Morris John Swinyard and Maria Jane Smith

Morris John Swinyard was born to Alfred Jennings Swinyard and Sarah Ann Brenchley on May 25, 1866, in Sittingbourne, Kent, England. His birth appears in the England & Wales FreeBMD index; that index lists his birthplace as Milton, which historically was the largest nearby town.

Maria Jane Smith (pronounced "Mariah") was born to Asa Downs Smith and Elizabeth Amanda Melvina Draper on November 29, 1874, in Lewiston, Utah. As far as I can tell, birth records weren't kept in Cache County, Utah at that time. Maria Jane Smith appears in this 1880 census in Lewiston, Utah.

Morris Swinyard can be seen in this England & Wales Census from 1871. (The rest of the family is on the previous page of the census.) He also appears in this England & Wales Census in 1881.

Morris Swinyard came to America in 1882, at age 16, with his aunt and uncle; Morris planned to work until he could pay for the rest of his family to make the voyage. (Alfred Brenchley, who was Morris' mother's brother, married Thirza Swinyard, who was Morris' father's sister. Morris was very close to them.) They appear on this passenger list on the Abyssinia, which left Liverpool on October 21, 1882 and landed in New York on November 3, 1882. They settled in Utah, and Morris got his first job at ZCMI, where he worked for nine years.

In 1885, Morris had earned enough for his family to travel to America. They sailed on the Wisconsin, which left Liverpool on June 20, 1885, and landed in New York on July 1, 1885. You can see the family on this passenger list.

Morris John Swinyard, 1886

In 1892, Morris struck a deal with H.G. Hayball, and together they ran the Hayball Mercantile in Lewiston, Utah.

Maria Jane Smith, 1893

Maria Jane Smith, 1894

Morris and Maria met in Lewiston and were married on January 27, 1897 in the Logan, Utah temple. Their marriage (but not the actual record) appears in the Western States Marriage Index. They had seven children: Roswell, Arvella, Ruby, Theron, Letho, Theresa, and Lillian. The family appears in the following U.S. censuses: the 1900 census, the 1910 census, the 1920 census, the 1930 census, and the 1940 census.

Morris John Swinyard, 1897

Morris bought the mercantile from Hayball in 1912 and ran it as the Lewiston Mercantile until 1919, when he lost the business due to the economy. After that, he worked as an accountant.

Swinyard's Lewiston Mercantile

Maria was said to have a beautiful voice, and to always be willing to feed hungry children when they came around.

Morris and Maria Swinyard, 1941

Morris John Swinyard died on June 16, 1946, in Lewiston, Utah (see his death certificate here). Maria Jane Smith Swinyard died on November 26, 1951, in Lewiston, Utah (see her death certificate here and her obituary here). They are buried in the Lewiston City Cemetery.