William R. Smith (Mormon)
| William R. Smith | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Reed Smith August 11, 1826 Yonge Township, Leeds County, Upper Canada |
| Died | January 15, 1894 (aged 67) Centerville, Utah Territory, United States |
| Cause of death | "Stricture of the bowels" |
| Resting place | Centerville City Cemetery 40°54′47″N 111°52′05″W / 40.913°N 111.868°W |
| Spouse(s) | 5 |
William Reed Smith (11 August 1826 – 15 January 1894) was a Utah territorial politician and a leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Utah
Smith was born in Yonge Township, Leeds County, Upper Canada, as the youngest of nine children born to Peter Smyth and Mary Read. Both of his parents died when he was very young, so at the age of two years and ten months he was taken in by neighbours, Samuel and Fanny Parrish, who raised him to adulthood. The Parrishes raised Smith in the Quaker religion.
In 1837, the Parrishes and Smith moved to Stark County, Illinois. In the late 1830s, as Latter Day Saints began gathering in nearby Nauvoo, the Parishes and Smith became interested in Mormonism. Smith was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1841, on his 15th birthday.
In 1849, Smith traveled to the Salt Lake Valley as a Mormon pioneer. In Utah Territory, Smith settled in Centerville. In 1855, Smith was appointed as the bishop of the LDS Church's Centerville Ward, and served in this position until 1877. During his time as bishop, Smith was involved in the Mormon Reformation, and accompanied Jedediah M. Grant in a tour of Utah in which the merits of rebaptism were presented. Smith himself was rebaptized on 29 September 1856.
...
Wikipedia