by...Elizabeth Dorrene Thompson Jensen
This story of Thomas Washington Smith was compiled from two short stories written by Iris Bushnell and Virginia H. Smith, handed out at the Smith Family Reunion, 19 Aug. 1978.

Mathieu Agee (Ah-zhay) came to America in 1690 where he gave up nobility to follow the French Hugenot's faith to get away from the persecution under King Louis XIV. Hundred of thousands fled to Switzerland, the Netherlands, England, Germany and to the Colonies in North America. Mathieu Agee landed in Virginia.

To him and his wife a son Anthony Agee was born in 1739. This Anthony was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Anthony and his wife lived together for 75 years and had twelve children, only one was a girl she was named Leah.

Leah married Sir George Thomas Smith and they had twelve children. One of their sons was James Agee Smith.

James Agee Smith was born 6 December 1788, in Sullivan, Tennessee. He married Margaret Love, 24 May 1810. They had seven children. One of their sons was Thomas Washington Smith.

Thomas Washington Smith was born 23 December 1815 in Tennessee. He was converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and was baptized 6 January 1841. He emigrated to Nauvoo in 1843 and was Endowed in the Nauvoo Temple in 1846. He knew the Prophet Joseph Smith and his wife Emma. He was at the meeting when the Priesthood Mantle of Authority of Joseph Smith fell on Brigham Youngand when he was chosen President of the church.

Thomas Washington Smith practiced plural marriage. His first wife was Mary Ann Ross. She had one child born in Tennessee in 1838. She passed away and buried in Tennessee. His second wife was Sarah Ann Boren. She had ten children. One was born in Illinois in 1844. Two were born in Iowa from 1846-49. One at Provo, Utah in 1851. Two in Fillmore, Utah from 1855-58 and four born in Washington, Utah.

He married his third wife Susan Reynolds; 1 April 1848. She had three children by a previous marriage. These Stevens children were adopted by Thomas Washington.

They started by ox team from the Missouri Valley to cross the plains. Susan gave birth to twin girls, Martha Ann and Sarah Elizabeth in Iowa. They became parents of a second set of twins, enroute to Salt Lake City, somewhere along the Big Horn River in Wyoming, 15 June 1851. James Edward and his sister Nancy Jane were these twins.

The family of Thomas Washington settled in Provo, Utah for about five years where he erected a sawmill. He was then called to help settle Fillmore, Utah. Food was scarce and they had to kill a mule for food. He said, "I can starve but I can't eat that broth." (The broth of the mule was full of tallow, like sheep have, and would leave a layer of grease in the roof of your mouth.)

In Fillmore he built another sawmill and also a grist mill but they didn't stay there long as they were called to Washington County, Utah to help raise cotton, as he was an experienced cotton farmer from the south. He put up another sawmill, gristmill and a corn cracker. Money was scarce in this area so he traded lumber for cattle and other produce. He soon accumulated a large herd of cattle and in 1870 he was given a call by Apostle Erastus Snow to go to the Pahreah County and help settle it. He also helped build roads to the crossing of the Fathers on the Colorado River. Here Thomas' wife murmured, "I'll be glad when the Lord finds out where he wants Thomas! I'm so tired of getting a house built just to get up and leave it to someone else!"

Thomas Washington's fourth wife was Nancy Ross. She had been married before. She had one child born in Washington, Utah.

Thomas Washington was called to be bishop of the Pahreah Ward in 1877 through 1890. He was the second bishop of the Pahreah Ward. When he was released as bishop, he went to Tropic Canyon and purchased a sawmill. It was in that mill that about 90% of all the rough lumber was made for building the town of Tropic, Utah. This mill later moved to Bryce Canyon. His family remained in Pahreah and he returned there also. Few years earlier he had traded a pinto pony to the Indians for the Smith Ranch and meadows for his herds of cattle. Thomas Washington Smith died in Pahreah, 28 December 1892 at the age of seventy-seven years.