| Notes |
- Archive Record of Lillie Dunford Mecham; L. Derek Maude;
Ronald C. Russell 1785 Lambert Drive Clarkston, WA 99403 509-758-1535 8-1992 herry Ann Miller 1540 N. Mountain Road N. Ogden, UT 84404 801-782-5079 (Letter 11-1994 (she is 4th gg dau and is interested in histories etc. & is a writer/editor)
http://www.concentric.net/~Ssbray/mechjosh.htm 9 Aug 2004:
"JOSHUA MECHAM (son of Samuel Meacham II and Phebe Main), was born April 12, 1773 at Canaan, New Hampshire. He married Permelia Chapman, who was the daughter of Samuel Chapman and Hannah Fox. Their children were all born in Canaan, Grafton County, New Hampshire.
There were nine children:
1. JOSHUA MECHAM Jr. (1795-1841),
md. LUCINA HARMON;
2. SAMUEL CHAPMAN MECHAM (1798-1882),
md. 1-ELIZABETH BALL and
2-MARY E. COLLINGS;
3. PERMELIA MECHAM (1800-1868),
md. GARDNER ELDRIDGE;
4. EDWARD MECHAM (1802-1895),
md. IRENE CURRIER;
5. LEONIDAS MOSES WORTHEN MECHAM (1804-1878),
md. ELVIRA DERBY;
6. ELIZABETH MECHAM (1807-1887),
md. FRANCIS KIDDER;
**7. EPHRAIM MECHAM (1808-1891),
md. POLLY DERBY;
8. CALEB MECHAM (1810-1852),
md. MARY CURRIER;
9. LEWIS MECHAM (1812-1895),
md. LYDIA WELLS.
Later the family moved from New Hampshire to New York and then on south to Mercer, Erie County, Pennsylvania. The year they arrived at Mercer is unknown, but believed to be around 1827. During the spring of 1836, Joshua came in contact with "Mormon" missionaries and was converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (at age 63). He and his wife Permelia, along with some of their sons (Edward, Ephraim, and Lewis) and the sons' wives and families were baptized and moved to gather with the Saints in Missouri, later settling in Iowa. Here another son, Moses Mecham, had previously settled in 1836. He was converted to the Church in 1839 in Iowa -- his conversion story follows).
Joshua Mecham's younger brothers (Elam Mecham and Joseph Mecham) and some of their families also joined the Church, as mentioned previously. Presumably they were all converted around the same time (1836 or 1837) in Erie County, Pennsylvania.
Three of Joshua and Permelia Chapman Mecham's sons (Joshua Mecham Jr., Samuel Chapman Mecham, and Caleb Mecham) and their daughters (Permelia Mecham Eldridge and Elizabeth Mecham Kidder) never joined the Church, and remained in the East.
Quoting from Polly Derby Mecham:
"Joshua Mecham had nine children, all of whom reached their maturity. The mother being justly praised for her care over them... "Father and Mother Mecham (Joshua and Permelia) joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the summer of 1837 (another source says it was in the spring of 1836). In 1838 Joshua and Permelia, together with their sons Ephraim, Edward, Lewis and their families went to gather with the Saints at Missouri but were stopped by a mob at Quincy who would not let them cross the Mississippi River. They suffered many persecutions with the rest of the saints and were driven from place to place. One night they had to sleep in the woods with their little children and watch their home be burned to the ground by an angry mob. They also lived in Nauvoo."
