Joseph Smith was the tenth and last son of Christina Maria Birkedahl and Jorgen Smith, one of only four children who lived to be an adult. He was born in Fort Ephraim, Sanpete County, Utah 6 June, 1867, during terrible times. The Black Hawk War had been going on now for two years, but just a few months ago his sister, Mary and neighbors, Jens and Amalia Peterson had been killed by the Indians and the family was forced to leave their home in Richfield. Brigham Young had sent hundreds of wagons to evacuate all the settlers in Southern Utah, the Smith Family was taken to Ephraim. There home was now a covered wagon. I have often wondered if he was born in some strangers home or in the wagon.
Later they would go farther North to their old home in Fountain Green to live until the war was over. After the peace treaty in 1871 they moved back to their old house in Richfield where Joe would grow up and receive what little education he could get which wasn't much, he was required to work in the home and on the farm.
1886 was a busy year for the Smiths, it was time to leave Richfield. Jorgen had received a calling to go South and settle another area of the State, Grass Valley (Koosharem) and Pleasant Creek (Notom). Before leaving he gave Joe's mother, Christina Maria one-third of all he owned, the house, land and live stock when he divorced her. He was one jump ahead of the Federal Officers who had started arresting and jailing polygamists. He couldn't have two wives in the same town.
Joe was 19 now and wished to go with his father, an adventure that suited him well and would also fulfill his ambition to obtain land and begin a new life. The Smiths didn't arrive in Pleasant Creek until a year later. How long Joe stayed at Notom is unknown he may have spent time in Bicknell too. He was 21 years old when he met and married Estella Holt on 25 December, 1888, Estella was born 25 December, 1872 in Ogden, Weber County, Utah. She was a daughter of William Alma Holt and Sarah Wardell. Her father William was one of the very early settlers of Torrey and its first Postmaster. She was a sister of Leo Rolando Holt who married Anna Laurine (Rena) Smith (Joe's half- sister).
Joe and Stella were happy together but had very little money. People in those days did a lot of trading and bartering for the things they needed, no one had any hard cash. The mining camps in Carbon County were paying fairly good wages in those days. So they went to Scofield to live for a few years. This was where their first child was born, Pearline (24 June, 1890). Saving what they could they then moved back to Junction, Piute County (now called Fruita, Wayne County) and bought some land from Gilbert Adams on the south side of the river. I have no idea how long they kept the land because in only two later they were in Thurber where their next three children were born; George William (11 April, 1892), John Doyle (8 September, 1893) and Sarah Christene (12 February, 1895). George was drowned in Aldridge, Utah. The miners at Scofield loved to go to the saloons to drink and fight. Joe must have started to drink and fight here. Drinking may have caused him to do things that would eventually cause him a lot of harm. I recently visited one of his nieces who loved and also felt shame because of his temper and drinking.
Joe must have been involved in street fights and did gain quite a reputation as a fighter. In a story written by Clay M. Robison, Jorgen Smith once jokingly declared, in his broken English, supposedly with some pride, "My Yim, he iss der pissness man; My Yoe, he iss der fighter." Jay C. Smith said, "My grandfather William Smith told me Joe fought like a pit bull, never gave up, and came out victorious in about all his fights. My grandfather admired some of Joe's fights. When Joe had took on some bully that nobody thought he had a chance with, he trounced the bully good. He made the bully scream in desperation that he had enough. And Joe had many more than just one fight like that.
Joe did get himself in trouble with the law. Joe it seems just did not like King, so, he was not above stealing a few cattle from him. He felt that King could afford it. Joe felt that the King outfit was trying to hog up all the range and squeeze out the little guy. There were some King cattle out on the range and Joe must have noticed how similar their brand was to his so he made some of them his. In the Fall after round-up Joe, Jed Mott and some other friends and relatives gathered their herds together and drove them to market. Low and behold one of the cows died along the way. Not far behind them came the King outfit. King and his cowboys didn't like the looks of the brand on the dead cow so they skinned it. The outside said Joe Smith but the other side said King. Joe and his partners were required appear in the Richfield District Court, Joe told the Judge that it was his mistake and that the others were innocent. The day of reckoning had come, Joe was sentenced to a year in jail.
At the time the King Livestock Outfit was not a very popular cattle outfit. They were a large and an aggressive livestock company. They wanted as much of the free range as possible for the grazing of their livestock. This caused some resentment from some of the smaller livestock owners. King also rented the school sections and if other cattle were found on it, King would seized the animals and hold them as collateral until the fine was paid. Joe, it seems felt a need to retaliate, So, Joe took one or more of the King cows. The public domain was a free range then and Joe was just the kind of fellow that insisted on having a part of what he believed was his part of the range. Grandfather really did have a lot of love and admiration for Joe and he felt Joe was a good and likable brother who was more like a Robin Hood than a thief.
I must also say, in time King began to be less aggressive and more cooperative with the town's people. And the town's people accepted them as neighbors and marriage partners for their children.
I have two stories of missing sheep, one when Joe and his brother, Jorgen (Jack) were partners in a herd of sheep. Joe was supposed to be tending them in the mountains when they somehow disappeared and were never found again. Another story tells when Jack and Franklin Haws returned from New Mexico with their cattle they rented 500 sheep. They kept them for years while the herd increased in size. Anyway Joe was blamed for their loss in this story too. (same sheep same loss) Family members talked of this as borrowing.
Joe Smith married Estella Holt, she was a sister to Leo Holt who married Rena Smith. They did visit back and forth for as long as they lived. They were also visited by other Smiths.
