Stephen & Abigail Smith Abbott

irth dates ...... Stephen: 16 Aug 1804; Abigail 11 Sep 1806 irth places …… Stephen: Providence, NY; Abigail: Williamson, NY B Stephen’s parents: ……………………….James Abbott and Phoebe Howe Abigail’s parents ……………… James Smith and Lydia Lucinda Harding

Married in Hornellsville, Steuben, New York …………11 December 1825

Deaths at ages 38 & 82 … Stephen: 19 Oct 1843; Abigail: 23 July 1889 Places … Stephen: Nauvoo, Hancock, IL; Abigail: Willard, Box Elder, UT

Stephen and Abigail Abbott’s children are: Emily born 19 Sept 1827, married Edward Bunker, and died 8 February 1913 Charilla born 4 July 1829, married David Elias Browning, and died 10 April 1914 Phoebe Abigail born 18 May 1831, married James Brown, and died 9 January 1914 Lydia Lucina born 25 February 1833, married Edwin Saxton Squires, and died 18 Sept 1919 Abiel born 10 July 1835, married Jane Williams, and died 3 December 1913 Myron born 1 December 1837, married Laura Josephine Allen, and died 3 September 1907 Cynthia born 28 December 1839, married Col. William Nicol Fife, and died 14 November 1910 Abigail born 23 February 1842, married Abraham Zundel, and died 28 October 1934

Abigail Smith (pictured upper right) was born in Williamson, a town near Palmyra, New York, where Joseph Smith and his family had resided. Her father, James Smith, was a soldier in the War of 1812. Sadly, all of her siblings had died young. Her mother had also died when Abigail was 6 weeks old, and she was cared for though infancy by her Aunt Polly Harding. After her father remarried, her stepmother, Mehetable Adams Smith, nurtured and cared for her. Her father had received a good education and he taught music classes and was a farmer. At age 15, Abigail became very ill and remained so for many months before she finally regained her health. When she turned 16, she went to Hornellsville, New York to visit relatives. While there she stayed in the home of James and Phoebe Abbott. A romance developed between her and their son, Stephen Joseph. When Abigail’s father came to take her home, it was decided by both families that Abigail and Stephen could get married, which they did on December 11, 1825.

Stephen Joseph Abbott was born in Providence, New York. He was a fine looking man, a full six feet in height, strongly built, with black hair and brown eyes. He was alert and honest, a good businessman, loved by his relatives and respected by all. No photo of Stephen has yet been found, but a picture of his mother, Phoebe Howe Abbott, is shown on the left.

Stephen and his wife, Abigail, were both industrious and adventurous. Stephen went into the cabinet-making business with Samuel A. Smith. Two years later Stephen brought his brother, James, into the partnership after buying out Mr. Smith. At various times Stephen also owned and operated a cording and fulling machine and a yarn factory and a potash boiling business. In 1830 at the urging of his brothers, Austin and Eleazar, Stephen determined to move West. He engaged passage for his family on a boat down the Allegheny River and arrived in Pike County, Illinois after a 5 week trip. He purchased a quarter section of farm land and 40 acres of timber land near Perry, Pike County. Here Stephen built a little log house with a dirt roof. In this small cabin their son Myron was born December 1, 1837. Stephen eventually built a two-story frame house along with a furniture shop and woolen factory there in Perry. Religion was never an important part of Stephen’s life until his marriage to Abigail, who had been taught the principles and concepts by her father, who also taught her to pray in secret. At age 17, she experienced a dream in which she saw a large company of people dressed in white, singing a song which sounded more glorious than any song she had ever heard before. This sight and sound filled her soul with rapture and gave her strength for the years to come. After their marriage they joined a group called the “Universalists.” In 1839, two Mormon missionaries, Joseph Wood and William Burton, contacted the Abbotts in Illinois. Stephen went to hear them preach and was impressed by the message they taught. In Abigail’s words, “Our minds were not easily turned from our former principles, but after three months of study we were in full faith with the principles and promises of the LDS Church.” They investigated the new religion long and carefully and they and their children became members. They were both baptized in 1839 and never faltered in their devotion to the faith they had embraced. The same year, they moved to Nauvoo and bought a home and some land. He was ordained an Elder in April of 1840, and in 1842 he was ordained a Seventy. Steven was called on a temporal mission to gather funds to build the Nauvoo temple. Then he was called on a mission to the Southern States. In order to fulfill this mission he, along with several other brethren, began rafting timber and cordwood down the River to obtain means to support their families in their absence. Stephen took ill and died of pneumonia. He was a kind husband, a wonderful father and a true Latter-day Saint, ever willing to respond to every call that was made upon him by the authorities of the Church. He was much respected by all who knew him. He owned property in Nauvoo, had stock in the Nauvoo House, and worked on the Nauvoo Temple. He and Lyman Wight owned property at the Apperstone Steamboat Landing on the Mississippi just north of the Nauvoo rapids.

According to Abigail, the Prophet Joseph Smith spoke at Stephen’s funeral, saying that he had been called to the other side to fill his mission. Stephen Joseph Abbott was buried in an unmarked grave near Nauvoo, and its location is still unknown. When Abigail was forced to leave Nauvoo with her family, she recorded later, “I had no means to erect a monument, or even a slab to mark my beloved one’s grave, but I planted some morning glory on the grave and left him there to sleep and rest.” Even though no headstone was raised to mark his last resting place, Stephen had his monument in the love and remembrance of his family. Then, and in future times, would be seen the fulfillment of the promise made in his patriarchal blessing that his name would be had in honorable remembrance by his posterity “unto the latest generation.”

Abigail was stunned, heartbroken and overwhelmed by this sudden change. She still had a large family to care for. Stephen and James Brown had been very good friends, and had agreed that if anything happened to one of them that the other one would take care of the family that was left. James Brown and Abigail had also been good friends for several years and had high regard for each other. So they were married before leaving Nauvoo. James Brown became more of a protector and provider rather than a husband. In May of 1846, Abigail was offered $10 for all she owned — her home, furniture and 20 acres of fenced land. The buyer told her that money would be enough to ferry her across the Mississippi River. She had no other choice. Edward Bunker, her son in law, helped them cross the river and they travelled together to Garden Grove, . Edward built a cabin for all of them before he joined the and left. James Brown also joined the Battalion as Captain of “C” Company. While they were gone, Abigail taught school and took care of sick children. In August of 1847, Captain Brown took the three Mormon Battalion sick detachments from Pueblo, Colorado to and from there he wrote to Abigail with instructions about bringing her family to Utah. He sent one wagon, 4 mules, 4 yoke of oxen and $30 for flour and meal to assist in the move. Abigail left Mosquito Creek on July 4, 1849 in the George A. Smith Company and brought all of her family, except for Emily and her baby. After arriving in Zion, she settled in Ogden and James Brown gave her a tract of land in the southern part of town on what became Washington Avenue. Her home was built there. Much later in life she lived with her married children and visited them as a “ministering angel.” Edward and Emily Bunker also moved to Ogden and lived very near to her. She died on July 23, 1889 in Willard, Utah while with her daughter Abigail Zundel’s family.  Ancestral “Elijah Heart-Turning” Info Cards from Gary 