by Virginia H. Smith daughter-in-law to James Edward Smith.

I, Virginia H. Smith, a daughter-in-law to James Edward Smith (1851 - 1908) will introduce James Edward by writing first about his father Thomas Washington Smith, who was born in the State of Tennessee on 23 December 1815, and died on December 28, 1892, at Pahreah, Kane County, Utah. Thomas, called "Tommy" had four wives:

Wife #1, Mary Ann Ross, had one child in Tennessee:

Robert Adam Smith, born 5 September 1837, She then passed away on 3 January 1838;

Wife #2 Sarah Ann Boren, had ten children:

Mary Ann Smith, born 22 September 1844, Illinois.

Margaret Jane Smith, born 16 December 1846, Iowa.

Joseph H. Smith, born 25 June 1849, Iowa.

Carel Smith, born 18 September 1851, Provo, Utah.

Thomas Smith, born 9 February 1855, Fillmore, Utah.

Leah Presada Smith, born 18 June 1857, Fillmore, Utah.

George Albert Smith, born 11 June 1860, Washington, Utah.

Samuel W. Smith, born 1 January 1864, Washington, Utah.

Elias Henry Smith, born 28 October, Washington, Utah.

Tebitha Sietha (Ann) Smith, born 8 March 1871, Washington, Utah.

Wife #3 Susan Reynolds, the mother of James Edward Smith Sr., had three children by a previous marriage:

Mitchell (Stevens) Smith, born 23 March 1831, Tennessee.

Polly (Stevens) Smith, born 8 May 1833, Tennessee.

John William (Stevens) Smith, born 3 December 1840, Tennessee.

These Stevens children were adopted by Thomas Washington Smith.

While migrating to Utah, Mother Susan delivered twin girls in Iowa:

Martha Ann and Sarah Elizabeth Smith, born 26 January 1849, on the Plains, Iowa. Then while journeying toward Salt Lake City in the State of Wyoming, Susan bore another set of twins (a boy and a girl):

James Edward and Nancy Jane Smith, born 15 June 1851, along the Bighorn River in Wyoming. Susan gave birth to a girl in Fillmore, Utah: Cynthia Ann Smith, born 20 Apr. 1853.

Wife #4, Nancy Ross, had been married before marring Thomas Washington Smith, she had one child born at Washington, Utah: Charles Smith, born 12 July 1860.

The listings above show the many towns that Thomas W. Smith lived in for awhile. These records (a book left by Grandma Elizabeth Smith) do not show how long Thomas and his family resided at Pahreah, Kane county, Utah, before he died and was buried there in 1892. Tommy was the second Bishop in the Pahreah Ward.

James Edward Smith, his son, could not have been an idle youngster while growing to manhood. His father, Tommy, was a cattleman. He did freighting in a buckboard vehicle drawn by horses to get staple goods from Salt Lake City. He traveled to Washington, Utah to trade cattle for cloth. Thus James Edward helped doing these things plus digging ditches for irrigation of their fields and gardens. (Grandma Smith told on many occasions how plentiful the grass and shrubs were in early pioneer days in the region of the Pahreah River Valleys). There always were morning and evening chores to do like gathering wood for fuel for both warmth and cooking, getting timber and saw logs to build homes, sheds and corrals. The women and girls did much weaving and making of clothes, bedding, ect.. James Edward learned from his father's way-of-life how to pack and unpack the possessions as the family moved from place to place.

James Edward married Mary Susan Stephens on July 4, 1869. They were first cousins. They were married and lived together for thirty years. Mary Susan Stephens (July 1, 1851 - July 9, 1899) was the mother of twelve children whose name, date, and place of birth follows:

James Adam, born 12 January 1872, Washington, Utah.

Charles Thomas, born 28 May 1874, Pahreah, Utah.

Lucinda Caroline, born 26 January 1876, Washington, Utah.

John William, born 13 May 1878, Pahreah, Utah.

