Margaret Ann Haskell

Daughter of Thales Hastings and Margaret Johanna Edwards Haskell, Margaret Ann Haskell, was born in Pinto, Washington County, Utah, on April 6, 1864. Her family called her Babe. She was raised in the San Juan Valley, Colorado, on the frontier, schooled in the trials of pioneer life, and resourceful beyond average. She served as a counselor to the stake Relief Society president before her marriage. When her fiancé lost almost everything he owned down the river in a flood, she encouraged him to start over and exhibited great confidence in him. Jesse Joel Smith married her on her birthday, as planned, in 1884. Jesse’s father had been called to help settle Manassa, Colorado, and Babe and Jesse had some money, but no transportation to travel to Manassa. Margaret’s sister and her husband had transportation, but no money, so they shared and arrived in Manassa with two and half dollars. Their six children were born while they lived in the San Luis Valley: Jesse Haskell, 1885; Margaret, 1889; Silas Thales, 1891; Mary Clarinda, 1894; Joseph Wayne, 1896; and Rebecca Inez, 1901. Mary Clarinda died at two weeks old, and Joseph Wayne died when he was four, which brought much sorrow into their home. When Margaret’s husband, Jesse, was called on a mission to the Eastern States, they had four living children from twelve years old to less than two. With full confidence in the Lord, Margaret sent her husband off on December 4, 1897, and managed their affairs so well that when Jesse returned two years later, the amount of money in the bank was nearly the same as when he left. After four years more of working the ranch and finding that sheep were damaging the rangeland, they decided to move to Wyoming, and start over again. They were blessed to sell their herd for a good price and packed up their belongings in two wagons. Their oldest son, Jesse drove the team pulling the two wagons. Margaret had a gentle team and drove  her buggy. Thales, ten years old, followed on his pony, and Jesse, the father, scouted ahead and found the best route. A trusted friend accompanied them on their journey. Just as they neared the Wyoming border, their seventeen year old son, Jesse, became ill with stomach cramps and had to be taken to a hospital, where he underwent surgery for appendicitis and died three days later. They took his body back to Manassa and buried him beside other family members and resumed their journey. Their first home in Wyoming was a dugout, where they lived until they could build a cabin. Jesse made sure that Margaret had a good home. They built up a good ranch and spent winters in town, where Jesse was part owner of a store. Just as things were starting to get good, Jesse became ill with inflammation of the bowel, which the family thinks might have been appendicitis. He did recover from it, but months later died after a short illness. Margaret continued to work the ranch with her young son, Thales. He was called on a mission to the Southern States and served well there. Upon returning home from his mission, he fell ill and decided to stay in Salt Lake and have his appendix taken out. His mother was warned in a dream of his predicament and on that knowledge, took a train to Salt Lake and met her son. She lived until October, 1943, and died in Greybull, Wyoming.

Taken from Family History Stories of Silas Sanford Smith and family pp.34-37, in the possession of Darrell and Sherilyn Smith.