Sometime in the late 1895 or early 1896 Joe and Stella moved out to Desert Lake in Emery County. This was a long distance from Wayne County and there were family members who tried to keep in contact with them. I don't have any idea what their home and farm looked like but I would think it would be a hard place to start all over again without the help of family or friends. The soil was very alkaline but was good enough, the sagebrush there (an indicator of good soil), grows six or eight feet high when it gets watered and has good drainage but grows only four to six inches in the dry ground. This being a very arid and desolate area, hot in the Summer and cold in the Winter. Some years they would have water for their stock and crops but there were years when the crops would just whither away and die during the Summer.
Farming in the "early days" or pioneer days was hard and there was a limit the amount of land he could cultivate with what he had. It had to be done with horses and worn-out plow shares or other old out-mooed farm equipment, he did what he could. His main supply of money came from the livestock he had and he loved working and caring for them. He had horses, cattle, sheep and a large goat herd.
Two more children were born here; Joseph Oren (16 August, 1896) and Enock Alvin (8 April, 1898). Edna May was born in Castle Dale, Emery County (26 March, 1900). Alfred (27 February, 1902) and Ferdinand (23 July, 1904) were born in Ferron, Emery County.
The next five children were born back on the farm in Desert Lake. Lillian (23 April, 1906); Clifford (17 March, 1908); Clayton (8 April, 1911); Leo (8 July, 1913); and Dee Lavar (20 February, 1915). I have often wondered what caused the deaths of six of their children here, two dying as children, the rest during their teenage years. Water, disease, lack of food, who knows?
They did move away from the farm eventually, up to Wattis, Carbon County, a coal mining camp.. This was where their last child, Estella was born 4 October, 1919. Estella was only seven years old when her father, Joseph Smith died 8 April, 1926. Joe worked hard and struggled all of his life to care for his large family. They found him slumped against a building in Wattis, like he was worn-out and just went to sleep. He was buried in the Elmo Cemetery, (near Desert Lake), Utah. He was only 59 years old but looked much older, like he just worked to hard and worried to much.
I have pictures of Joe and Stella in their younger years, they were a very good looking couple. They both tried to be contented and happy with what they had, they usually seemed happy and have fun. They laughed and always enjoyed each others company. Stella lived to see her remaining children grow up and marry. She died in Price, Carbon County 22 February, 1942 and was buried along side her husband in Elmo, Emery County.
This story was written by Gene Halverson He is in the process of having a book published about Jorgen Smith and family. If you are interested in obtaining more information about this family please contact him.
News Advocate - 8 Apr 1926 pg 8
BODY OF MAN FOUND ON WATTIS STREETS
The body of a man identified as Joe Smith, about sixty five years of age, was found on the streets of Wattis this morning. Examination of the body showed death occurred from natural causes, it is reported here. The body will be brought to Price and buried at the expense of the county. The deceased had been a resident of Carbon county for many years having lived on the outskirts of Wattis for sometime. He is survived by several grown children.
Return to Ancestor's PageEllen was born on 24 Oct. 1883 in Escalante, Utah. Her parents are William Alma Holt & Sarah Wardell Holt. Ellen died on 9 Nov. 1918 in Torrey, Utah.
Ellen Holt married Leonard Behunin, son of Elijah Cutler Behunin and Tobitha Jane Earl.
Ellen and Leonard's children: Newell Behunin, Wilmer ('Bill') Behunin, Ellen Lopriel, Leslie ('Les') Behunin, Ruby Behunin Chesnut, & Ephraim Behunin Pectol. (Later, three other children were born to Lenard, but not through Ellen. They were born after Ellen died and Lenard remarried Hazel Shepherd.)
She (Ellen Holt Behunin) died of influenza that swept the world that year. She also was weak from childbirth. My father, Ephraim, was born on Nov. 01, 1918. His mother Ellen Behunin died when my father was just 9 days old.
When Ellen died with the flu in 1918, her husband Lenard asked the bishop (Bishop Pectol) to help him find a 'good LDS home for this baby to grow up in'. Dorothy Pectol was holding the baby in her arms and replied, "I think we have found him a good LDS home".
Thought from Leslie Behunin: "Ellen played the organ and sang, and had a choir in Torrey" said Uncle Les to Lonna Pectol. He also said that the Holts were funny and that they had a good sense of humor. Ellen liked to laugh.
From Lonna Pectol: I received a letter from Hyrum ''Morris'' Buhanan in 2003. He told me that when Ellen Holt Behunin died that day, three of her boys were at his house. Ellen was his Auntie. The three cousins that were at Morris' house were Newell, Wilmer and Leslie. He said when the news came to them that their mother had just passed away, he remembered hearing one of them cry out loud, "Oh mother, take us with you!" This memory effected his life, and it was still very vivid until his death. He was 94 years old when he died.
Just thought I would share that brief moment in history with you from one of our dearest, and kindest relatives “Morris Buhanan (Behunin)”
From Nancy Bauer:
I remember hearing about the one boy crying out that way when Dad told me of her death and his being there when her sons were told about their mommy having passed over. He was really impacted by that.
He said she had been such a sweet, kindly, pretty lady; in every sense of the word. He remembered that, because he had been at their home so often since Wilmer (Bill) had been his best friend as well as a cousin.
From Lonna Pectol:
In September 03 I had a chance to visit with Morris Buhanan again. I believe he was about 91 years old. He said that Lenard (husband of Ellen Holt) was sure a man of sorrows when his Ellen died. He didn't know what to do with the kids and be able to work, too. He was so sad at that time.
In closing Lonna Pectol has said:
I have wanted to know anything and everything about her. She was the one none of us knew. (My brothers and sisters, and even my dad never knew his own mother). If anyone else has any memories of Ellen Holt Behunin, please write and tell us. Thank you, Lonna Pectol.