The story of (Joshua Mecham's son) Moses Mecham's conversion has been preserved and written down, as follows:
"In the spring of 1836 he with his family moved to Kendrick, Iowa. The glowing reports of the western frontiers and of that wonderful Oregon country was the urge that started them westward. In Iowa, Moses engaged in the mercantile business, being very successful and prosperous. Sometime during the year 1838 he learned for the first time that his father Joshua and other members of his father's family had joined the Mormon Church. This worried him as he had witnessed seeing small companies of Mormons who had been driven from their homes (in Missouri) by a mob of bloodthirsty men; he realized fully just how unpopular they were. He started to investigate why the Mormons were persecuted because of their religious belief and what there was in their message that had interested other members of his family to join them. After studying earnestly for some time, he just couldn't get a testimony that it was true. So, one night he and his wife prayed to the Lord asking Him to bless them with a testimony as to the truthfulness of the gospel message given to them.Afterwards Moses startled members of his family by speaking in tongues. They had never heard of such a thing before and supposed that he was delirious. While still speaking in tongues he took the old family Bible and read from it still speaking in tongues. His wife understood and started reading the passages to the family as he turned from one section to another all dealing on the restoration of the Gospel. This experience convinced them the Gospel was true and they therefore decided to apply for baptism. From Kendrick they traveled to Columbus, Adams County, Illinois... Moses and other members of his family were baptized early in March 1839, by Elder James Tomlinson at Nauvoo, Illinois... Moses, along with his father (Joshua) and his oldest son (Clinton), had the privilege on several occasions to act as bodyguard for the Prophet Joseph Smith. After joining the church, Moses with his family returned to Lee County, Iowa... During this period he met persecution along with the rest of the Saints, losing his mercantile business and other possessions. On the 29th of June, 1849, Moses was ordained a Seventy by Joseph Young. On the 30th of December, 1845, he and his wife were sealed to each other along with other members of his family in the Nauvoo Temple (his parents Joshua Mecham and Permelia Chapman were endowed and sealed in the Nauvoo Temple December 25, 1845)."
It seems that none of the Mechams kept diaries or journals; like many people on the frontier in those days, they may have not have had much opportunity to attend school, and felt their literary skills to be inadequate. In the Diary of Hosea Stout, on Aug. 28 and Sept. 3, 1845 in Nauvoo he mentions that "Brother Lewis Mecham came here this morning and I wrote and finished his biographical history." Apparently Brother Stout wrote and arranged Lewis Mecham's story for him since he couldn't write very well himself.
Brother Stout also mentioned on 25 Aug 1845, "went on patrol guard with Parker, (Shadrach) Roundy, (Joseph) Warthan, (James) Pace, two of the Mechams and Langley; was out nearly all night." Apparently a few of the Mechams were in the police or guard patrol of Nauvoo at this time. However, since most of the Mechams lived on the Iowa side of the river, they weren't as closely involved with events in Nauvoo. At a conference of the Church held in Zarahemla, Iowa on Aug. 7-10, 1841 (from Times & Seasons Vol. 2:22:547:11), it is mentioned that "Bishop (Don Carlos) Smith (the Prophet Joseph Smith's younger brother) represented the branch at the Mecham settlement, consisting of about 65 members generally in good standing." There was a total of 750 members in all of Iowa at that time.
Joshua Mecham, along with others of his family, acted as bodyguard to the prophet Joseph Smith at various times. His two sons Moses and Lewis were called on missions, going to two different tribes of Indians. They were well received, feeling their mission was a success. The patriarchal blessing of Joshua Mecham, given Apr. 19, 1845 in Nauvoo by patriarch John Smith, reads in part, "The Lord is well pleased with thee because of thine obedience to His gospel in thine old age. Because thou art willing to forsake all for the sake of the blessings of the new and everlasting covenant; the Lord will grant unto thee all things which you desire, even the Holy Priesthood in fulness...thy wisdom shall reach unto the Heavens and thine understanding to the ends of the earth; thou shall have power to do mighty miracles, even all that comes into thine heart, and to the increase of thy posterity there shall be no end."
Joshua Mecham died October 8, 1846, at Bonaparte, Van Buren County, Iowa at the age of 73 (this is on the Mormon trail, just west of Lee County, Iowa). His wife Permelia later came on to Utah, traveling with friends and arriving in the fall of 1850. Her son Edward with his family arrived in Utah in 1851. Permelia then lived with Edward and later with other sons as they came to Utah. Her sons Ephraim and Lewis came in 1852, and her son Moses, (Leonidas Moses Worthen Mecham) came west in 1853.
