Abigail Willis Tenney was born in the village of Barre, Massachusetts in 1809. The ninth of 11 children (six of whom were boys), her father Gideon Tenney was a successful school teacher. In early youth, her family moved to Brandon, Vermont where she spent most of her adolescent life. At 18, she met her future husband, Lowell Smith, who was an undergraduate student at William's College. They shortly became engaged, marrying 02 October 1832, and she entered a young ladies seminary in Ipswitch, MA to support her husband's aspirations of becoming a ministry. On 23 November 1832, they embarked on the old whaling bark Mentor from New London Connecticut sailing 159 days around Cape Horn to the Hawaiian Islands. Abigail and her husband were first stationed as missionaries on the island of Molokai, then Ewa on O'ahu. The couple then moved to Honolulu where Reverend Smith became superintendent of Kawaiahao schools . In 1837, Reverend Smith became the leader of Honolulu's Kaumakapili Church, the second church in the Kingdom of Hawaii. In 1853, Abigail began teaching Hawaiian boys to read, write, and speak English. Her "school" began with two students, swelling to a well-established and well-known evening school for young men. Her students went on to become prominent figures in Hawaiian history—Alexander Liholiho, who became King Kamehameha V; John Makini Kapena, Governor of Maui, Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Japan and Captain William Tell, Superintendent of Hawaii's Board of Health, among her many pupils. In 1860, it was decided to open a government school for Hawaiians and Abigail was asked to serve as principal. She declined the position, but continued to teach at home for three years. In 1865, Reverend and Mrs. Smith returned home after a 32-year absence with their son and daughter for a 15-month visit. Upon return, Abigail opened a school at their home, which she continued through 1879. During her time in Hawaii, Abigail served as Secretary of the Stranger's Friend Society and President of the Women's Board of Missions. Aside from her husband, two children—Emma Louise Smith and Augustus Lowell Smith survived her.