Vida Elizabeth Smith was born on January 16, 1865, in Nauvoo, Illinois. As the granddaughter of Joseph and Emma Smith and the daughter of Elizabeth and Alexander Hale Smith, she was deeply rooted in the legacy of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS). Carrying forward her family's commitment to faith and service, she became a pioneering force for women at Graceland College, shaping student life in its second quarter-century and expanding opportunities for female students in academics and social life.
On June 2, 1886, Vida married Heman C. Smith, a distinguished RLDS historian, Apostle, and grandson of Lyman Wight. They had four children—Heman Hale, Vida Inez, Anna Earlita, and Lois Elizabeth—born in California.
The family moved to Lamoni, Iowa, where her husband passed away and was laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery in 1919. Two years later, Vida became Graceland’s dean of women, overseeing the women’s dormitory on the top floor of Briggs Hall. In 1922, she organized the Crescents, a service club celebrating “womanly womanhood,” and was honored as a lifetime member. Her contributions to campus life continued when she penned the college song, Graceland.
Vida’s devotion to faith extended beyond her work at Graceland. She taught primary Sunday School at Lamoni’s Old Brick Church and served on a hymnbook committee. One sweltering Sabbath morning in 1903, inspiration struck as she gazed out the Old Brick Church window. Looking over a well-trodden path, she jotted down the lyrics to what would become the beloved hymn, The Old, Old Path. That evening, Vida shared her poem with her cousin, Audentia (Smith) Anderson, a skilled musician and composer. Audentia set the words to music, and The Old, Old Path hymn was born.
Though the Old Brick Church, where Vida had taught and found inspiration, tragically burned in 1931, its legacy endured. As flames consumed the structure, the church bell tolled one final time—a sound that had once carried as far as five miles. After World War II, a new church rose on the same site, ensuring that both its congregation and the secluded pathway of The Old, Old Path remained part of Lamoni’s history.
Vida stepped down as dean of women in 1926 and married James Elmer Yates, an RLDS missionary. Together, they lived in various locations before settling in Sedona, Arizona, where James was later laid to rest.
Even in her later years, Vida remained a prolific writer, preserving the history of her father and the pioneering women of the RLDS Church. She authored several volumes of church history for young readers that were widely read in the RLDS community and contributed lyrics to numerous hymns. The Old, Old Path became the most beloved, eventually entering the public domain and finding a place in the hymnals of other denominations.
On January 3, 1945, Vida passed away in Los Angeles, California. She was laid to rest beside Heman in Rose Hill Cemetery in Lamoni, Iowa—a final homecoming for a woman whose life was devoted to faith, education, and service.