Permelia Chapman Mecham died May 19, 1866 at Heber City, Utah at the age of 89. We have tried to locate her grave but have been unsuccessful. If she was buried in the Heber City Cemetery, the burial record and marker must have been lost.
In her patriarchal blessing, given April 19, 1845 in Nauvoo, Permelia had been told "Heavenly Father (will) bless you with health and strength of body and preserve unto thee all thy sensitive powers and the faculties of thy mind and enable you to endure in patience unto the end and thou shalt inherit eternal lives...to stand at the head of thy progeny to all eternity...Thy posterity shall increase as the sands upon the sea shore or as the stars of heaven for multitudes. Thou shalt live until thou art satisfied with life and every favor which your heart desires, depart in peace, and many shall mourn thee. This is thy blessing which shall not fail."
Information Compiled by Karen Bray Keeley"
http://www.concentric.net/~Ssbray/mecheph.htm 9 Aug 2004:
"EPHRAIM MECHAM was born 8 March 1808 in Canaan, Grafton County, New Hampshire. He was the son of Joshua Mecham (1773-1846) and Permelia Chapman (1777-1866), both of whom were born in Connecticut. Joshua's parents were Samuel Meacham Jr. (1739-1811) and Phebe Main (1747-1845). They had moved from Connecticut to New Hampshire before the Revolutionary War.
Quoting from Polly Derby Mecham:
"Ephraim's grandfather Chapman's name was Samuel Chapman (1741-1817), and his grandmother's name was Hannah Fox (1755-1844). She was the mother of three children; their names were Permelia, Amos, and Hannah. They lived in Connecticut. Samuel Chapman served in the war of 1812. Also his son Amos. Just preceding the battle Amos wrote to his folks at home saying that if he lived through it he would write again. They never heard from him again, so the conclusion is that he layed down his life for his country."
Ephraim Mecham's ancestors, the Meacham, Main, Chapman and Fox families, all lived in Connecticut and before that, in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Ephraim's grandfather on his mother's side, Samuel Chapman (1741-1817) was the son of Solomon Chapman (1706-1795) and his wife Susannah, of Connecticut. Solomon was the son of William Chapman (1665/1670-1734) and Lydia Lincoln (1682-1734), also of Connecticut. Lydia was the daughter of Samuel Lincoln (1658-1704) and Sarah Royce (1665-1688). Samuel Lincoln's parents were Thomas Lincoln (1638-1708) and Mary Austin (1632-1694). Sarah Royce was a great-granddaughter of Francis Eaton, a Mayflower pilgrim, through his daughter Ann Eaton (1605-1688) who married Hugh Calkins (1600-1690).
The Main or Mayne family came from Devonshire, England and settled in Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Phebe Main's other ancestors were families Brown, Price, Pendleton, Newhall, and Barry. Hannah Fox's ancestors were families Fox, Minor, Tuttle (Tuthill), Way, Burroughs, Brooks, Sumner, Lane, Bradford, West, Denslow, and Franklin. One interesting ancestor was Giovanni de Angelo, an Italian who was born about 1514 in Italy and settled in England after coming there as a sailor, and changed his name to George (or John) Denslow.
Ephraim Mecham was married to Polly Derby in Mercer County, Pennsylvania 29 Nov. 1828.
(Quoting again from Polly):
"As a boy he was very exemplary; he did not use bad language or tobacco or strong drink, he kept good company and before he was fifteen years of age he joined the Reformed Methodists. Being religiously inclined, he was prepared for the true gospel when he heard it preached where he lived. He knew it was the Shepherd's voice and gladly came into the fold. Always firm in the principles of the gospel, he has left a name that is worth more than gold or silver. He had no fear of death. He said he knew just what his condition would be when he got beyond the veil. He was a kind husband, a loving father, and a good honest Latter-day Saint. "Father and Mother Mecham (Joshua and Permelia) joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the summer of 1837 (another source says it was in the spring of 1836). In 1838 Joshua and Permelia, together with their sons Ephraim, Edward, Lewis and their families went to gather with the Saints at Missouri but were stopped by a mob at Quincy who would not let them cross the Mississippi River. They suffered many persecutions with the rest of the saints and were driven from place to place. One night they had to sleep in the woods with their little children and watch their home be burned to the ground by an angry mob. They also lived in Nauvoo."
