Silas Sanford Smith (October 26, 1830 – October 11, 1910) was a

Mormon pioneer The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...

, a politician in the

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state. ...

, and the leader of the

San Juan Expedition The San Juan Expedition (also known as the San Juan Mission or the Hole-in-the-Rock Expedition) was a group of Mormon settlers intent on establishing a colony in what is now southeastern Utah, in the western United States. Their difficult passa ...

that settled

San Juan County, Utah San Juan County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 14,746. Its county seat is Monticello, Utah, Monticello, while its most popul ...

. Smith was born in

Stockholm, New York Stockholm is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 3,665 at the 2010 census. The name was assigned by surveyors from Stockholm in Sweden. The town is in the northeastern part of the county and is northeast of ...

. His father, Silas Sr., was a younger brother of

Joseph Smith Sr. Joseph Smith Sr. (July 12, 1771 – September 14, 1840) was the father of Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Sr. was also one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translate ...

, which made Silas Jr. and Joseph Smith Jr. first cousins. Silas Sr. was baptized into Smith's Church of the Latter Day Saints in 1835 and the family became followers of Smith. After Silas Sr.'s baptism, the family moved to

Kirtland, Ohio Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,937 at the 2020 census. Kirtland is known for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement from 1831 to 1837 and is the site of the movement's first t ...

. A few years later they joined the Mormon settlers in Missouri and in 1839 they were driven out and settled in

Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its historic importance and its ...

. In 1847, after Joseph Smith was killed, the family left Nauvoo and crossed the American plains as

s, settling in the

Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, and West Valley City; its total po ...

. In Utah Territory, Silas Jr. lived first in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

and then in

Farmington Farmington may refer to: Places Canada *Farmington, British Columbia * Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation) United States *Farmington, Arkansas *Farmington, California *Farmington, Connecticut *Farmington, Delaware * Farmington, Georgia * ...

. In 1851, he married Clarinda Ricks, with whom he had four children. Shortly after their marriage,

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...

asked the couple to settle in

Parowan Parowan ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Iron County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,790 at the 2010 census, and in 2018 the estimated population was 3,100. Parowan became the first incorporated city in Iron County in 1851. A ...

. Smith practiced

plural marriage Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more tha ...

and in 1853 married Sarah Ann Ricks, his first wife's sister. Smith and Sarah Ricks had five children. In 1854 to 1856, Smith was a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

for

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, where he learned to speak the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...

. After he returned from Hawaii, Smith and his wives and children moved to

Paragonah, Utah Paragonah ( ) is a town in Iron County, Utah, United States. The population was 488 at the 2010 census. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 470 people, 156 households, and 122 families residing in the town. The population densit ...

. Smith was a military leader in the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...

. In 1859, Smith was elected as a representative in the

Utah Territorial Legislature The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 state representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 state senators. There are no term ...

, where he served until 1878. Smith was also a deputy

U.S. Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...

, a

probate judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

, and a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the LDS Church in Paragonah. After the death of both of his wives within months of each other, Smith married Martha Eliza Bennet in 1864. Smith and Bennet had 12 children together. In 1879, Smith was asked by the LDS Church to become the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the San Juan

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

of the church in southern Utah. In this capacity, he was asked to locate a suitable spot for a Mormon settlement on the San Juan River. Smith led the

via the

Hole in the Rock Trail The Hole in the Rock Trail (often hyphenated as Hole-in-the-Rock) is a historic trail running east-southeast from the town of Escalante in southern Utah in the western United States. The Mormon trailblazers who established this trail crossed the ...

, establishing the settlement of

Bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...

. Smith remained president of the San Juan Mission until 1882. In April 1880, Smith became a member of the LDS Church's

Council of Fifty "The Council of Fifty" (also known as "the Living Constitution", "the Kingdom of God", or its name by revelation, "The Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof, and Judgment in the Hands of His Servants, Ahman Christ") was a La ...

. After his term as president of the San Juan Mission, the LDS Church asked Smith to move to Colorado. From 1883 to 1892, he was the

of the San Luis Stake in Conejos, Colorado. He lived in Colorado until 1900, when he moved to

Layton, Utah Layton is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Ogden-Clearfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 81,773, with 2022 estimates showing a slight increase to 84,665. Layton ...

. Smith died in Layton of heart troubles.State of Utah Death Certificate
. Smith was the father of a total of 21 children with three wives.

Notes

References

* *

Andrew Jenson Andrew Jenson, born Anders Jensen, (December 11, 1850 – November 18, 1941) was a Danish immigrant to the United States who acted as an Assistant Church Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for much of the ea ...

, "Silas Sanford Smith", in ''Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Western Epics, 1971), vol. 1.

External links

Silas S. Smith biography
The Hole-in-the-Rock Foundation, hirf.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Silas S. 1830 births 1910 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints American Mormon missionaries in the United States Mission presidents (LDS Church) Members of the Utah Territorial Legislature 19th-century American politicians Mormon missionaries in Hawaii Mormon pioneers People from Conejos County, Colorado People from Layton, Utah People from Iron County, Utah People from San Juan County, Utah Smith family (Latter Day Saints) American expatriates in the Hawaiian Kingdom People from Stockholm, New York Latter Day Saints from New York (state) Latter Day Saints from Illinois Latter Day Saints from Utah