Thomas X. Smith and George W. Smith Family Organization

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Thomas X. Smith and George W. Smith Family Organization

The Thomas X. and George W. Smith Organization is dedicated to linking past and present generations through shared family heritage.

08/23/2026

Our final $500 scholarship awardee for 2026 is Ella Noel Poelman from Cottonwood Heights, Utah. She attended Brighton High School and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. She was also her Senior Class Vice President and played varsity Soccer. She is attending Brigham Young University.

Ella is a descendant of George W. Smith and Catherine Wootton through their daughter, Ida. She wrote her essay on her second great grandmother, Ella Mae Perkins. She was described this way by on one of her daughters, "“My mom was a woman of great faith. She trusted in the Lord and He saw her through many challenges. A happy person and hard worker, she was a devoted wife and dedicated mother. She had high standards for her children and was consistent in expecting those standards to be embraced”

Ella wrote, "Although I never met my great-great-grandmother, her faith, love, and commitment to God have shaped the way I approach challenges and will continue to guide me as I pursue higher education and a life grounded in faith".

She concluded her essay with this, "Ella Mae Perkins Poelman lived a life of faith, service, and love. She taught her family–far more through her actions than her words–that discipleship requires sacrifice, courage, and steady trust in God. Although generations separate us, her influence continues to shape the decisions I make today. As I pursue a college education, serve a full-time mission, and eventually build a family of my own, I hope to carry forward the values she exemplified so well. I carry her name, but I am still becoming someone worthy of it".

08/22/2026

Our fourth Scholarship recipient for 2026 is Laniakea "Lania" Medrano from Allen, Texas where she attended Allen High School graduating with a 4.0 GPA. While attending high school Lania was a National Spanish Honor Society Officer, varsity soccer player, a member of Allen Peer Leadership, and a member of their World Culture Club. She will be attending Brigham Young University this Fall majoring in Neuroscience.

Lania is a descendant of Thomas X Smith and his wife Anne Masters Howe, through their daughter, Patience. She wrote her essay on her 3rd great grandfather, Thomas X. Soon after moving to Cache County Thomas spent days digging the Logan-Hyde Park Canal that brought crop saving water to the Cache Valley. Lania mentions, "Thomas X Smith demonstrated more than agricultural ingenuity; he highlighted that meaningful service through hard work is life changing." Lania had shown the same kind of hard work ethic throughout her young life. At age 12 she was refereeing youth soccer games and tat age 13 she was teaching piano to neighbor kids and at 16 she opened her own home-based nail salon. Her passion for service is why she is majoring in Neuroscience on the pre-med path.

Lania concluded her essay with this, " Just like how Thomas dug a physical canal to bring life-giving water to those in Logan who were facing starvation, I am building my own businesses and career to deliver life-saving medical services to members of my own community. Pushing through heavy coursework while managing two businesses sometimes feels like shoveling through heavy clay, but my third great-grandfather's example teaches me that persistence is the key to achieving my goals."

08/21/2026

Our third scholarship awardee this year is actually the winner of our $1,000 Keith Poelman Memorial Scholarship. He is Roy Jones of Pendleton, Oregon. Roy attended Baker Early College High School where he was Captain of their Robotics Team, Chairperson of the Library Teen Advisory Board. In addition, in 2025 Roy was named the City of Pendleton Volunteer of the Year was an Oregon Boys State Congressman. Roy will by attending Eastern Oregon University where he will major in Computer Science/Agricultural Systems Technology.

Roy is a descendant of Thomas X Smith through his son, Orson Gurney Smith. He wrote his essay on Orson who is his 3X great grandfather. Roy sited several of Orson's responsibilities while a Bishop and Stake President as well as his business affairs and quoted this line from his Patriarchal Blessing, "Many will seek thee for council, wonder at thy wisdom, and rejoice in thy teachings."