After being prevented by the mob from entering Missouri, Ephraim and Polly Derby Mecham and their 3 children went to Iowa, where Ephraim's brother Moses had settled earlier. Eventually they settled near Montrose (across the river from Nauvoo), where they lived for 14 years. Six more children were born into the family while they lived in Iowa. Then, in 1853, Ephraim and Polly and their 6 surviving children crossed the plains to Utah and settled in Lehi. They had 12 children altogether, but four of these had died young and then two more were born after they settled in Utah. The children were:
1.AMOS MECHAM
(b. 1830 in Mercer, Erie Co., Penn.,
d. Apr. 1831);
2.PERMELIA MECHAM
(b. 11 Sep 1832 in Mercer, Penn.,
md. DANIEL BIGELOW,
d. 10 June 1911 in Wallsburg);
3.LEWIS MECHAM
(b. 18 Dec. 1835 in Mercer, Penn.,
md. VASTIA or VASHTI EMILY JOHNSON,
and later ESTHER HERBERT,
d. 14 Oct 1907 in Wallsburg);
4.ELVIRA MECHAM
(b. 1836 in Mercer, Penn. and d. Oct 1845);
5.EMMA MARIA MECHAM
(b. 9 May 1840 in Montrose, Lee Co., Iowa,
md. WILLIAM BROWN HILL, d. 6 Aug. 1923);
6.HYRUM MORONI MECHAM
(b. 20 Aug 1842 in Montrose, Iowa,
md. SARAH ANN STEVENS
and later LOUISA JANE KIRBY, d. 14 Feb 1917);
7.SARAH ANN MECHAM
(b. 1844 in Montrose, Iowa, and d. Jan 1847);
8.EPHRAIM DON CARLOS MECHAM
(b. 1846 in Montrose, Iowa, d. Oct 1846);
9.MARY HENRIETTA MECHAM
(b. 10 Apr 1848 in Montrose, Iowa,
md. MILES BATTY,
d. 21 Dec 1899 in Wallsburg);
10.POLLY CELESTIA MECHAM
(b. 2 Apr 1852 in Montrose, Iowa,
md. WILLIAM HAWS, d. 21 Apr 1890);
11.JOHN ALBERT MECHAM
(b. 21 June 1854 in Lehi, Utah,
md. ROSELLA ANN BIGELOW,
d. 14 Jan 1934 in Provo);
**12.ADELIA VILATE MECHAM
(b. 26 Dec 1856 in Lehi, Utah,
md. ROBERT WILSON GLENN, Jr.,
d. 25 Nov 1941 at the age of 84).
Ephraim Mecham and his wife Polly and many of their children moved in 1862 to Weber County. They later came back to Provo and then moved to Wallsburg, Wasatch County, Utah, near the top of Provo Canyon. One winter they got snowed in, in Wallsburg, in snow so deep no one could get out. Their provisions were scanty and their flour supply gave out. They lived mostly on meat. The following spring Ephraim had to pay $20 for a 100 pound sack of flour.
He suffered many hardships during his long and useful life but it was a happy life. He and Polly lived to celebrate their 62nd wedding anniversary.
Ephraim Mecham died in Wallsburg 6 July 1891 at age 83; and Polly Derby Mecham died 1 Dec. 1898 at age 85. They are both buried in the cemetery in Wallsburg, Wasatch County, Utah.
The reason the Mechams delayed coming to the Rocky Mountains until the 1850's seems to have been because of a combination of things: elderly parents who were unable to travel, sickness, lack of supplies because of their poverty, and childbearing. It seems that all of the Mechams were rather independent in spirit, and since they lived in their own settlement over in Iowa, they were not in such a hurry to go west as the Saints who were driven out of Nauvoo.
(Lewis Mecham, 1835-1907, son of Ephraim Mecham and Polly Derby, didn't come west until 1862. He first settled in Rush Valley, and later moved to Wallsburg).
