia was the only one to grow up. This marriage was not a happy one and ended in divorce, on September 12, 1867.
At the time the step-mother left, Hyrum was 15 and Thomas 13. They became very close as they were always together at work on the farm or relaxing at the community get togethers. Hyrum was six feet tall, but Thomas topped him in height by several inches. Tom although broad and very athletic was a very peaceful boy. When the Sandy youths and Union boys had trouble Tom would try to settle the dispute without fighting. If the fighting had already started Tom would often help stop it and bring peace to the group.
Zelphia's mother married a man (Alfred Johnson) in Oakley, Utah (map; Oakley is near Heber City). Throughout the years William kept in touch with Zelphia, doing things for her to show his love and his interest in her health and well being. Later when William heard that Zelphia was working in the mining town of Park City, he loaded a wagon with flour, fruits and vegetables and sent Hy and Tom to take it to her. The boys were very happy to go as they loved their half sister very much.
William became interested in a woman who did sewing for many families through out the many LDS communities. She was Sarah Pidd Griffiths (picture), Ann Robert Griffiths and Sarah's husband was dead (cemetery marker) and Sarah did sewing to support the children of both mothers, Ann's boys were getting old enough to work her farm so Sarah's help was not necessary.
Ann was afraid that Sarah might marry again so forbade William to come to her home. So William would meet Sarah after church or sometimes at the place where she was sewing and she would go to his home and prepare food.
She made a soda dough which was cooked or a hot griddle. Both liked this kind of bread and began calling the cakes "Sparkling Cakes." When they decided to get married they went up to Salt Lake City to the Endowment House.
Ann found out their plans and got there first. She cried and said if Sarah left she would have no means of support, so the officials would not marry them. They took William aside and told him to come back later when Ann didn't know.
So William and Sarah started home, very angry and disappointed. Suddenly William suggested that they go up to Fort Douglas and be married. So they turned around and went to the Fort and were married by Judge Titus, November 23, 1867. The people of the community were scandalized. They decided that if William and Sarah were married by a non-Mormon they had left the church. Many were no longer friendly. It became dangerous for William and Sarah to be away from home after dark. Several times shots were fired at them as they sat on the wagon seat coming home from a shopping trip. William went unconcerned about his own affair. He and his boys farmed and his wife and ten year old daughter Lucy (picture) fitted very well into life in the Smith household.
On November 4, 1868 William and Sarah were blessed with twins, Isaac died after three days and Sarah lived to be eight years old (cemetery marker). Little Sarah was a sweet lovable child and everyone grieved deeply when she died. She was buried with roses from Lucy Ann's wedding dress.
Following is a story told by Lucy about her experience helping her step-father weave.
"By the time my mother married William there was a factory in Salt Lake that would take their wool in trade for yarn. William Smith and Mother would bring the yarn home and after the summer's work was over the weaving would commence. First the work was reeled onto the warping frame wick. This kept mother and I busy for about three days. Then it was put onto the loom, then the weaving could be started. Mother and I wound the bobbins and we had to keep the wheel going to keep ahead of father William. He could make the shuttle fairly fly and I can hear him now calling out in his shrill voice, "Bobbins, bobbins" and it made him out of patience if he had to wait for them. We would fill all the bobbins at night to try to keep ahead of him. Sometimes something would go wrong with the warp and he would have to get off the loom to fix it. I'd be glad of this break and to go ahead with the bobbin winding again. I remember one night a kitten was in the house and it got on the loom and tangled the yarn, Father Smith was so angry about having to straighten out the warp that he wouldn't speak to mother or me for almost two weeks. We were glad when company dropped in and he got over his sulking spell."
William Smith being quite a common name William's mail often got mixed up with other William Smith's mail, so he decided to borrow the initial from Sarah's maiden name Pidd. And from then on he signed his name William P Smith. The Smiths needed a new house so obtained enough adobes to build one. As the work was progressing satisfactorily William decided to go to Idaho on business during the time when crops were uncertain, due to drought and grasshoppers, most houses contained very large bins in them for storing two years supply of grain.
Thomas Smith married and had a family, he and another man went to Burnt Fork, Wyoming to get out logs. While there another man by the name of King joined them. Thomas Smith was of a large powerful stature being six feet three or four inches tall. He could fell more trees per hour than most men. King was jealous and asked Tom to trade axes. This Tom declined to do. A little quarreling ensued and the next morning when Tom was reaching up to cut some steak from Venison, King shot him through the back. The bullet passed through one kidney and paralyzed his legs. He cried out to his companion Louis Anderson, "Run for your life, I'm shot!" His companion ran and also the assassin ran, Tom crawled four miles to the main road on his elbows. Here he was picked up and taken to the nearest settlement in a wagon. He was conscious when found and told the story but he died before help was reached.
Genealogy Collection provided by:
Becky S. Porter, 2493 S. Hulls Crossing, Preston, Idaho 83263
| Sketches of the Life of William P Smith |
Sketches Of The Life Of William P Smith
author unknown
Sons and daughters of Thomas and Alice Smith, father and mother of William P Smith.