Roy when on to talk about Orson's trials as a Grain Broker and how he lost everything and was left owing several thousands of dollars to his customers as a result of shortages and depressed pricing. Orson spend the next 25 years repaying his debts. Roy concluded his essay with these words, I pray that I am never tested the way that my 3x great grandfather was, but if that moment comes, I am grateful for his example of faithful perseverance. This lesson was emphasized at Orson’s funeral, “Remember my brothers and sisters, that when we come to the earth all things we gain cannot be taken with us, but the wealth of the soul, the good that we have done for others will follow us through forever and forever”
(History of Orson Gurney Smith and his Wives by Quinton Harris p. 107). Amen!"

08/20/2026

Our second $500.00 scholarship recipient this year is W***y Jensen of Saratoga Springs, Utah. He attended Westlake High School where he earned a 4.0 GPA and played on the varsity Basketball team. He will be attending Brigham Young University majoring in Information Systems. He is a descendant of George W. Smith through his oldest daughter, Sabrina Catherine Smith Lamb.

W***y wrote his essay about his great grandfather, John Orvin Hicken. His favorite scriptures were found in Proverbs 3:5-6. “5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” W***y wrote this about himself, "Since coming home from my mission, it has been hard making some of the important decisions in my life, but as I have relied on these scriptures like my great-great-grandpa, I have felt the Lord guide me. I am committed to continuing to do this throughout my life and to letting my ancestors impact me".

W***y concluded his essay with this, "John Orvin Hicken lived a life that has blessed so many individuals including mine. His impact cannot be fully measured but we can see it in the lives of his descendants. I hope that I can make my great-great-grandpa proud and continue his legacy". I am sure you already are!

08/19/2026

We are going to highlight our 2026 Scholarship recipients in alphabetical order beginning with Lisa Higby of Salt Lake City. Lisa attended Highland High School. She was a member of the Varsity Dance Company and also danced for the Elevate Dance Company. She also works as a dance instructor. Lisa will be attending the University of Utah and was awarded a $500 scholarship.

Lisa is a descendant of George W. Smith through his son, George Fred Smith. She wrote her essay in George Fred's son and her great Grandfather, Raymont Fred Smith. Lisa wrote, "The most inspiring part of Ray’s life to me was his time as the LDS prison chaplain at the Utah State Prison. As chaplain he would teach Book of Mormon classes and was “on call” at the prison every Sunday. The first thing Ray would tell the inmates was that the only direction they could go was up". She concluded her essay with this, " Raymont Smith changed lives. Not just the inmate’s lives, but my own family’s lives. His experiences and example taught generations before me the importance of not judging others by their past, but to hope for a better future with God by your side. I hope to hold close to these principles throughout my life, striving to be a missionary to others and to show others the same compassion, hope, and faith that Ray showed to those around him." Congratulations Lisa.

08/18/2026

We want to let everyone know our family organization has awarded five scholarships this year. All of our recipients have been notified and have been awarded their scholarships. Four of those scholarships were in the amount of $500.00 and one $1,000 scholarship was awarded.

Three of our recipients are young women and two are young men. Two are descendants of Thomas X and three are from George W.'s line. We have a winner from Texas and one from Oregon along with three from Utah.

Three of our awardees will be attending BYU while one will be attending the University of Utah. We also have one attending Eastern Oregon University.

Check in over the next few days as we highlight each one of these wonderful individuals.

08/14/2026

I am finally getting around to showing a few of the photographs from our April 2026 reunion in Cottonwood, Utah. It was a wonderful event and well attended. We will soon begin plans for our 2028 reunion so stay tuned for updates on that event.

04/07/2026

Today is April 7th and our 2026 Extended family reunion is only 10 days away. It is not too late to RSVP and we would love to see you at this year's reunion. RSVP to 801-400-0113 today. Thanks!

01/16/2026

I will be attending the Thomas X and George W. Smith Family Reunion in Cottonwood this April. How about you? Please RSVP for the reunion via text to 801-400-0113. See you there!

01/06/2026

You are invited to attend our 2026 Bi-annual Thomas X and George W. Smith Family Reunion Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18. Please see the Reunion Flyer below for details and how to RSVP to this year's reunion.

Address

Highland, UT
84003

Website

http://smithfamilyorganization.org/

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