1915, English, Unpublished edition: Willard L. Smith Collection Smith, Willard L.

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Willard L. Smith Collection
 
Bookmark: http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/436851
Physical Description
  • 3 boxes (1.5 linear feet)
  • Diaries, Autograph albums, Genealogies
Published
  • L. Tom Perry Special Collections
  • 1915-1918
Language
  • English

Edition details

Title
  • Willard L. Smith Collection
Creator
  • Smith, Willard L.
Published
  • L. Tom Perry Special Collections
  • 1915-1918
Physical Description
  • 3 boxes (1.5 linear feet)
  • Diaries, Autograph albums, Genealogies
Subjects
Notes
  • Willard Lisbon Smith (1891-1955) Mission President of Samoan and Tongan Missions, son of Willard Gilbert Smith and Anna Maria Lamb. Married to Jennie Hill Leavitt (1891-1973), daughter of William Jenkins Leavitt, Mormon Church colonizer in Southern Alberta, Canada. ; The collection contains mission diaries, World War I army diary, family histories, and bound copies of autobiographies and family histories. The collection also contains material on the First Tongan Mission after it was separated from the Samoan Mission; Samoan Mission; genealogy of the Willard L. Smith family and the Jennie Hill Leavitt family; Haun's Mill Massacre; and personal histories. ; Willard Lisbon Smith was born in Farmington, Davis County, Utah on 2 September 1891 (also his mother--s birthday). He was the son of Willard Gilbert Smith and Anna Maria Lamb. His family moved to Leavitt, Alberta, Canada in 1898. His father was in the sheep business and instilled in his children hard work. Growing up on the farm Willard plowed, harvested, herded, sheared sheep, and milked cows. Willard began school in a Cardston church building. The next year, he attended school in Leavitt in a log school house. It was feared that the building would collapse in a windstorm, but it never happened. He completed grade school in Leavitt, and then had the privilege of attending high school in Cardston. He finished high school in three years and when he was eighteen, he attended Normal School in Calgary. In 1910, he began teaching school in Harrisville, a town about ten miles from his home, in a log room with thirty-five students. In the fall of 1910, he was given the task of teaching the junior grades in the Leavitt school. The next fall, the senior teacher, D.O. Wright, got a better job and moved away. Willard was hired to take over the school. Jennie Hill Leavitt, his future wife, was born 18 April 1891 in a two-room rock house in Cardston, Alberta. She was the daughter of William Jenkins Leavitt and Elizabeth Brice Hill. Her grandparents crossed the plains and endured many hardships. After they reached the Salt Lake Valley, they were asked to join in with the Mormon efforts to colonize parts of Southern Alberta, Canada. Willard and Jennie had dated for several years before they became engaged. They were married 4 October 1911 in the Salt Lake Temple. When they went to get the marriage license, Willard--s Aunt Lucy Steed, from Farmington, went with them. When the Judge asked how old Willard was, he answered twenty. Before the Judge could understand what he said, his Aunt Lucy responded twenty-one. Had she not done so, they would have had to wire his parents in Alberta for their consent. When Willard and Jennie returned home, they lived in two rooms in his parent--s home. Willard resumed his school work and Jennie stayed at home, busying herself with helping Willard--s family with the farm. After their experience of living with parents, they agreed that newly-weds should find their own home and work out their own problems.By 1914, Willard and Jennie had two sons, Garth and De Loy. However, Garth died about ten months after he was born in late 1913. De Loy was born 21 March 1914, weighing thirteen pounds. That same year, Willard had decided to continue with school and obtain a degree in science. He was preparing to make teaching his occupation when President Joseph F. Smith sent a call for them to serve a mission in Samoa. On 19 January 1915, Jennie, De Loy, and Willard set sail for Samoa. It was a miserable boat ride. The ship was hot and stuffy and all three spent most of their time sick. It was a great relief to them to arrive to the beauty of Pago Pago Harbor. They stayed in Pago Pago for a week before they were called to labor in Mapusaga, Their assignment was in the school room.Willard and Jennie labored constantly in the school and in the village of Mapusaga. They had school until noon and then spent their afternoons either in painting the house or working on the coconut plantation. They stayed there for a year learning the language and customs of the Samoan people. In the meantime they grew to love and appreciate them. At the time, John Nelson was the mission president and had received word that the First Presidency had accepted the idea to make the Tongan mission