Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
STAR VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
HISTORICAL BOOKS INVENTORY DETAILS
1. Overview
Title: Meacham Family
Compiled by Leone M. Whittier
Subject: Family History
Publisher:
Publishing Date:
Number of Pages: 30
ID#: 158
Location: Website
2. Evaluation
Evaluator's Name(s): Polly and Kent Erickson
Date of Evaluation: October 2014
Key Words:
Included Names:
3. SvnoDsis
This is a collection of items relating to the Meacham family:*Marriage certificate for Ira and Bessie Meacham^Family group sheet for Ira Eldon Meacham and Bessie Herrick*"A Trip into the Wyoming Wilderness" (unidentified author)*Life sketches for Thomas Meacham, Stephen P. Meacham,
Erastus D. Meacham
*"Star Valley Memories" by Leone M. Whittier^Certificates of Ordination
*Birth record of Bessie Herrick
* Birthday list
4. Other
i-iH'
/rf.////y\ ^
g||
•'::i^//.//r ///yi}r//<r::/:/ '̂by"^ /<^
LICENSE ISSUED BY THE CLERK OF CACHE COUKTY
J/Utider oi" ilie Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day £
Z2z„!^^--.iSi-^CLERK OF CACHE COUKTY ^ /—/"- ^31—^^2*MvM»ffl
Married
Falher
Mother
MotherOihtr Hui
Where was inlormation obtained?
List complete maiden nome for all females.
!;31
*
^^
fa.-^
-fli^l^
*-tW
'.''.
•'-^--isfcMK
i;*
**
•*'«
.
-r
S:'^
.'.'J
^
n
.r' '1
u
n/ I
i ' « t,
Tf-'%T 7
""":>•;"
v-v-.:s-~-~--.-r'--'-- • "• -'-•-•isnti
V-'.^.-ty^'-C
Mm
li0?
-Arr>
' • 1 "-i®•.'••J •r.";:-. •M1•••.••• •<••• V< •• '̂1
n ' p-* ?? (fi'l .,
,41
y'r?=5r^'iV'^"«ffea4
<1
'X
.' ^ -iFI
'v J
a
*
t^e/-: .v'W.iaJT"':' •••,; T—,•- '^•'SV
MAS^/Af/SH OGDENM'n
- , ^ '̂ {A-—
/ y ///
'U-c'̂ -U7C'
ff
J-^
/ o
3
Ip >
J^-> -i -
rr fZ-'' J?0'/^ . -5 ///. - J/ XV. .• ^
»3<;:
.J
<
Y-j
^<
-'i
f=^
few
Erastus
Darwin
Meacham
Martha
Jones
Meacham
JosephGod Erey
MaryReeves
Godfrey
i 1Erastus
Darwin
Meacham, Jr.
Mary EllenGodfreyMeacham
IRA ELDON MEACHAM
|5-
m
.
•?
• ;• >V '
•• ;iu--
, loi '-iC^^-^ "V ' •
hffyd:-m^ ,v. .
'•'••• .••••:. -.V "•.• ^ :
KHpiif'i/: •:-sr: -issv--?
1
?-##^ :'i '• "
'"Mf^msf -- '̂i
K. .'.... .CiJ.T.'
vSifi
-
L'"'v---'
jg-rs-.^-^w
%
X
DR. THOMAS MEACHAM
To liegiii a Kkctch on the lifeof Dr. Thomas MVacham.Wc can do no better than to quote from "A BRIEFHISTORY OF MY LIFE" by Edward Thomas Mcacliam; agrandson of Dr. Thomas jMcaoham. Under the heading"Account of My Acestors," he writes; "There is atraditioti in our family handed down, and roiifinned bymy paternal grandfnlhert thai the Meacliams came fromScotlnml in a very early day.
