Josefina Bernhardina Beckman was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. When she was just eleven years old, she left Sweden with her mother for Utah. In 1871, she married Erastus Julius Smith, with whom she had fourteen children. Josefina was a carpet weaver and sold many rugs both as a child with her mother and after she was married to help support her family. She was also an excellent cook and seamstress and enjoyed doing temple work with her husband. In 1928, she passed away in Brigham City, Utah.