Abraham O. Smoot
Abraham Owen Smoot (February 17, 1815 – 1895) was a Mormon pioneer and the second mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah. Smoot was born in Owenton, Kentucky. His mother converted to Mormonism in 1833, and he followed her in 1835. Smoot moved from Kentucky to Missouri in 1837 at the urging of LDS church founder Joseph Smith, Jr.. Later he led companies of pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, 1852, and 1856. He was mayor of Salt Lake City from 1857 to 1866 and then mayor of Provo, Utah from 1868 to 1880. Abraham O. Smoot died in 1895 and is interred in the Provo City Cemetery.
Abraham O. Smoot married (1) Margaret Thompson McMeans--a widow with one son, William--November 11, 1838 in Richmond, Missouri. She was born April 16, 1809 in South Carolina, and died September 1, 1884 in Utah County, Utah. He married (2) Sarah Gibbens January 9, 1846 in Nauvoo County, Illinois. She was born October 20, 1800 in Cumberland County, Kentucky. Sarah did not make the journey to Utah, and in 1852 filed for divorce from Smoot. He married (3) Emily Hill January 20, 1846 in Hancock, Illinois. She was born November 25, 1816 in Pendleton County, South Carolina, and died March 20, 1882 in Utah County, Utah. He married (4) Diana Caroline Tanner Eldredge May 6, 1855 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was born March 28, 1837 in Marion County, Indiana, and died January 29, 1914 in Utah County, Utah. He married (5) Anne Kirstine Mauritzen February 17, 1856 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was born December 19, 1833 in Brekke Gaarde, Onso, Norway, and died January 20, 1894 in Utah County, Utah. He married (6) Hannah Caroline Rogers March 11, 1886 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was born March 20, 1827 in Dunkirk, New York, and died March 14, 1915 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Smoot had twenty-seven children, including three adopted children.
Children of Abraham Smoot and Margaret McMeans are:
i. Artemissa Smoot, born January 3, 1835 in Carrolton, Illinois; died June 3, 1885.
ii. William Jasper Smoot, born October 25, 1836 in Illinois.
iii. Mary Elizabeth Smoot, born ~1837 in Illinois; died ~1839 in Illinois.
iv. Martha Jane Smoot, born >1838 in Illinois.
Children of Abraham Smoot and Emily Hill are:
i. Abraham Albert Smoot, born November 23, 1847 in Utah; died June 23, 1863 in Utah.
ii. Emily Anne Smoot, born August 3, 1851 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
iii. Margaret Thompson Smoot, born August 27, 1854 in Salt Lake City, Utah; died April 21, 1932.
iv. Zina Beal Smoot, born February 20, 1859 in Salt Lake City, Utah; died May 20, 1900.
v. Wilford Smoot, born May 24, 1883 in Provo, Utah; died September 16, 1953 in Utah County, Utah. He married Clara (?) ~1906 in Utah; born ~1879 in Canada.
Children of Abraham Smoot and Diana Eldredge are:
i. Abraham Owen Smoot II, born March 11, 1856 in Salt Lake City, Utah; died May 22, 1911 in Provo, Utah.
ii. Nancy Diana Smoot, born June 7, 1858 in Salem, Utah; died May 27, 1939.
iii. Olive Smoot, born February 10, 1860 in Salt Lake City, Utah; died July 28, 1943 in Utah County, Utah.
iv. Elizabeth Smoot, born December 7, 1861 in Salt Lake City, Utah; died December 13, 1932 in Utah County, Utah.
v. Ira Smoot, born September 10, 1863 in Salt Lake City, Utah; died September 25, 1864 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
vi. Leonord Smoot, born September 16, 1864 in Salt Lake City, Utah; died December 16, 1864 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
vii. Joseph Edmund Smoot, born December 16, 1866 in Salt Lake City, Utah; died April 22, 1890 in Utah County, Utah.
viii. Ella Deseret Smoot, born August 23, 1869 in Utah; died October 20, 1916.
ix. Arthur E. Smoot, born October 28, 1871 in Provo, Utah; died September 19, 1873 in Provo, Utah.
x. Violate Smoot, born November 30, 1874 in Provo, Utah; died July 3, 1955 in Utah County, Utah.
xi. Orson Parley Smoot, born May 15, 1876 in Provo, Utah; died January 13, 1936 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
xii. Horace Alma Smoot, born October 22, 1880 in Provo, Utah; died December 7, 1964 in Utah County, Utah.
Children of Abraham Smoot and Anne Mauritzen are:
i. Anna Christine Smoot, born June 7, 1858 in Salem, Utah; died March 2, 1904.
ii. Alice Smoot, born February 6, 1860 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
iii. Reed Smoot, born January 10, 1862 in Salt Lake City, Utah; died February 9, 1941 in Utah County, Utah.
iv. George Morrison Smoot, born January 9, 1864 in Salt Lake City, Utah; died January 17, 1915 in Utah County, Utah.
v. Agnes Mary Smoot, born July 3, 1866 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
vi. Brigham Roland Smoot, born June 15, 1869 in Salt Lake City, Utah; died December 16, 1946 in Los Angeles County, California.
vii. Ida Maline Smoot, born May 5, 1873 in Provo, Utah; died April 25, 1955 in Utah County, Utah.
Smoot's wife, Margaret McMeans Smoot, named the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City. Abraham O. Smoot was the father of Reed Smoot, a United States Senator. Abraham Smoot was the first head of the board of trustees of Brigham Young University. At the time it was known as Brigham Young Academy. This was in connection with his position as president of the Utah Stake, which was essentially coterminous with Utah County. Smoot is also credited with making major financial contributions to Brigham Young Academy that allowed it to continue functioning. Today, the Administration building at Brigham Young University is known as the Abraham O. Smoot Administration Building. The apostle Abraham Owen Woodruff was named after him. This was partly because Wilford Woodruff had served as a mission companion with Abraham Smoot and partly because A. O. Woodruff's mother Emma Smith Woodruff was Abraham Smoot's niece.