Information Compiled by Karen Bray Keeley"
"POLLY DERBY MECHAM was born in Grafton County, New Hampshire on 13 Aug 1813, the daughter of SARAH CURRIER (1788-1813) and JOHN DERBY (1789-1874). (SARAH and JOHN had only two children: ELVIRA, 1811-1886, who married L. MOSES WORTHEN MECHAM, and POLLY, 1813-1898, who married EPHRAIM MECHAM. Their husbands were brothers. ELVIRA and POLLY's mother SARAH CURRIER had died 10 Nov. 1813 when POLLY was only 3 months old, and their father JOHN DERBY remarried, to his first wife SARAH's younger sister, ANNA CURRIER. ANNA was the mother who raised her sister SARAH's two girls as well as her own children. See below for an experience of one of SARAH's granddaughters, when SARAH CURRIER DERBY appeared to her in a dream).
JOHN DERBY (Polly's father) was born at Lyme, New Hampshire on 26 May 1789. It is said that after his daughters joined the LDS Church and moved west, they wrote back to their father but he was quite opposed and angry that they had joined the Church, and refused to be reconciled.
(Quoting from POLLY DERBY):
"JOHN DERBY's father's name was NATHANIEL DERBY (1752-1812), whose sons were Jedediah, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Walter, Amassy (Amasa), John, and his daughters were Lucy and Elizabeth. Lucy and Walter were twins. NATHANIEL's wife's maiden name was JEMIMA SKINNER (1759-1812). (She was descended from early New England families including Strong, Dixon, Pratt, Stiles, Ingersoll, Bridges, Woodward, Bascom, Frye, and Ford). One of my (POLLY's) grandmother's brothers was run down and killed by the Indians. They had three children; he was carrying one of them, and seeing that the Indians were gaining on them, he said to his wife that he would run in another direction to draw the Indians' attention to him, and for her to hide with the children. He dropped the child that he was carrying into a bush, and then ran where the Indians could see him. The plan worked; the mother and children were all saved, but he was never seen again nor was his body ever found. He laid down his life for his family. "The SKINNERS, my grandmother DERBY's folks (JOSEPH SKINNER, 1723-1809, and RUTH STRONG, 1723-1815), lived in Lyme, New Hampshire. My grandfather CURRIER's name was SAMUEL (1746-1830). I think he was born in England (actually he was born in New Hampshire, the son of SAMUEL CURRIER, 1709-1766, and HANNAH MORRILL, 1711-1784, and the CURRIER family went back four more generations in America. They were descended from early English colonist families including Foote, Osgood, Stallion, Clere, Morrill, Wadleigh, Whittier, Marston, Clements, Eden, and Green). His father (also named Samuel Currier) owned a vessel, he had been to the East and West Indies several times, but was finally lost. Some thought that he was taken by pirates, but we never heard of him again. "My grandmother CURRIER (ANNA COLLINS CURRIER, 1754- ?) had consumption, and she died in or near the city of New York at a good old age. (Her parents were RICHARD COLLINS, 1713- ?, and ANNA FOWLER, 1717- ?. Her father was descended from colonists from the English families Shortridge, Eaton, Rowlandson, Dearborn, Southcott, Whitfield, Crocker, Colepepper, Servington, Manning, Pollard, Yeo, Grenville, Moore, Strowde, Giles, Atwood, Walrond, Brampton, Petley, Kirkner, Roper, Naylor, Wakehurst, Shelley, and Chaucer -- from the sister of the poet Chaucer. Also on her mother's side from Fowler, Worthen, Gould, Martin, Jones, Osgood, and Winslow families).My grandfather SAMUEL CURRIER served in the Revolutionary War. He drew a pension in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Three of his sons, Reuben, Ezekiel, and Samuel enlisted in the War of 1812. Samuel died at Plattsburg, Uncle Ezekiel served three years as commissary, he died at