| OCR Text |
Show WILIARD GILBERI' SMITH Dear Family of Amanda Barnes Smith: It is with nuch humility and n:any trepidations that I undertake the conpilation of happenings which attempt to portray the character and influence exerted by Willard Gilbert Smith, firstborn child of Amanda. He seems to have distilled the essence of her great faith in his own life and that quality has continued in full :rreasure down through his descendants in this branch of Amanda's family of six children who grew to ma.turity. If space pennitted, I could relate the prophetic . dreams, returns from death, faith healings, and other rare ma.nifestations which follow earnest prayer by his descendants who are scattered from Canada to both east and west coasts of the United States and ma.ny points in between, with ma.ny currently located in Utah. No rrembers of Willard and his wife Cordelia 'lhurston Smith's twelve children are alive today-the last three having left us between 1972 and 1977, but their achieve:rrents and exanples inspire us all. Of the nine who grew to ma.turity, all married and left children except David, who suffered the misfortune of seeing his bride-to-be thrown off the side-sad.:ile used by all waoon of that day and killed instantly as she rode just ahead of him. The shock was so traunatic he left hone soon after her fnneral and had little close relationship with his family afte:rwards. The picture of Nora Kippen, his fiance, was barely discernable when found in his wallet after his death on February 26, 1937. With the consent of living rrembers of her family, Grandnother Smith had them endc:Med and sealed together in the cardston Tenple on April 13, 1938. P\s far as I can ascertain, Willard and Cordelia Smith's descendants numbered 544of whom 504are alive today. Alrrost all have remained active rremers of the L.D.S. religion for which so rrud1 sacrifice and suffering were endured by their forefathers. All the descendants are a gifted, active group, prominent in their vocations and various comnunities--a progeny to make Amanda proud. Grandrrother once pressed rre to pranise to narre a son Olileab, since it was through that unusual narre that a volurre containing thousands of Smith narres was obtained °\'mich becarre the basis of our Smith genealogy. I refused to burden a son with such a designation, but assured her I would raise It¥ children to stay so steadfast in their faith that none would be lost and so no one would have to be tracing them t.11rough what seerred to me, to be an outlandish narre for our tines. Her response was, "You'd better, for we are raising the posterity of the Prophet Joseph and don't you ever forget it!" I never have and I try to impress on all :rracbers of IT¥ family (and Amanda's) the trerIEI1dous responsibility we all bear in this respect. -And now follCMS the biography of Willard Gilbert Smith, conpiled from writings of his daughters on his life, and the stories related to them as children. -- by Virgie Mulliner Frarre, a grand-daughter. |
