The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1919-05-01

IlS udu UCCA Ia SAAS AAH>.
pendence sanitarium for several
days suffering from a severe attack
of asthma. Some weeks ago he had
! been taken west in the hopes OF
benefitting his condition, but he
could not stand the mountain air:
Returning to independence ne 4 i ha "a
Heman c. Smith, author, minis
ter, editor and lecturer, was born
September 27, 1850, in Zodiac, near
Fredericksburg, Texas, and was the
/. fourth child of Spencer and Anna e.
Wight Smith. There being a large
ing man OF limited means, he was
obliged to labor on the farm during
the summer months, but he improv-
ed the winter months in attending
| the common schools and was always
at the head of his classes. At the
age OF twelve years he became q
member of the Reorganized Church
and very early in life became an
earnest advocate Of the faith pro
mulgated by the church. In 1858
they moved to Indian Territory, and
two years later to Missouri. But
the following year they moved to
Gallands Grove, Iowa, , WHERE ne ne
youth.
On March A., 1874, he was or
dained to the office Of elder and at
once entered the missionary work
in the district, but in the fall
Joseph R. Lambert chose him as a
colaborer in Iowa, southern Illinois,
southern Indiana, ana "a ke ItueRi,;
under the hands of James Caffall
and others. He also labored in Ne
| braska, Kansas, Tennessee, Ala
bama, Florida, southern Mississippi,
Michigan, Indiana, Canada, Texas,
western Louisiana, Arkansas and
Indian Territory as seventy.
In 1885 he was ordained one OF
the seven Presidents of Seventy, and
of apostle, and ordained March 80,
1888, by President Joseph Smith
and others. In the meantime, on
June g.. 1886, he had been united
in marriage to Vida E., the Oldest
daughter Of Alexander s1n Sorn H. SMITH ian
! Bernardino, California, their four
children: Heman Hale, Vida Inez,
| Anna Earlita, and Lois Elizabeth,
the last of whom preceded him to
the other side.
In the Quorum of Twelve he lab
ter as secretary, which position he
held for nearly twenty years. AS
an apostle he labored in Australasia,
throughout the southern fields of the
United States, both southeastern
and southwestern, in the Rocky
Mountain Mission, England, and
Males. as well as in Iowa, Illinois,
In 1896 he had been appointed
with President Joseph Smith to
write the history Of the l.. D. S.
church, in 1S95-19OO he acted as
corresponding editor of the Saints
Herald. In 1897 he was made
Church Historian, and still held this
position until the day of his decease;
Lyman Wight, and though born in
the south, a thorough New-England-
er in ancestry, tracing his descent
from over thirty families who land
ed on Puritan soil in the first
twenty-five years of settlement,
nearly three hundred years ago:
pi Valley Historical Society, the
Iowa State Historical Society, the
Nebraska State historical 16ociety,
TOpfield Historical Society of Top
field, Massachusetts, the American
Church Historical Society. Secretary
Of the Decatur County, Iowa, His
torical Society, Editor Of the Jour
of it's publication. He has served
as president of the Board of Trus-
tees of the Childrens Home, on the
Board of Graceland College, on the
local school board, and in other ca
pacities.
He has been the author of four
volumes of the L. D. S. church his
tory and of many booklets on be-
defended" and "True succession in
church presidency" as we'll as num-
erous tracts and articles for church
and historical magazines. He had
material for a fifth volume of church
history prepared when the fire OF
1907 destroyed his materials. He
went. to work and again had gather
but was prevented during these lat
ter years from preparing the final
manuscript.
In 1898 the family movea to ttel
present home in Lamont. In addi-
ton to his other work Mr.. Smith
found time to take an active part in
local affairs and in politics. He
served this community as a member
Of the public school board, presi-
and member of the city council. In
politics he was allied with the Bry-
an democrats since the campaign of
1896, although he stood for nom
partlsanship in all local affairs.
From this brief survey, it will be
seen that Heman C. Smith has had
life of activity and of honor, and
has served earnestly the cause to
which he has devoted his life. He
possessed in marked degree that
independence of thought and critical
judgment of the value of evidence
essential to the true historian. He
possessed a truly remarkable know
ledge of the details of the history of |
the church from it's re-establishmen |
nearly hundred years ago.
He was defender of the faith of
unusual courage and ability. He |
always tried to be impartial, both to |
friend and foe, and deal Justly with |
all men. He would not concede a |
doubtful point even for the sake of |
an argument, but insisted upon alb
s0lute Justice ~ near - he could l
9ecure 4. and especially 20 In deal-i