**My great-grandfather, Samuel Meachanii born atStoniiifiton, Connecticut about 1740- Of him I knoiv butlittle. He moved from there^ with his family, to Canoan,New •Hamp:>birc. His wife, my great-prandraother, lived toIw nearlv 100 vear ol<t My urandfalhcr, Thomas Meachamwas borii 1 July 1771 in' fjmaan. New Ham|»shire. Vielived there 2.5 years or more: was niarrtetl during that timeniid finally moved himself and family to the town of Fletcher in the north part of the State of Vermont, boujiht 100acres of land or more, live<l there 11 or 12 years and finallysettled hi Dirkenson, County of Franklin. State of NewYork in the year 1807 or 1808. He boupht land of H. B.Pierpont to the omount of 250 acres. The west houncbof his land joined Ilopkinton, Su Lawrence County, N. Y.He never did much farming, employed mo#l of his time inluinling. He was a man of truth and integrity; a manthat yon could depend on.
"Grandmother ^^eachom's maiden name was SarahCanley. She was of Irish origin. She was horn 20 November, 1769. in New Salem, Slate of Xrassachusetts. She was avery good woman, very bright and Intelligent. She couldremember hearing the cannon at the commencemenl of theRevolution. She died in the town of Lawretice, St. Lawrence 0)unty, Nexv York, 12 January, 1838, age 88 years,one raontli and twenty-three daj-s."
Theauthor of "A Brief llistor>- of My Life,' from winchI shall quote freely, was the son of Thomas Arearham Jr.and the history was written at Hopkinton. N. Y.. where hehad associated with his gran<lparents. Dr. Thomas andSarah Cauley Meacham for many years. His "Historyconsists of five notebooks full of well written niul interesting material ivhich t have in my possession, given me bythe lost surviving child of the author, ;\da R. Meachom\Vatson.
During the eleven or twelve years that Dr. Thomasand his wife, Sarah, lived at Fletcher, Vermont, five moret'hihiren tvere bom to them; Stephen Pcabody, 12 March,1797, Temma, 24 September, 1799; Jeremiah, 28 July,1801; Hannah 28 April, 1803, and Joseph 18 May, 1^6.
Soon after the birth of the youngest of these children,for reasons unknown to us Thomas left Fletcher and hisfamily and some debts, as is shown by the town recordswhich give an account of the appraisal of his properly todetermine if a claim by two creditors rould be settled.One item listed for appraisal is as follows: "One_ hundredacres of land, being the farm on which the said Mcacham'sfamily now resides.** This appraisal was made 23 February,1807, but there is no record of the sale of any of theproperty and the family continued to live "on the farm"for sex'eral years afterward.
TItomas Meacham is next heard of in Northern NewYork where he become famous as a htuiter and tmpper.The Historical Society of Malone, N. Y. g;ive the following under the title "A Mighty Hunter."
"Franklin County, New York, ran boost of one of thegreatest hunlirrs of all time in the person of Thonuis Mea-cbnin who was, probably, a Vcnnonter and who nnist havearrived in iliis county in the early part of the 19tli rentur)-as it appears in the proceedings of the 'Board of Supervisors* for the year 1808, that he luid been paid SSO.OOas bounty on wolves he had killed."
"He first settled in the town of Hopkintnn. St. Lawrence Co.. N. v., but a little later on moved over the lineinto Franklin County and into wliat is now tiic town ofWaverly, where he purchased fifty acres of land and builthimself a home on the old Northwest Ray Road wherehe spent the remainder of his life."
"The dmi conveying this proiierly is dated 10 Nov.,IRlO, and is reeurded in I.iber No. 1 of the deed records
In Franklin County, it being the first traet of land soldto a tattler by the executors of the will of Wm. Constable,and lies in what is now the town of Waverly. He sultse-quently purchased three other fifty acre tracts between1810 and 1828 all of which, it is said were paid for withwolf bounties. He died in 1849.'*
"Frederick J. Seaver lias this to say of him in hisliistor}- of FrankHn County. *ft was he who gave the nameto Meacham Lake, a beautiful body of water in the Adiron-dacks lying twenty-five miles south of Malone. (Nowowned by the stale of New York.')
"His earnings in bounties for noxious aniniaU in theforty years of his activities must have aggregated thousands of dollars, as hisx obituary written by a townsmanMates that he kept accurate account of the number oflarge animals trapped or sliot by him and that the totalstt^re; Wolves, 214; Hears, 210; Catamounts, 77; and Deer2550.^ Rounties were payable for all of these except deerand if we average these at only SI0.0() each. Ins revenuefrom this source would be over $.5000.00."
