Pauline Udall was born to parents at a time in their lives of great turmoil. Her mother Ida Hunt Udall had married an already married man with 3 children in Arizona, David King Udall , in a plural marriage which was an accepted custom of the Mormon faith at the time. Her mother grew up in a family where her father John E Hunt also had plural wives , as did Ida's well-known grandfather Captain Jefferson Hunt who was a Bishop of the LDS Church and had lead the Mormon Battalion.
However, Arizona was not in favor of plural marriage so Pauline's father David King was arrested for polygamy. Eventually these charges would be dropped, but for a time, he and Ida had to be separated until things settled down. It was during this time that Pauline Udall was born in Utah where Ida returned to her family for a time.
By all accounts, life in the Udall family was a happy one in Arizona. The children did not have a lot materially, but education was a part of every child's life. Her mother had been a teacher and spoke Spanish and played the guitar. Her brothers would become state leaders in politics and medicine.
She married Asahel Henry Smith in 1909.He was a farmer and rancher considered a pioneer of Arizona. He was also a Bishop of the Latter Day Saints church where he and Pauline remained active their whole lives together. From 1910 until 1926 they had nine children ,all of whom are accomplished. She outlived Asahel by some years.
Pauline's great calling was that of a story-teller. She collected the stories of large numbers of Mormon pioneers and wrote in very endearing and respectful terms their life struggles and accomplishments. Much that is known of the Jefferson Hunt and Udall families , which now in 2024 has more than a thousand descendants, comes from the pen of Pauline Udall Smith. She typically put plural marriage in a sweet light of women supporting women in the raising of the children of a common husband. Her attention to the details of fighting off crickets and children carrying warming stones for new babies bring that pioneer history to life. As they years tick by, her information gathering becomes more and more valuable especially regarding the lives of women who built homes in very rugged circumstances.
by Jean Pratt, a fellow descendant of Captain Jefferson Hunt who has benefitted greatly from Pauline's research
Pauline Udall was born to parents at a time in their lives of great turmoil. Her mother Ida Hunt Udall had married an already married man with 3 children in Arizona, David King Udall , in a plural marriage which was an accepted custom of the Mormon faith at the time. Her mother grew up in a family where her father John E Hunt also had plural wives , as did Ida's well-known grandfather Captain Jefferson Hunt who was a Bishop of the LDS Church and had lead the Mormon Battalion.
However, Arizona was not in favor of plural marriage so Pauline's father David King was arrested for polygamy. Eventually these charges would be dropped, but for a time, he and Ida had to be separated until things settled down. It was during this time that Pauline Udall was born in Utah where Ida returned to her family for a time.
By all accounts, life in the Udall family was a happy one in Arizona. The children did not have a lot materially, but education was a part of every child's life. Her mother had been a teacher and spoke Spanish and played the guitar. Her brothers would become state leaders in politics and medicine.
She married Asahel Henry Smith in 1909.He was a farmer and rancher considered a pioneer of Arizona. He was also a Bishop of the Latter Day Saints church where he and Pauline remained active their whole lives together. From 1910 until 1926 they had nine children ,all of whom are accomplished. She outlived Asahel by some years.
Pauline's great calling was that of a story-teller. She collected the stories of large numbers of Mormon pioneers and wrote in very endearing and respectful terms their life struggles and accomplishments. Much that is known of the Jefferson Hunt and Udall families , which now in 2024 has more than a thousand descendants, comes from the pen of Pauline Udall Smith. She typically put plural marriage in a sweet light of women supporting women in the raising of the children of a common husband. Her attention to the details of fighting off crickets and children carrying warming stones for new babies bring that pioneer history to life. As they years tick by, her information gathering becomes more and more valuable especially regarding the lives of women who built homes in very rugged circumstances.
by Jean Pratt, a fellow descendant of Captain Jefferson Hunt who has benefitted greatly from Pauline's research
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