Ralph Hodgetts Smith

Pictured here is my great-"half" Uncle Ralph Hodgetts Smith. He was the second son and second child of my great-great-grandfather Ralph Smith and his wife Hannah Hodgetts.

The following is his biography. I had never read this before. There is no mention of my great-great-grandmother Emma Girdlestone who I thought was Ralph's second wife. According to this history, he married a Mary Jolley as well as my Emma, Susan Jolley and Mary Ann Rutledge Jolley.

Ralph Hodgetts Smith's Biography


Ralph Hodgetts Smith was born January 10, 1860 in Logan, Utah. He was the first white male child born in Cache Valley. His parents were Ralph Smith and Hannah Hodgetts Smith. His mother passed away when he was but four years of age. His father, Ralph Smith, who lived the law of polygamy, was divorced by his first wife, Hannah Dodds, whom he met in England and came across the plains with. Upon their arrival here she wanted her freedom.

Brigham Young introduced Ralph to Hannah Hodgetts and later, Ralph asked for his permission to marry her. President Brigham Young gave them his blessing. They were married March 8, 1856 in Salt Lake City.

Ralph had an older brother Thomas Hodgetts Smith, born while his parents were still living in Salt Lake. Soon after his birth, Ralph and Hannah were asked by the Prophet to start a new settlement in Cache Valley. They, along with seven other families, arrived in Cache Valley on May 1, 1859. A week later they started building their new home in what is now Logan.

The following January, Ralph was born. The next year their young family went together to the new Salt Lake Endowment House to be sealed together by Brother Daniel Wells for time and all eternity. Ralph had two younger sisters, Mary Ann Hodgetts Smith and Hannah Hodgetts Smith. Ralph's mother died on the 13th of February 1864 in Logan. She was 25 years old, dying giving birth to her last baby Hannah.

Sometime after 1862 and 1867, Ralph's father had taken another wife, her name was Mary Jolley. (This is news to me. I had never heard of Mary Jolley. Ralph married Emma Girdlestone in 1862. This Mary Jolley isn't mentioned in any of his journals) This nearly broke his mother's heart. (So sad) It was Mary who took care of Ralph and his brother and sisters after the passing of their mother. His dad then married Mary Jolley's sister Susan, on Mar 30, 1867 and Mary Ann Routledge (a step-sister of the Jolley sisters) Dec 28, 1874.

His father Ralph served time in jail because of his many wives. All this had a big affect on Ralph as he was growing up.

Ralph loved horses and became a judge at fairs. He raised horses as well as buying and selling them, a great many he sold in San Francisco, California, especially after the big earthquake there. He also was a farmer.

Ralph and his wife also named Hannah built a lovely house on 6th west and 2nd South in Logan, a barn for wintering the cows and horses was near by. He was active in civic affairs as well as church although in later life he neglected his church duties probably because he traveled a lot with the horses. As his daughter Ada said, "He had too much church growing up; he didn't need it any more". This made Harriett very sad, as she had a very strong testimony and great faith in the church. Ada continued by adding that he taught his children integrity, to be honest, and not steal, and to be truthful.

Mary Della, his daughter, remembers her father taking her all over even up to Preston in a rubber tired carriage pulled by a handsome horse. She said that he and Harriett in earlier days sang together and that he taught Dell a lot of songs as she was riding with him.

Ralph and Harriett had ten children:

Ralph Harvey Smith born 3 Aug. 1883 died 17 Jun 1900

Jacob Revier Smith born 8 Sep. 1885 died 27 Dec 1939

Harriett Molora Smith born 28 Jun 1887 died 20 Mar 1956

Ada Hayball Smith born 28 Sep 1889 died 9 Apr 1984

Leland Hayball Smith born 19 July 1892 died 4 Jun 1947

James Howard Smith born 23 Dec 1894 died 23 Apr 1899

Clide Hayball Smith born 13 Apr 1897 died 13 Apr 1897

Mary Della Smith born 7 Sept 1899

Ione Hayball Smith born 2 Mar 1902 died 3 Mar 1902

Afton Hayball Smith born 7 Nov 1904 died 9 Dec 1904

Harriett became seriously ill and had to have help. A neighbor who was a widow helped her for some time until her daughters moved in to help. Ralph and the Widow were indiscreet causing a big division in the family. Harriett passed away July 30, 1921 of cancer of the liver. Ralph and the widow were married soon after. The widow was referred to as the "old Biddy", I don't know her name. She and her children moved in to the Smith house and Leland and Della moved out. At Ralph's passing, the widow inherited the family house and all else.

At 74 years of age, while waiting to take a streetcar to the state fair grounds in Salt Lake City, Ralph suffered a "stroke of apoplexy" and fell to the ground in front of Hotel Utah. He fractured his skull in the fall and died before he reached the emergency hospital in the police ambulance. A Patrolman saw him stagger backward and ran to him, but failed to arrive before he struck the ground. He was buried in the Logan Cemetery.

His children barely mentioned his name.


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