About the time Thomas came to St. Lawrence andFranklin counties. New York, and for reasons at presentunknoivn to the writer, he and his wife, Sarah Cauley,separated. Whether or not they were divorced I cannotMy, but he took a second wife, or woman companion,Reneecu Sunford, who had previousl)* been twice married,first to a man named Crandy and then to Evan Call. .Sheit was, who lived with him at Waverly, Franklin Co.. N.Y.and bore for him two sons, Washington and Samuel, andtwo or more daughters.
Sarah, the first wife whom Thomas left with herchildren at Fletcher, Vermont, followecl her children toSt. Lawrence County, N.Y., in 1825, and took up herr(^dence at Lawrence where she is buried having livednine years after the death of Thomas, while Rebeccapreceeded him by several years.
Living descendants of Thomas Meacham wlio havebeard their parents or grandparents say that he was adoctor are borne out in this by the manuscript of the lateIda Meacham Strobridge and the following tpiotation from
Brief History of My Life" by Edward Thomas Meachamwhich is as follows: "In a few day^i after I came h«nne1 was taken down with a •fever," l&ne morning a vonngdoctor from the.East, going West to praniie, called at ourhome. Father requested liim to sec nic. He decided that1 should be bled; accordingly he hied me in my arms,taking a large quantity of blood. The result was I grewworse. Father then decided to go after niy grandfatherThomas Meacham who was a go(^ and successful BotanicDoctor, OS well us a noted hunter. He did not aiiprove ofthe bleeding. It was the practice in those days to bleedthe patient at once,' no matter what the cau$ie of the sickness. My grandfather always opposed bleeding and neverpracticed it unless it was strictly necessary. Grandfatherlived seven miles from our house. I was si«rfc a long time.Grandfather came every day till I was better (on horseback) with his large leather saddle bags across his saddle.Some three weeks of the tim^ I was sick was lost time tome. 1 wa.s unconscious most of this time. Finallv 1 gotwell again."
In the manuscript of the late Ida Meacham Strobridgewhere slic lists the children of ^niucl, the RevolutionaryWar soldier, and Phelie Main Meacliam.she names Thomas,who, she says, "became a pbysicrinn and lived for manyyears on the shores of Meacham Lake in nonheni NewYork." She also states that he was known as "Tlie flightyPlanter of the Adirondurks."
In an article published in the "Potsdam Courier andFreeman" the following story is told by C. Brush, whosegrandpurcnts had dealings with the "Fnnious Hunl«T."Speaking of Mcacham he says: "He kept a luir.«u for ridingon the road, and when the infirmities of nge began tocurtail bis hunting aud trapping ariiviii(%s trioil ti) ri<lethe old horse into the woods, but with poor success.Grandfather "Eliphalut Brush'' was then raising somenice colts of the blood strain thai later became famous asMorgans. Meacham took a shine tn a three year uld &<>rn:l,and after much dickering rt>luetantly parted with the price.Being wanted that the colt was unbroken he exclaimed,
Page 676
I. ...I
Hint is just what 1 waiil. 1 i-im'l U'iurli iny olil luiss mnvtricks, but lliis coli iK kind .ntui tiiini; niui look;: kitnwiii'.1 1 ciin li'uiti Iiini Icj i-iirry nif liumiir uikI Irappiii'.]|(- Wiis not (I{sii|>|)(iin[(r<]. It ^vns saiil (l)iil llf cull sorm••nliTini iiilii thir .spiril nf llic tliiii;:. M'alkiiif: very i[uii'l)yill llic \voiiils iiiiii ii|i on ilccr. Tiit- IuiiiUt m'imiIiI
fiotii liis liai'k, llii'ii do iIk- iicci'Sj^ary skin-iiiiil'. |d:ii'c llic doi:r saddles iiml liid<' mi ihc hoivc iuulrt'iiioimliii};. lidi- lioinc. Scmicliinrs lie \vould kill more,lliiiii nih- doci' ;in(l ridr iMiI willi vciiiMiii itnd liidcs foreiinil aflttr.