a separate mission. He stated that someone was to be selected from the Samoan Mission to be the mission president. Willard and Jennie were chosen and soon began their service in Tonga.Willard was set apart as Mission President of the Tongan Mission on 3 April 1916. He was the first Mission President since it had been separated from the Samoan Mission and Jennie was the first lady missionary to arrive. They arrived in Tonga 11 May 1916 and found the mission in poor condition. Changes were made immediately. Willard worked on getting land to better the living conditions for the few missionaries serving there. The land also served to provide food and land to build churches and mission homes. During Willard and Jennie--s time, the Tongan Mission had much success and had experienced many miracles. Willard was released as Mission President of the Tongan Mission on 9 April 1920. Upon arriving home in April 1920, Willard and his brother Warren decided to take their father--s house together with about 700 acres of land, the mortgage, cattle, and twelve horses to run the farm. Willard taught school and helped with the farm chores night and morning. When Warren had an accident and was no longer able to do the farm work, Willard bought Warren--s share of the farm and mortgage and decided to quit teaching. Willard was preparing the land for planting in the Fall of 1926 when he and Jennie received a call to preside over the Samoan Mission for two years. They accepted and rented their farm for the duration. Willard felt that he could make Samoa a self-sustaining mission instead of the Church supporting the families. Instead of hiring school boys and girls to weed the plantations, he asked for money to stock the plantations. The Church authorities never refused him once. The mission grew and prospered under Willard--s supervision for seven years instead of two. Willard received great praise from the Presiding Brethren for the work he had done in making the mission a self-sustaining one. He was released in 1934. Upon returning home from Samoa in May 1934, all of their home, land, and earthly possessions were gone. It was during the time of the depression and the mortgage company had taken the farm when Willard--s father died in 1932 since he had mortgaged the farm. Willard--s mother had also signed papers not knowing what they were. They had no home for three months and lived with family and friends until they found a home. The next couple of years, Willard went through several farms. Acreage on the Indian Reservation near their town was available to lease to farmers. So Willard and his brother Warren leased 700 acres of land. During this time, Willard kept books for the Cardston Town office. Not many years later, the Indians decided they would farm their own land and all the leasers lost their land.Willard then bought a small dairy farm a mile south of Cardston. His son Theron, who was recently married, lived in Calgary for a year and then decided he wanted to help his father at the dairy. Willard and Theron remodeled the dairy and built a larger barn and corral. They bought milkers, coolers, pasteurization equipment, a bottle washer, and a homogenizer. They made their own ice cream as well. They found much success with this dairy. Theron took over when his father died.Willard served in many Church positions. Immediately after returning from Samoa, he was appointed Sunday School Superintendent, the President of the high priests of the stake, Stake President and President of the Regional Welfare, then First Counselor to the Alberta Temple President. He served as First Counselor to the Temple President until his death on 2 December 1955. Jennie died of a stroke on 8 December 1973. President McKay and Bishop Wirthlin called him --œone of the choice men of the earth.--; This collection contains the mission diaries of Willard Lisbon Smith and his wife Jennie Leavitt Smith while serving as missionaries and Mission Presidents in the Samoan and Tongan Missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also called LDS or Mormon Church). This also contains an army diary by Jennie--s brother, William H. Leavitt, during World War I, family histories of Willard Lisbon Smith, Jennie Leavitt Smith, Amanda Barnes Smith, and Willard De Loy Smith. Also contained are autograph books of Jennie, personal notebooks, bound copies of autobiographies, missionary diaries, accounts of talks, and personal histories. The collection has been organized by (1) mission diaries of Willard and Jennie Smith; (2) family histories; and (3) bound copies.
  • MSS 2260
Terms of Use
  • This collection is open to the public. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.Permission to publish material from the Willard L. Smith Collection must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/​or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.
Language
  • English
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