Ann Smith was born at Somerset, Lancashire, England and was buried at Tottington, England.
Susannah Smith was born at Tottington 1806 and died at Tottington.
John Smith was born at Tottington and died and was buried at Berry (Bury).
William Smith was born at Tottington January 22, 1810.
Zilpha Smith was born at Tottington 1813.
Alice Smith was born at Tottington 1815.
Thomas Smith was born at Tottington 1819.
William "P" Smith, the fourth child of Thomas and Alice Smith was born the 22 of January 1810 at Tottington, Lancashire, England. He married Mary Grimshaw. To this union there were born eleven children:
Nathan was born at Bury, Lancashire, England March 1, l835 (cemetery marker).
Ann, February 18, 1837.
Richard, September 14, 1838.
Maria, July 6, 1840.
Alice, August 21, 1842 (cemetery marker).
Joseph, April 17 1845 (cemetery marker).
Mary Ann, October 10, 1847.
William, February 17, 1850.
Hyrum, June 15, 1852.
Thomas, April 7, 1854.
John, 1856.
When Nathan was seven years old his father and mother heard the Latter-day Saints elders preach, and by the influence of a very dear friend they were persuaded to join the church.
They decided to come to America to live with the saints. So they set sail that same year (1842). The family consisted of Nathan 7, Marie 2, and baby Alice 3 weeks old. Ann and Richard had died.
They were seven weeks on the water and just before they landed little Marie died. Grandfather begged the captain of the ship to let them keep the body and bury it when they landed. They did this and she was buried as soon as they landed at New York.
They lived here for a year and continued their journey toward the body of saints who were at Nauvoo. They traveled by water down the Mississippi River and lived at Nauvoo five years.
Grandfather (William P Smith) worked upon the temple there and stood by during the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith. They endured the persecutions of the mobs.
When the saints were driven out of Nauvoo, it was impossible for the family to go, as grandmother was very sick. Armed men came and ordered them to leave but William P appealed to them for sympathy. The house was searched for guns and ammunitions but none were found. William had seen the officers coming and had hurriedly passed the guns and ammunition through a hole in the logs in the back of the house to Nathan who had hidden them in a corn patch.
The officers said that they might stay for awhile until she could get better. They even gave William a job cleaning out the wells that they had accused the saints of poisoning.
While in Nauvoo, Joseph and Mary Ann were born. On the 16th of October 1847, they started for Utah. Their outfit consisted of one horse, one ox, and an old wagon with no cover. The weather was cold and wet and through exposure the mother suffered very poor health.
They journeyed on, but the winter winds were cold and it was beginning to snow. They stopped at Ferryville (map) near Council Bluffs to rest and recuperate. William was called to preside over that branch of the church while he was there. The family stayed there for five years, while he operated a ferry boat. Here they saved enough to equip their own outfit. They also acquired some sheep and cattle. They also had two more children, William and Hyrum. In 1852, when Hyrum was six weeks old, they started again for Utah.
They overtook Captain Wheelock's company and joined them. But they hadn't gone far when cholera broke out and many died. So Grandfather left the company and soon caught up with Captain McGray's company and came the rest of the way with them. He arrived in Salt Lake City the 6th of October, 1852. They had been seven weeks on the plains.
Trial beset them and they endured hard times. The grasshoppers invaded and many other afflictions assaulted them but they remained steadfast in their faith and hope. Their little William died on February 22, 1853 and John was born in 1856. Grandmother Mary died November 14, 1856 (cemetery marker) and her baby John very soon after.
William P Smith had learned to weave in England, and as there was a great demand for this type of work, he decided to pursue it. While engaged in weaving, he met a woman (Anna Benson) who also wove material for blankets and clothing.
They were married in the old Endowment House on the l2th of December 1863. To them were born three children, James (cemetery marker), Zilpha, and Elizabeth. This marriage was not a happy one and they separated and were divorced.
Nathan had married, also Alice and Mary Ann. James had died and Zilpha and Elizabeth had gone with their mother.
Soon after, William P Smith married Sarah Pidd Griffiths. She had a daughter, Lucy Griffiths, who married his son, Hyrum.
To Sarah and William P were born two children (twins, Isaac and Sarah), on November 3, 1868 (cemetery marker).
Sarah and William P lived the rest of their lives on a farm in Union. They raised stock and farm produce.
William was a doctor, He had learned a lot from his father who was a doctor in England. He set bones, took care of the sick, pulled teeth, and was thought a great deal of in those early days. He was a fearless, honest man. He never wavered in the faith he had accepted, but joined the Reorganized Latter-day Saints, as they said that the Brighamites had added a lot of things to their faith that he didn't believe.
He died November 12, 1893 in Union and was buried in Union (map; see also Union Ward; Union Cemetery; and cemetery pictures)
Genealogy Collection provided by:
Becky S. Porter, 2493 S. Hulls Crossing, Preston, Idaho 83263
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Webpage posted April 2002. Upgraded February 2007 with additional information from Roland Smith's website.