1In; wriii'r luis In jii.- ini-iscs.-i(in llii- hiuuiii;; knifeuiili a iiiia'-iiicli liludr: tin* ixnvdrr iioni. witli liis initials
mm
y-'A'
m
T. M.. carvod «iii it, a slml iiinu')i. and a fisli-liaskiil, ort'i'cct. widi-li he had m:i<li': alsti M-vrtra] ticods and ihiih.th>;i{iiicti liy TlKiiiiiis .Miijicliaiii.
Iiilc»riiiatieiii c-jni.'i-niiiit; Tlmnius iiiul Ids sc<-<ind wifu.H«-l)i-cril, 1 li;ivr I'ri-civcii Irom Maiion .M«';ii-haiij Yoimj; ofS|. Iu'<:is I'alls. |{. I). Nn. I, iS'. ^who i- iln- ytuiufjustdaiti'.hli.T iif Sainin-i, |li<- son tif I,)f. 'Ilinmas aitil his si.-roiul>vifi'. |{i-lfi-i'(';i. C)|li(:r iiiforiiialidii in iliis skiUcliimi uihcrwisi; ai'<-i>iiiiir-d for coiin-s in iiii' llirmijili ri'cords"f till- .Moi'iiKHi rhiirch ami llic family in'iirds uf .Sti-|iliniIVidiiidy .Mccliani lln- wmnd snii of i)r. Tliciiiias iind Sandi(.iiidry Mi'ailiaiii. kIiom- {irnit {inuidson i am.
—J. Aitinir Mcachaiii.
•I'l,'.V,v'.'l'i;? V ;';v c •
Sylriii .'ttiKiictiii marrii'il niuiiiiiinis (iatUrr ulfield. Illinoii;. :in.I had fur liiin oin: .<ou. Krasliis Priinciswill) t'L-iiKiiii(jd with his nioihcr and canic lo Ulah with IicrafUir slio way divun-rd from her Imshaiid. Later Sylvia A.niiirritMi juhii Stiidi-r, a tr'nslrd frii'iid of ihc ProphciJ')su'|ili, with wimm sho i-aiiii; ti) Ulah and livi.-d in SailLake (Uly wlicri- shi: had iiiiil ruan-d a family for Siiith-r.Tho latter fnw years of iier life she Piirnl with her sonEnistus K, Carti-r and his fainilv in l^ark Valley, Ulah.wli.-re she died 24 May, IH'II.
Sici)lirn Aliimti wii5 ;iffo<-|cd liy the |icrsiiasioii ofmemlnTs of the Reorjiatil/eil (Hunch who sei-nu-d to luivoI'onvinrt'd liini lhal Uri-iham iiriil others of tin-leaders of ihi* chiin-h were living, as tiiey said, ''on thehams and shoulders and leaving only ihe i^ide nn-al forihc poorer nifuihers of llie ehiireli.'' So he eann* no fartherwt'sl than Winter Qiiartors. later liviii;: at different loealiliesof N'eliraska, where he ami his ehildreii lu'raini- jiinueersand [irotninent selth-rs. -Several of them have, in rei-cii!yi-ars. joined the T.. H. -S. Chiireh.
/Ilinirti Miililtii.'ilf. foiivtli ehild of ?li'i)heii P. andDolly. wi;nt ihroufih i>'i""t''Mlly all kimls of hanlshii'Sendnrt'd l>y the early day converts of llic .Mormon (.luircli.The family in their westward migralioii liud ma<le temporary sii)]! at .S[)riti{:fi«'ld, 111., wliero Ahnira. at ihc earlyage uf fiflififii, was married to .-Vndrew i'ahner. To thismarriapn woro liorn Iwo sons, .•VliiKin I3ahhilt. who raineto Utah an<l seitled al Nei>hi, and Warren, who ilii'd ininfuiioy. Soon after ihe death of ihis son the father died.Two years later .\lmira was married in the Naiivoo templeto Edwin Whiting u.« a plural wife. To this iiiarriajre >veroliorii the following named ehihlreii. niosl of them in 5an-|ict(? and Ulali Counlies. Ulah: Iidwavil Lueian. Cornelia.Klleii Enierelt. Kalherine- Emeline. Edwin. Frank, andSylvia Almira.
