Family History: Job Taylor Smith

JOB TAYLOR SMITH

1828 - 1913

Job Taylor Smith was born December 2, 1828 in Deerhurst, England to Thomas and Ann Smith.  Given to his Uncle George and Aunt Mary Bundy when three, Job’s ailing mother died a few years later.  His father was a missionary for the United Brethren and later the LDS Church.   Job heard Wilford Woodruff preach in March 1840 and he was baptized in May, confirmed by B. Young, W. Richards and W. Woodruff.  Job had 15 months of schooling.   When only 12 he served as a church clerk, book agent and speaker.  He traveled with the Elders to teach.  “I was often blessed with the gift of tongues and other manifestations of the holy spirit.”  

In 1843 Job traveled to Nauvoo where he met Joseph Smith.  He often heard Joseph preach.  Job left Nauvoo (after being endowed) in May, 1846.  When all able-bodied men joined the Mormon Battalion he recalled: “I was very small of my age, quite unhealthy and somewhat young” yet he and his elderly uncle were left in charge of 6 families (no shelters, limited provisions).  ‘My uncle and myself being now so constantly and arduously engaged with the cattle &c of the families, left in our care, we soon fell sick.’  They traveled to Winter Quarters and that winter lived out of their wagon—all food and money gone.  Others had little to spare.  Near death Job received a blessing from Patriarch John Smith and revived.  In 1848 he set out West driving others’ teams including B. Young’s, reaching the Valley on Sept. 25, 1848.  Job was called on a mission to England at Oct. conference 1849 and set out by wagon Oct. 18, sailing March 1850.  He was with the first missionaries sent to England from the Valley.

Job kept a mission diary detailing.  He met Adelaide on July 14, 1851 and notes July 28, 1851 ‘Received a letter from Adelaide Fowles upon the anticipation of a future union.’  He asked Lorenzo Snow permission to marry.  Job was appointed President of the Bedfordshire Conference.  He married Adelaide December 28.  December 10, 1852 ‘My wife was delivered of a son’ Cyrus Franklin.  December 26, 1852  ‘the revelation on plurality of wives was read, for the first time in public in this country.’ January 19, 1854  A daughter, Adelaide Ann, was born. 

Job and his family joined 482 Saints to sail for Zion on Feb. 22, 1854.  March 6^th baby Adelaide Ann died.  ‘The weather being very cold, and our berth being next to the door the child took cold and shortly died.’  ‘May 4th Cyrus Franklin my son died of spasms. He was 16 months old.’  Adelaide’s sister Jane (separated from her husband) and daughter joined Job’s family.  Cholera struck—many died.  June 9 Job struck with cholera.  June 18, Ann Fowles (Adelaide's mother) died.  Forty wagons and families under Job’s direction left June 19.  They arrived in the Valley Sept. 23, 1854.  Jane bore Louisa Jane on Nov. 26.   Adelaide bore Georgiana in February, 1855.  Job married Jane Sheffield in May, 1855.  Job built a small home and Adelaide started a millinery shop.  Crops failed.  Job continued to have business setbacks.  Jane  moved to her own home and bore a daughter, Ann Fowles.  In Nov. 1856, Job ‘took in two of the persons who came by the handcarts.’  Dec. 1856 Jane bore Mormon Job (Henry).  .  Jane and Adelaide moved to Lehi in 1858 for safety.   Job spent ten weeks in Echo Canyon harassing the US army.   ‘Moved Jane and children back and then fetched Adelaide … Adelaide went to live in my house one main Street (East Temple) where she again commenced working for the public.’ Nov. 1858 ‘Anne Fowles my youngest daughter died…Adelaide was cut off from the church No special charge was made against her, but I afterwards learned that she wrote a letter to one of her friends in which she stated she was going to the States…. Said letter was taken to the President.’   ‘May. '59 Rebaptized my wife Adelaide , by instruction of Bishop.’  

March 1, 1859 Jane bore Lucy.  Adelaide moved to rooms added to Job’s workshop.  July 9, 1859 Adelaide bore Job Fowles.   Adelaide bore Albert Henry in1861.  Job turned to basket making as his primary business.  May 1862 Jane bore Wilford.  Nov. 2, 1862 Adelaide bore Elias.  Jane bore George Thomas, July 1864.   Sept. 1864, Elias N. died (son of Adelaide).  July 1865, Adelaide bore Rachel Elizabeth.  January 1868 Jane moved to Farmington ‘as she and her sister do not understand each other, and are best apart from each other’.  Job borrowed money  leading to problems with creditors and lawsuits.  May 6, 1868: ‘Jane bore a son and called him Francis Harper .  During the forepart of the year trade was so dull and no money to be had that no progress could be made.’ Jane moved back to SLC ill from typhoid.  Job nearly died in 1869 from stress.  Lola Alice born to Adelaide, 1869.   Job records that daughter Georgianna married a nonmember in 1873 on the advice of her mother Adelaide who hated polygamy.  

Job set Jane up in a small basket store where she was to support her remaining five children (two had married).  ‘May 19th 1874 Took Sarah Punter for a wife’ (age 19) and moved to Paradise.  ‘Adelaide was employed by the Relief Society in Ogden to superintend the straw millinery business.’ ‘August 26 1875 Sarah P. my wife brought a daughter called it Jane Ann.’  Job tried to take back Jane’s shop, but she refused him ‘any interest or control therein; and I (Job) have no remedy.’  Ill and stressed, Job desired to travel to the sea and conveyed this to Pres. D. H. Wells.  Job was called to the Pacific States Mission.  Adelaide and Jane helped fund Job’s mission.  He worked in a small Oakland branch.  Job returned to Utah in April 1877 after 3 months.

May 1880, Adelaide born to Sarah.  Feb. 1883 Sarah Ellen born to Sarah.  Dec. 1, 1885 Job married Charlotte Slinger who had four children from a previous marriage.   In 1886 Job and Charlotte lived in a cabin he built in Georgetown, ID where his wife Sarah lived. October 6, 1887 Willard Richards was born to Sarah A. Punter (Willard died 1898).  September 23, 1888 Ann Sophronia was born to Charlotte.  In May 1889 wife Jane died with an estate valued at $6,000.   August 5, 1890 Mary Elizabeth was born to Sarah.    During these years Job’s financial distress continued though he patented a floating waterpower pump, installed in several locations.    Wife Charlotte moved to Star Valley and remained there with her children.  With wife Sarah, Job moved to Honeyville and then to Parawan where his father lived.   He traveled as a salesman until too blind from cataracts to do that.  In 1902 he left his wife Sarah with his possessions and returned to Salt Lake to do Temple work. 

Job was ‘the only living survivor of the band of 16 missionaries including four apostles which left Salt Lake for Europe in October 1849.’  Besides his journals Job wrote “My Recollections of the Prophet,” about Joseph Smith and “A History of the Mormons from 1832 to 1846”.   According to son Francis Harper Smith, at about age 70 Job also wrote a history of the United Brethren for the church.   Job died age 84 on 3 January 1913 at a family home.

JOB TAYLOR SMITH – Summary history by Merikay Smith, December 2010.   Based on family records kept by Jean Haws (see list) and online journal (BYU Harold B. Lee Library).

Thanks to Merikay Haws Smith for researching, writing, and sharing this history.