ANDERSON, Mary "Audentia" (SMITH)

MADISON, SMITH, HALE, ANDERSON, YATES, OIEHAVEN

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 1/11/2016 at 13:38:24

Biography ~ Mary "Audentia" (Smith) Anderson
March 23, 1871 ~ May 05, 1963

Mary "Audentia" (Smith) Anderson was born March 23, 1872, Plano, Illinois, the daughter and one of nine children born to Joseph Smith II and Bertha (Madison) Smith and the granddaughter of Joseph and Emma (Hale) Smith. On February 24, 1891, she married Benjamin M. Anderson in Lamoni, Iowa. They became the parents of the following children: Bertha Audentia (1892-1976), Doris Zulekia (1894-1976), Enger Viola (1896-1899), Azul (1898-1898), Benjamin Meredith (1901-1901), Duane Smith (1903-1987), Lucy Rogene (1908-1999).

After Audentia's mother tragically died from injuries caused when a runaway team overturned her carriage, Audentia, Benjamin and their family moved into Liberty Hall to help with the household.

One hot Sabbath morning in 1903, Audentia's cousin, Vida Elizabeth (Smith) Smith Yates, was inspired to write on the flyleaf of her quarterly the following which later became the lyrics for the hymn "The Old, Old Path" [Keuffer, Carlyle F. "Stories of Our Hymns." p. 136. Herald Publishing House. Independence Mo. 1938.]

There’s an old, old path
Where the sun shines thro’
Life’s dark storm clouds
From its home of blue.

Refrain:
In this old, old path
Made strangely sweet
By the touch divine,
Of His blessed feet.

Find the old, old path,
‘Twill be ever new,
For the Savior walks
All the way with you.

In this old, old path
Are my friends most dear,
And I walk with them,
With the angels near.

‘Tis an old, old path,
Shadowed vales between,
Yet I fearless walk
With the Nazarene.

Later that evening, Vida showed the poem to her cousin, Audentia (Smith) Anderson. Audenita, who had many talents, had been a student of piano, organ, voice, harmony and music composition. She set Vida's words to music and the hymn, titled "The Old, Old Path," was assigned number 207 and was included in the first edition of Zion's Praises.

The Old Brick Church burned to the ground in 1931. As the flames engulfed the church, the old bell began to ring one last time before it plunged into the burning inferno. This bell, when conditions were clear and winds favorable, could be heard as far as five miles away.

After World War II a new church was constructed on the site of the Old Brick Church.

Benjamin was born on October 17, 1869, the son of Andrew K. and Inger (Oiehaven) Anderson. He died November 4, 1953, and was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Lamoni, Iowa.

Audentia died on May 5, 1963, Independence, Missouri, and was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Lamoni, Iowa.

SOURCE: Price, Pamela. "God's Gift of Song to the Saints."

Rose Hill Cemetery transcription

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, December of 2015

*NOTE: She was actually the daughter of Joseph Smith III, his son.

Decatur Biographies maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
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