The Whilings had eonie in Utah wiili Captain Morley"?rompany in and seilh-il in Manti where .Mr. TMiiiiiif:heranie qiiilt' |noinim-iU. In "Pioiiecis and Proniineni-Men of Ulah" iu- is listed as llie first mayor nf Manti and"s having helil nihrr inj])nrlant jiositions of piddie i-es|ion-sihiliiy.
In 18fil the family moved lo Springville where theylived during the early Indian truuldes known as the UlaekHawk and Walker Indian Wars.
Almira hceame one of I'udi Connly's early mirses andmidwife and did mm-h in that way In priiviile a livingfor her family.
Phirid marriage did not hring happiness ami in IBrtl.Almira and Whiting sejiariiled. .Inly 2'l. 1S63, Almiramurrieil Henry I'a<.'kard and to this lu^r ihird marriagew:is horn a <huighter. Sophia Olive Paeknnl. l.ater thePaekards moved lo Hcaldsherg. CaHfornia, Avliere iheylived lill 1R9G whi-n .Mr. Pai-kard iliod.
After the death of iicr huslmnd Almira movcil lo SanBernai'dino wherr ?ho 'lived ia a lioiiie given her hy herson-in-law, Nathan Henry Barlon. anil h<.'r daughter, Sylvia.She jiassird away in 1!I90 and is hiid lo rest in llu' PioneerCiniii-terv in San Hcrnardino. California.
La Fiiyrl/c Mf^iichain. horn Suptcndier 20. l<12y. al llnp-kinlon, N. V., lliird son of Stephen P. and Polly Miraehameame West will) the «'arly jiiotu-ers. In Sail I-oke (iiiy hemarried f.initiii Yager, ihcn made his firsl homi' al Springville where his first ehild William I'Mwin. was horn De-ecmher 22, 1R52.
in 1851 LaFayeUi" rem(»ved lo San lU-riiardino. Calif.In hi; liintghl a -10 aere farm at what i> jmw Uth andl»roa«lway. in ihe hearl of l.o^ Aiigi-les. /Xt different liinishe owned and operated mining ami Imsiness properties''ini tile desert." Laler In- returned to .'^ati Heriianlinnwhere he maiiilained his hi»ne during the remainder ofhis life: however. hi.« ranch on the Cajnlm Pa.'s is slilTa well known lanihnnrk.
I.aPayelie was a highly respeeted pioneer of the .Sann<;rnar<lino and l.os Angeles areas wlu're he is en-ditedwith having iitiriiihii'e<l many varielie.- of trees, aiiioiigwhiel. is the I'epper tree, einnmon in .San nernardino(^inntry. In faei one of the fir>l of sueli trees planted inllios>! parls war- planted liy him and is slill standing nearliis old home in .^an Mernardino.
Lal-ayelle ami l.etitia were parents of the eight chihireiinamed helow and whose deseendaiits still live in ihc Lo.sAngeles and San nernardino nrea:Wiiliain Edwin, 1852, Ceorfse. Franklin, 1855, CharlesI.aFayetle, Henry Denver, 1858, Ransom Maishall, 18l).'3,Stepliini Clarenc<-, li{05, Isaac Augustus, lil67, Aliila, theoidy daiiphter, who died as u ehild.
LaFayclti; dietl Jtdy 24, 19M, and is hiiriod in ihcPiune«-r Cemetery al San Bernardino.
EUA.STUS DAKWIN MEACHAM SR.Erastiis Darwin .Mea<'hain was thir fifth child of Steph<'n
Peahody Meiichain and Dorothy Maria (Known as DollylRansom. He was horn 20 Jiiiy. 1H2(), at Hoiikiiilon, St.Lawrenee Co.. N. Y.. where he lived lill he was ten oreleven years old. when his parenls, who had heen eon-vj'rted 1(1 the faith' of the Mt)rmons Iiy Stej)hen"s unele.joined llie ehiirrli and moveil, with other relative converts,lo Erie County. Pennj^ylvania.
In 18Sy they moved lo .Springfitdd, III., where threeof the nlder children were married. Later the familymoved lo iN'aiivdo where Erastiis D. a.* a young man was amemher of the Naitvoo Legion and at limes, srrvcil as bodyguard to the Projihct Joseph .Smith.
