Cache County UT Archives Biographies.....Smith, Abraham 1857 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ut/utfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 23, 2011, 12:14 pm Source: See below Author: S. J. Clarke, Publisher ABRAHAM SMITH. Abraham Smith, living in the town of Smithfield, is a retired manufacturer but still looks after farming interests of importance. He was born in Brigham city, April 20, 1857, a son of Samuel and Janette Maria (Smith) Smith, both of whom were natives of England. The father came to Utah in 1851 and settled at Little Cottonwood, where he resided until 1855. The following year he married and located at Brigham. He served as counselor to President Snow about 1855 and for twelve years he filled the office of probate judge and at various times held other public positions. He was not a college graduate in medicine, yet he was considered an excellent physician and surgeon, who on many occasions prescribed for the sick or aided in setting broken bones. He possessed marked skill, ingenuity and adaptability and was ready for any emergency or demand that was made upon him. At the time of the move south he was made colonel of Brigham Company, but his wife was ill at the time, her son Abraham being then but two weeks old, and therefore she could not be moved, so that Mr. Smith and his little family, together with the sheriff, were the only ones left in the town. It was Mr. Smith who first advocated the utilization of the water power in Bear River canyon, which later was accomplished. He was also identified with the building of the Utah Northern Railroad through Boxelder county and in fact was active in support of all public enterprises having to do with the welfare, development and progress of his section of the state. He was associated with President Snow in building the first flouring mill at Brigham and at one time there were thirty-two different manufacturing plants, all operated under the direction of Mr. Smith and President Snow. Samuel Smith was also an active member of the church and president of the High Priests' Quorum. He observed the law concerning the plurality of marriage and had five wives and fifty-one children. He died in October, 1895, at Smithfield. Abraham Smith acquired his education in Brigham, where he reached adult age. He was married in 1881 to Miss Laura M. Pishburn, a daughter of Robert L. and Eliza Priscilla (Noble) Fishburn, who were natives of England and came to Utah with the second handcart company that crossed the plains in 1857. They located at Lehi, where they resided for a time, and in 1860 removed to Smithfield and, after residing there for about seven or eight years, removed to Brigham, where Mr. Fishburn was called by President Young to take charge of choir and musical interests in the Boxelder stake. Mr. and Mrs. Smith had a family of eight children, four of whom are yet living. In early life Abraham Smith learned the trade of boot and shoe making, which he followed for several years, working in the Brigham factory. He afterward went to Salt Lake, where he was employed by Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution and later they established a plant at Brigham which employed several men. Subsequently a boot and shoe factory was established at Smithfield, with Mr. Smith in charge, and as the business grew he enlarged the building and added a general mercantile business, which in time became the largest institution of its kind in northern Utah. This enterprise was conducted by Mr. Smith for twenty-five years. Owing to an unfortunate conflagration in 1915 the place was totally destroyed. In 1891 he also took up the occupation of farming. He is today the owner of a farm in the Cache valley valued at seventy-five thousand dollars, mostly devoted to stock raising. It comprises four hundred acres of land, of which one hundred and eighty-five acres is in pasture, and the entire place is well irrigated. Mr. Smith was the organizer of the second creamery in the Cache valley and of this had the management for twelve years, when it was sold to the Faust Creamery Company of Salt Lake. He is now connected with an irrigation project in the Curlew valley of Idaho which irrigates five thousand acres and cost one hundred and forty-five thousand dollars. It has been under successful operation for the past nine years. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Smith are are follows: Laura May, now deceased; Abraham Le Roy; Samuel Winn, who has passed away; Lavon; Robert L., deceased; Clifford F.; Eliza Priscilla; and Janetta, deceased. Mr. Smith has long been a dynamic force in the development and upbuilding of the section of the state in which he makes his home. For twelve years he served as school trustee and the cause of education ever found in him a stalwart champion. For two terms he was a member of the city council and for two terms was justice of the peace. In the church he has also held office, having been first counselor to Bishop Farrell for eight years, and he is now a high priest and ward teacher. His business activities are confined to the supervision which he gives to his farming interests, for he has retired from manufacturing and mercantile activities and derives his income from his judicious investments and his agricultural interests. Additional Comments: Extracted from UTAH SINCE STATEHOOD HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL ILLUSTRATED VOLUME IV CHICAGO-SALT LAKE: THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1920 Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ut/cache/photos/bios/smith30gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ut/cache/bios/smith30gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/utfiles/ File size: 5.9 Kb