Springfield, Erie County, Pennsylvania at the age of 90. My mother, SARAH CURRIER DERBY, died while my uncle was in the war (1813). She was buried in Hanover burial grounds by the meeting house. My father's farm a few miles from Dartmouth College lay right at the foot of Moose Mountain. He sold it to the Shakers. I was only three months old when my mother died. I was in my fifth year when my father moved from New Hampshire to Pennsylvania and settled in Erie County. We lived there until I was in my fourteenth year. Both my grandfather and grandmother CURRIER lived until they were 84 years old. They were buried in Springfield Cemetery (Erie Co., Pennsylvania). Their sons and daughters were Reuben (he served in the War of 1812); John - married Sally Silver; Samuel - died at Plattsburg serving in the War of 1812; Ezekiel - married Sally Alldrich, he served in the War of 1812; and Abner - married Margaret Davis, died in Illinois." (portions of the above quoted from POLLY DERBY MECHAM, 5 Sept. 1895 - when she was 82 years old)
After being prevented by the mob from entering Missouri, EPHRAIM and POLLY DERBY MECHAM and their 3 children went to Iowa, where EPHRAIM's brother MOSES had settled earlier. Eventually they settled near Montrose (across the river from Nauvoo), where they lived for 14 years. Six more children were born into the family while they lived in Iowa. Then, in 1853, EPHRAIM and POLLY and their 6 surviving children crossed the plains to Utah and settled in Lehi. They had 12 children altogether, but four of these had died young and then two more were born after they settled in Utah. The children were:
1.AMOS MECHAM (b. 1830 in Mercer, Erie Co., Penn.,
d. Apr. 1831);
2.PERMELIA MECHAM (b. 11 Sep 1832 in Mercer, Penn.,
md. DANIEL BIGELOW,
d. 10 June 1911 in Wallsburg);
3.LEWIS MECHAM (b. 18 Dec. 1835 in Mercer, Penn.,
md. VASTIA or VASHTI EMILY JOHNSON,
and later ESTHER HERBERT,
d. 14 Oct 1907 in Wallsburg);
4.ELVIRA MECHAM (b. 1836 in Mercer, Penn. and d. Oct 1845);
5.EMMA MARIA MECHAM (b. 9 May 1840
in Montrose, Lee Co., Iowa,
md. WILLIAM BROWN HILL, d. 6 Aug. 1923);
6.HYRUM MORONI MECHAM (b. 20 Aug 1842 in Montrose, Iowa,
md. SARAH ANN STEVENS
and later LOUISA JANE KIRBY, d. 14 Feb 1917);
7.SARAH ANN MECHAM (b. 1844 in Montrose, Iowa,
and died Jan 1847);
8.EPHRAIM DON CARLOS MECHAM (b. 1846 in Montrose, Iowa,
d. Oct 1846);
9.MARY HENRIETTA MECHAM (b. 10 Apr 1848 in Montrose, Iowa,
md. MILES BATTY,
d. 21 Dec 1899 in Wallsburg);
10.POLLY CELESTIA MECHAM (b. 2 Apr 1852 in Montrose, Iowa,
md. WILLIAM HAWS, d. 21 Apr 1890);
11.JOHN ALBERT MECHAM (b. 21 June 1854 in Lehi, Utah,
md. ROSELLA ANN BIGELOW, d. 14 Jan 1934 in Provo);
**12.ADELIA VILATE MECHAM (b. 26 Dec 1856 in Lehi, Utah,
md. ROBERT WILSON GLENN, Jr. ,
and died 25 Nov 1941 at the age of 84).
POLLY was a faithful wife and mother and was very spiritual by nature. For example, when her niece died in Provo, POLLY knew of her death and the circumstances surrounding it before the family received the news the next day.
The following is an incident submitted by Celestia B. Rasmussen, one of POLLY's granddaughters, to the Daughters of Utah Pioneers (OUR PIONEER HERITAGE, 979.2 H2c, vol. 2, p. 111); in the chapter entitled, "And They Were Healed":
"POLLY DERBY MECHAM, my grandmother, it is claimed was cured of an unknown malady in the following manner: She had been a practical nurse and home doctor in many families (she was the first doctor in Wallsburg, and used herbs as well as faith and prayer in caring for the sick), but neither she, nor anyone else, seemed to be able to find a cure for her sickness. She became very weak, and was unable to move any part of her body, except to wiggle one big toe. The family stood mournfully about the room and she knew they expected death to claim her at any moment.
