Five stories Patriarch John Smith as told by his grandson Ralph G SmithStory #1
While employed at the Deseret News about 1950, I was looking through some old newspaper files in the hope that I could find some sermons of grandfathers, particularly the conference reports. I had intended to include them in a history. I was not too successful. I did find that grandfather did open and close the meetings many times with prayer. As I was checking these old files, Brother Preston Nibley came up and when I told him of my search he said, “Well, you know your grandfather was not a great speaker, but he gave some beautiful prayers and many remarkable blessings.” He asked me if I had read the blessing that grandfather had given President McKay and when I told him no, this is what he related to me … “The story goes that your grandfather was driving up through the Huntsville area and on coming to the McKay home, the father of David O. said, “Brother Smith, I would like you to give my boys their Patriarchal Blessings while you are here.” So he placed his hands on the head of David O. first, and among the many wonderful things he told him was that he should be called into the leadership of the church and that he should travel through the entire world before his end should come. .
Brother Nibley then said he placed his hands on the head of Thomas E, a brother just younger than David, and among the things he told him was that he, Thomas, should live until he was eighty and two years old. Thomas E McKay died shortly after this eighty-second birthday.
Brother Nibley told me these blessings were on record, but for reasons of my own I have not cared to look them up. I presume the McKay boys were quire young at the time of these blessings, perhaps not more than 10 or 12 years of age.
Story #2
I was visiting my cousin, Alvin Smith, at his office in the church library, still searching for material to use in grandfather’s history. On telling him how little was written, he said, “Uncle John gave me my patriarchal blessing and it has been literally fulfilled. But the story that Aunt Julian told me about your grandfather was most remarkable.”
He relates, “one day your grandfather was visiting his brother, President Joseph F Smith, in the Lion House where he made his home at the time, and a young woman came to the front door and said, ‘Sister Smith, I understand that Patriarch is here, and if so I would like him to give me a blessing.” So Aunt Julina called your grandfather into the front room and he talked tot the young lady for a moment or two, them placed his hands on her head, removed them and stepped to the front window. He locked his thumbs behind his back, teetered back and forward a time or two in deep thought, came back to the young woman, put his hands on her head again and them removed them. He said to her, ‘Young woman, you have tried to trick me. I have no blessing for you … as you are not even a member of the church.’ The woman then broke into tears and admitted that she was just testing him. She left the home considerably sobered.”
Story #3
While I was ward teaching in Wilford ward in Salt Lake City, my partner, George Brown and I came to the home of a Brother and Sister Fackrell. ON stating that my name was Smith, he asked the usual question, “which Smith?” On saying that to a man of his age would know my grandfather, Patriarch John Smith, he said, “oh yes, I know about him, he gave my wife a wonderful blessing.” And at that he called to his wife who was in an adjoining room to come in that he was about to tell me of her blessing received at the hand of Patriarch John Smith and he wanted her to verify what he said. This is his story.
“ We were living in Idaho, had been married some 13 years and had no children, which we wanted very much. We had prayed about it and talked to our bishop and stake president about it. Our stake president said, ‘Sister Fackrell, you have a sister living in Salk Lake, why don’t you go visit her and while there do some work in the Temple. Perhaps the Lord will then bless you with what you desire. And by the way, when you get to Salk Lake, go see the Patriarch of the Church and have him give you your Patriarchal blessing.
Well, to make a long story short, my wife did go to Salt Lake and she did go to the temple. Her sister lived in a part of the city where she had to pass Patriarch Smith’s home every day as she went to and from the Temple. One day the patriarch stepped out on this front porch and called to her and said, Young woman, you have passed by home every day for several days now. You want me to give you a blessing, don’t you.” When she said yes, he said, ‘Well, I was just getting ready to drive to Tooele, but come in, I will have time to give you a blessing before I leave.’
Brother Fackrell then said among other wonderful things, he promised his wife was that she should become a mother in Israel, and that a child should be born to her in due time. Brother Frackrell then turned to his wife and said, ‘is this not true, mother?’ She said, ‘Yes, every word of it.’”
Story #4
A year or so ago, I was called to the LDS Hospital here in Salt Lake to administer to my wife’s nephew, Glen Strabel, who had been seriously injured in an industrial accident at the Geneva Steel Plant. When I arrived, the grandfather of Glen’s wife, Brother Boyden, a patriarch in Provo, was there to assist in the administration. After we had finished giving Glen a blessing, Brother Boyden asked me the usual question, which Smith was I, and on my answer that I was a grandson of Patriarch John Smith he said, “I would like to tell you a remarkable story about your grandfather. You know he was a very gifted man. As boys about 12 years old we lived in Provo, and one Sunday morning at Priesthood meeting our Bishop said, “Boys, the church patriarch is in town today and if any of you want your Patriarchal blessing, be at the Tabernacle this afternoon and it will be attended to.”
“There were about six of us youngsters in our crowd who decided to have our blessings. Now there was a fellow in our group named Frank McGraw. He was a Catholic, and on hearing what we were going to do he said he thought he would go along too and see what the “old boy” had to say to him. Well, he came along and nothing was said. I was on the send of the bench and first to receive my blessing. Next was another of our boys and then McGraw. When your grandfather came to him and put his hands on his head then took them off and said to Frank, “Young man, whey do you try to trick me. You are not a member of the church.”’
Story #5
While I was in the Bishopric of the 18th ward in Salt Lake City, I was asked by bishop Engebretsen to deliver a temple recommend to sister Edith E Langlois who lived in the apartments just north of me. On entering, she asked me which Smith family I belonged to and when I told her I was grandson of Patriarch John Smith, she said, “Oh he gave me my patriarchal blessing: and then she proceeded to tell me about it. “You know I was quite young and had but one baby, and heard that Patriarch Smith was in the house across the street giving blessings, I had always longed for a blessing, so I tucked the baby in his crib and set out for the neighbors house. On arriving the woman met me at the door and said, be seated, Bro Smith is in the next room giving blessings but he won’t be long. Well I sat there and fidgeted and fussed afraid the baby would awake before my return. Finally from the next room Patriarch Smith called out, “if that young woman in the next room will calm down, her baby will sleep until she returns.”