Mary Susan, born 6 June 1880, Pahreah, Utah.

Mitchell Monroe, born 19 July 1882, Pahreah, Utah.

Nancy Edna, born 5 October 1884, Woodruff, Arizona.

Elizabeth Delila, born 10 April 1887, Pahreah, Utah.

Sintha Josephine, born 4 September 1890, Henriville,

Utah.

Artimisha, born 23 February 1893, Henrieville, Utah.

Sarah Isabelle, born 12 August 1895, Henrieville, Utah.

George Albert, born 15 June 1899, Henrieville, Utah.

James Edward married wife #2, Elizabeth Jennett Smithson on March 20, 1878 (nine years after his marriage to Mary Susan). They lived together over thirty years. Grandma Elizabeth Smith was a widow for forty-one years. Elizabeth Jennett Smithson (April 2, 1861 - February 21, 1949) was mother of fifteen children whose name, date and place of birth follow:

Dora Burton, born 7 January 1879, Pahreah, Utah.

Martha Jane, born 9 October 1880, Pahreah, Utah.

Ida Mae, born 21 January 1882, Pahreah, Utah.

Allen Freeman, born 30 April 1883, Nutriosa, Arizona.

James Edward Jr, born 17 Sept. 1884,Woodruff, Arizona.

Mary Emma, born 9 December 1886, Pahreah, Utah.

Thomas Washington, born 15 April 1888, Layton, Arizona.

Margaret Lucinda, born 15 March 1890, Henrieville, Utah.

Sabina Azala, born 13 July 1891, Layton, Arizona.

Nephi, born 19 November 1893, Henrieville, Utah.

Serilda Irene, born 30 March 1895, Safford, Arizona.

Robert Earl, born 20 January 1897, Layton, Arizona.

Elizabeth Viola, born 5 March 1901, Henrieville, Utah.

Barton Henry, born 5 March 1901, Henrieville, Utah.

Elmer, born 3 December 1902, Wilford, Idaho.

Thomas (Tommy) Smith owned many cattle and some horses while he lived at Pahreah, Utah. Grandpa Tommy traded a pinto pony to the Indians for the Smith Ranch and meadows. The Ranch became the Summer range for his livestock. Winter range was South nearer to Pahreah. Tommy, with members of his family, traveled back and forth between these two areas (Henrieville and Pahreah) as they cared for the livestock. During those first years of traveling back and forth there were no settlements between the two places. By 1877 or 1878 Henrieville was settled by James Thompson and four sons, also three Littlefield brothers.

Twenty-three families once resided in Pahreah. When floods in the Pahreah Creek began cutting away the fertile town sight, families gradually moved, some up the creek to the North and helped settle towns in the Bryce Valley area as it is called today. Henrieville was one of those towns.

(Years later James Edward Smith Jr. and his wife Nellie owned what was left of that fertile soil at Pahreah. In the Summer months he with his wife and children cultivated the ground there. What tasty watermelons were grown there and also vegetables).

I, Virginia, wife of Barton Henry Smith, the twenty-sixth child of James Edward Sr., heard Elizabeth Jennett tell this story. Stealing by the Indians was a common thing. Elizabeth said, "Once the Indians stole all the milk cows and domestic animals. Jacob Hamblin, the Indian Peace Maker, was notified about the incident. Hamblin called on the men to help search for and retrieve the stolen animals. She said her brother Nephi Smithson and James Edward Smith Sr. were two called, along with others, to help this posse get back the animals."

James Edward Smith Sr. was an Elder in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon Church). He and Elizabeth were married in the St. George Temple.

A little record book of Elizabeth's says, "James Edward was five feet, six inches tall, weighed 200 pounds, black hair, and blue eyes.

Farming and cattle raising were his specialty. Death came because of a Stroke." In later years of his life, I am told, his hair went gray or white and he reached 220 pounds in weight.