One day a man came to her bedside and taking the wasted hand said, "Madam, you are a very sick woman, but you are not going to die. If you could see your liver it would scare you. It has ulcers on it as big as my thumb. Have watercress brought and eat as much of it as you can every day and you will get well." Watercress was brought from the spring close by and the simple directions followed. POLLY soon became well again. As a "Doctor woman" she helped 500 women through confinements and was known and loved throughout Wasatch county for her services to mankind."
(No explanation is given as to whom the "man" was, but the implication is clear that he was an angel; otherwise how could he have instantly known the cause of her illness by "seeing" the sores on her liver, and have known that she wouldn't die, and that she would be cured by simply eating watercress? Surely the Lord extended her life, and showed forth his power to heal by this simple means, to test her faith as he did to the Syrian leper, who was told if he would wash in the River Jordan seven times, he would be made whole -- 2 Kings 5.)
The spring in Wallsburg, which still has lots of watercress growing in it today, is near the old Wallsburg school and the monument which commemmorates the Wallsburg fort and the founding of the settlement.
"POLLY DERBY MECHAM was a faithful wife and prayerful mother, true to the end. She maintained her love for poetry mingled with a strong love of the gospel. She composed the following poem for her sixtieth wedding anniversary:
We heard the gospel in our youth
A still small voice said "It is truth."
We left our homes and friends in tears,
And now it's over fifty years.
And now, dear children, I say to you,
The path of truth and right pursue,
You have been to me a constant care,
For I have offered my daily prayer.
I want you to be plants of honor and renown,
And come up to receive your crown;
That I may present you in the courts above
To my friends who are gone, which I so dearly love.
I have tried to polish my jewels bright;
Of your virtue and honor, I have never lost sight.
Prepare to meet me on the other shore,
Where pain and sorrow are known no more.
Where I have done wrong, pray forgive,
I do not know I have another day to live.
I have lived to see full seventy-six years;
My path has been strewn with sighs and tears.
Now I hope you will remember,
The twenty-second day of November
When you will come home to celebrate,
The sixtieth year of our wedded state;
Full sixty years have passed away,
Since our happy wedding day.
We traveled on together,
Through both fair and stormy weather,
And now we are nearly down the hill
We love and cherish each other still.
We are holding fast to the iron rod,
And love to obey the commands of God.
(Taken from the book HOW BEAUTIFUL UPON THE MOUNTAINS; a DUP publication about the history of Wasatch County. Section on the history of Wallsburg includes biographies and pictures of many of the MECHAMS).
EPHRAIM MECHAM died in Wallsburg 6 July 1891 at age 83; and POLLY DERBY MECHAM died 1 Dec. 1898 at age 85. They are both buried in the cemetery in Wallsburg, Wasatch County, Utah.
