MARY HEATHMAN SMITH- A Monumental Life!
MARY
HEATHMAN SMITH-A Monumental life!
Annette’s
great, great, great grandmother was born January 21,1818 in Winkleigh, Devon,
England to Isaac Heathman and Elizabeth Parker, born 5th in a family
of 8 children.
Mary studied
medicine in England, working under the guidance of some of the most skillful
doctors in England at the time and received certificates of graduation in
obstetrics and surgery. She practiced medicine in England for many years before
immigrating to the United States in 1862. She and husband John Smith had
married on April 29,1840. They became converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints in 1850 and in May of 1861, John left for the United States
to prepare a way for Mary and their 9 children who would come in August of
1862.
Settling in
Huntsville, Utah, Mary was the only doctor in the valley and for 30 years, in
storm or sunshine, during the bleakest of winter or the darkest of night, she
attended to the people of Ogden Valley with a courage and faithfulness unexcelled.
Her granddaughter, Della Smith Greenwell described Mary’s midwifery this way. “She
would go to the home every day for ten days on a maternity case to bathe the
mother and baby. The fee was $3.00 and many, many times she wasn’t paid or
would take a fee in eggs, chickens or maybe a ham.” Granddaughter Della also
said her grandmother was “known to use grandfather’s straight blade razor to
amputate a finger or other small jobs of surgery.” When her husband John was
mauled by a bear and came home clutching a chunk of his thigh, Grandma Smith sewed
him together with thread from her sewing kit.
In 1873, Brigham Young issued a call that would give Utah a unique place in the history of women in medicine. "The time has come, he said, "for women to come forth as doctors in these valleys of the mountains." Many Utah women answered this call, leaving their homes to study medicine on the east coast. For others, however, President Young's declaration may have seemed a bit slow. After all, by 1873, Mary Heathman Smith had been practicing medicine in Huntsville for almost 10 years.
Grandma Smith
approached the level of legendary folk hero in the stories told by Ogden Valley
residents, many of whom she had ushered into the world. She once encountered a
bear as she walked up Ogden Canyon, escaping unscathed after engaging in some pleasant
conversation with the beast.
Despite her larger-than-life
persona, the common thread of all the memories of Mary Heathman Smith is her
happy disposition. Her son William said of her, “She was always cheerful. She
would bring a smile and sunshine into the sick room.” And according to
granddaughter Della, “Mary Heathman Smith was loved by all who knew her.”
In addition to raising her own family of 9 children,
she helped bring into the world more that 1,500 babies, one of which was David
O. McKay, 9th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. She lovingly became known as “Granny Smith” by people of the valley.
Mary continued serving member and non-member alike until her health would not
allow her to continue. Mary was so concerned for the welfare of her community that
she trained a daughter, Elizabeth Jane Smith Hislop to continue her mother’s
work. Mary passed away on December 15,
1895. Jane continued her work until her health failed her and she died of an illness
in 1907 at the age of 50.
The legacy
of Mary Heathman Smith lives on. “Granny Smith,” one of Huntsville’s most
beloved early settlers, has been honored in a nationally published book of
famous epitaphs entitled, “Stories in Stone.” On June 25, 1938, The Daughters
of The Valley erected a 9-foot-tall shaft with a bronze plaque memorializing
her life. The monument stands today in the Huntsville City Park, reminding all
of the amazing life of this remarkable lady.
You may not
have a monument erected in your memory but, your life can still be a “monumental”
one by the good deeds and service you give to others!
May you so
choose to live your life!
Much Love-
The Grandparent Chronicles
Sources-
Family Search, Mary Heathman Smith, Memories
Duck duck
go- search of Mary Heathman Smith, Utah Pioneer
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