Hark Wales & Oscar Smith

Brothers Hark and Oscar were born into bondage and lived on John Crosby plantation in Mississippi. While still an adolescent, Hark was separated from his family and gifted to newly married Sytha Crosby and her husband, William Lay.Oscar was inherited by William Crosby. The enslaved brothers then became known as Hark Lay and Oscar Crosby, even though Hark chose Wales as his surname once freed and Oscar chose Smith.

Pioneer John Brown was later assigned to be the chargehand, taking Hark and Oscar to Council Bluffs, lowa, where they were all selected to be part of the advanced team in Brigham Young’s vanguard company. They were tasked with charting a course and improving the trail into the Salt Lake Valley.

As enslaved men, Hark and Oscar were keenly aware of what it felt like to desire freedom, even if the freedom the Saints sought was that of religious worship. The first Pioneers of 1847 consisted of many brave souls including former soldier Lewis Barney, church clerk Thomas Bullock, and the enduring Hark Wales, Oscar Smith and Green Flake. They reached the Salt Lake Valley on July 22, 1847, two days ahead of Brigham Young.