Information Compiled by Karen Bray Keeley"
ADELIA VILATE MECHAM was the 12th and last child of Ephraim and Polly Derby Mecham. She was born in Lehi, Utah, after the family had come west. In 1853, EPHRAIM and POLLY Mecham and their family (6 children at that time) had crossed the plains to Utah and settled in Lehi. They had 12 children altogether, but four of these had died young and then two more were born after they settled in Utah. The children were:
1.AMOS MECHAM (b. 1830 in Mercer, Erie Co., Penn.,
d. Apr. 1831);
2.PERMELIA MECHAM (b. 11 Sep 1832 in Mercer, Penn.,
md. DANIEL BIGELOW,
d. 10 June 1911 in Wallsburg);
3.LEWIS MECHAM (b. 18 Dec. 1835 in Mercer, Penn.,
md. VASTIA or VASHTI EMILY JOHNSON,
and later ESTHER HERBERT,
d. 14 Oct 1907 in Wallsburg);
4.ELVIRA MECHAM (b. 1836 in Mercer, Penn. and d. Oct 1845);
5.EMMA MARIA MECHAM (b. 9 May 1840 in Montrose, Lee Co., Iowa,
md. WILLIAM BROWN HILL, d. 6 Aug. 1923);
6.HYRUM MORONI MECHAM (b. 20 Aug 1842 in Montrose, Iowa,
md. SARAH ANN STEVENS
and later LOUISA JANE KIRBY, d. 14 Feb 1917);
7.SARAH ANN MECHAM (b. 1844 in Montrose, Iowa,
died Jan 1847);
8.EPHRAIM DON CARLOS MECHAM (b. 1846 in Montrose, Iowa,
d. Oct 1846);
9.MARY HENRIETTA MECHAM (b. 10 Apr 1848 in Montrose, Iowa,
md. MILES BATTY,
d. 21 Dec 1899 in Wallsburg);
10.POLLY CELESTIA MECHAM (b. 2 Apr 1852 in Montrose, Iowa,
md. WILLIAM HAWS, d. 21 Apr 1890);
11.JOHN ALBERT MECHAM (b. 21 June 1854 in Lehi, Utah,
md. ROSELLA ANN BIGELOW, d. 14 Jan 1934 in Provo);
**12.ADELIA VILATE MECHAM (b. 26 Dec 1856 in Lehi, Utah,
md. ROBERT WILSON GLENN, Jr.,
and died 25 Nov 1941 at the age of 84).
"Robert Wilson Glenn II was born on 16 Apr 1856, in Manti, Utah; the son of Robert Wilson Glenn I (1813-1873) and Sarah Williams Glenn (1836-1914). He and Vilate were married on 10 Sep 1876, in Lehi, Utah. Their family consisted of nine chidren; seven girls and two boys:
1.ADA VILATE GLENN (1877-1880);
2.MARY GLENN (1879-1954),
md. WILLIAM ELLER STOKER;
3.MARGUERITTE ("Maggie") GLENN (1882-1904),
md. JOHN LEE MASON;
4.ALICE GLENN (1884-1968),
md. THOMAS G. HOLMES;
**5.GENERVA ("Jennie") GLENN (1887-1937),
md. 1-CLEALON BRAY (div)
2-EARL TUCKER (div)
3-BERT BAYLOR (div)
4-TERRY A. MANN (div)
5-ALLEN DALE JACKSON (div)
6.ROBERT WILSON ("Bill") GLENN III (1889-1936),
never married;
7.EMELY ("Elma") GLENN (1891-1954),
md. 1-DANIEL JOSEPH DELANEY and
2-JAMES ALFRED THOMAS;
8.NORA GLENN (1894-1961),
md. 1-WILLIAM DOWDLE and
2-MILTON HENRY SMITH;
9.HUGH GORDON GLENN (1899-1972),
md. DELILA FERN SPRATLING.
(All of the children of Robert Wilson Glenn, Jr. and his wife Vilate Mecham were born in Wallsburg, Utah).
The family lived in Wallsburg for 29 years, from 1876 to 1905. During this period of time, Father operated a store for the family's source of income. They sold the store in Wallsburg in 1905 and bought a beautiful 60-acre farm on the Provo bench. But approximately two years later, in the fall of 1907, the farm was traded for a business in Bingham Canyon, consisting of a cafe, a meat market, and a grocery store. They moved to Bingham and lived there for about 30 years.
When they were in their late 70's (in 1934 or 1935) they moved from Bingham to the home on 3900 South. They had five acres of land there, on which they raised a few vegetables. The property was located approximately where the TRAX station now is.
Robert Wilson Glenn Jr. died on the 23rd of January 1936, at the age of 79, from hardening of the arteries and a bad heart. Vilate lived until she was almost 85 years old. She died on the 25th of November 1941. They are buried in the Elysian Burial Gardens in Murray, Utah. Their children Robert Wilson (Bill) Glenn III, Mary Glenn Stoker, Alice Glenn Holmes, Jennie Glenn (Bray) Jackson, and Hugh Glenn are all buried in the same cemetery near other extended family members.
Information Compiled by Karen Bray Keeley"
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1773 - 1846 (73 years)