▁return , ▁Joseph ▁F . ▁Smith ▁was ▁unable ▁to ▁open ly ▁visit ▁and ▁care ▁for ▁his ▁w ives ▁and ▁children ▁until ▁receiving ▁a ▁president ial ▁p ardon ▁from ▁U . S . ▁President ▁Benjamin ▁Harrison ▁in ▁September ▁ 1 8 9 1 . ▁ ▁Smith ' s ▁mother ▁worked ▁as ▁a ▁mid w ife ▁to ▁help ▁provide ▁for ▁the ▁family , ▁and ▁delivered ▁nearly ▁ 1 0 0 0 ▁b ab ies ▁in ▁her ▁career ▁without ▁ever ▁having ▁a ▁mother ▁or ▁infant ▁die ▁in ▁child b irth . ▁As ▁a ▁boy , ▁Smith ▁often ▁drove ▁his ▁mother ▁by ▁w agon ▁to ▁the ▁various ▁deliver ies ▁that ▁she ▁attended ▁in ▁Salt ▁Lake ▁City . ▁Smith ' s ▁primary ▁school ing ▁took ▁place ▁in ▁" ward ▁schools ", ▁which ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century ▁were ▁semi - form al ▁schools ▁run ▁by ▁members ▁of ▁each ▁w ard ▁which ▁taught ▁the ▁traditional ▁" three ▁R ' s ": ▁reading , ▁writing , ▁and ▁arithmetic . ▁As ▁a ▁te en ager ▁Smith ▁completed ▁two ▁years ▁of ▁study ▁at ▁the ▁L atter - day ▁Saint ▁College , ▁an ▁institution ▁equivalent ▁to ▁the ▁modern ▁U . S . ▁high ▁school , ▁which ▁provided ▁courses ▁in ▁the ▁basic ▁areas ▁of ▁mathematics , ▁ge ography , ▁history , ▁basic ▁science , ▁and ▁pen mans hip . ▁After ▁leaving ▁the ▁college , ▁Smith ▁began ▁working ▁as ▁a ▁stock ▁cl erk ▁doing ▁manual ▁labor ▁at ▁Z C MI ▁to ▁supp lement ▁the ▁family ' s ▁income . ▁Smith ▁was ▁present ▁in