After the death of the Prophci while preparationswere heing made for tlift wpstwanl movi- Erastiis D.worked as apprentiec in the shop of Elisha Jones, a wtieel-nglu and hiacksmilh, who later hccame father-in-law loErastiis D. and iwi-ame much interested in the ability nfthe yoimg aii])remice.
In late l!M5 or early 1Q16 Erasing D. left Nauvoo andliegan across Iowa with whal was tlesignated as the "Campof Israel" hy its h-ader, Brighttin .Y'oiing, and was eaniperlat ".Mount Pisgah"' when the call eaniu from ihe government for a haltalion of Volunleers to take part in our ^k-arwith Mexico. Erasiiis D.. heing of a venturesome nature,volimteerod and on Jnly 16. 1816. was miisiercd into thearmy of the United Stale.® at Fort Leavcnworth. Kansas.He was a memher of (.ompany D. and with it parlicipaledin the now famous march of llic "Mormon Baltulioii,"
Jlisl wlien Erastus D. returned lo his folks at tlu; ^[ls•soiiri river the writer iloes not know, but we do know-it WHS hofin'o Fehruary 'llh. 18-19. for on that dale hewas marrinl at^ Council Hliiffs. Iowa, lo Martha>Jones,the !M'vcnieen year old daughter of Elisha Jones, lln'merhanic with whom he had worked at Kauvoo.
From this |)oint on history nf Erastii.s Darwin Meaehammust also Ik^ the history of his wife. It is therefor;'proper lo Ik'iv introduce her: Martha Jones was horn.August 7. ]8.'52. in Jcffej-son Co., Ohio, dangluer of ElishaJones and Margaret Tolhot. She remenibered very vividivthe stirring events connected with the martyrdom of Josephand Myrum Smith, .-iiid participated in the hardshiiis endured during the exodns <»f Nauvoo iind ihe journey tothe Wirst.
On the 17th of December, 1849, at Kanesviile, lalernamed Council Bluffs, Iowa, a iluughler ivas !iorn loErastiis 1). and Martha and "was named Sylvia .-\marcttu.1 hiK our soldier. hnnler-tra])per and scout became atender and d<'voled husband and father.
Ill lySl Grandpa Mcacham crossed thr plains for thethird and last lim<!, this time will) his wife and babydaughter and accompaiiied by his father-in-law and hi»if:imily. Tlicy firsi setiled al little Coitonwood. a few mih-ssoulli of Salt Lake City, where their second child. WilliamHenrv was born December ^il. 1851.
The family diil not remain long in tin- Cotlonwooijsetllemenl fur ihey had made their home in Siiringville.
^I'lali l!ii.. before llurir second .^on. Erasius Darwin Jr. washorn. I\(arch 17. 185>1. Here tiraiulpa had opnortunity Inih'nionslrate bis ability in dealing with the Indian? andin solving the problems whicli they presenied for hehad lived with them ami h'arned his languag<' while bewas working for ihe .American Fur Company in Wynmiimbetween the dai<! of liis discharge from the army and hisn-torn lo Council Bluffs, where he married.
By the lime thi.'ir finirlh chibl, ^farllui .Maria, was horn,ly Fehruary. IB')?, ihe family had seltled in Provti. wlii-r«'they r«'mained till after llie fifth child. Ktisha Jon«rs wasborn. Their iieM move took thi'ni l<i Fairview. Sani««'lc Ci).
Pnye' (>78
mmm
iSl..
rw^
sW' ®
i
ERASTUS DARWI^^ MEACHAM SR. FAMILY
Tiijj nur: ICrastiis Darwin Mi-acliam Sr.. Marjlia Jones "MfMcliinn." .'̂ ylviji Aincrclla M. "Iloiisj-krcjirr" "AlvaitJ," Williamllrnry M.. Krasui?: Oi«r«iii M. Jr.
/fiuioin roic: Murilia Maria -Ni. "Burioii." FJi.'h.i Jcnu'? ^I.. Margart'l EHzaliclh M. "Garranl" • (lolfiiian," Fraiu;c.s Carler-M.. Jolm Hvnim Mi'itcliani.
wluTi- nvo jnurc i liiUircii. .Margari-l Eliz-ilitlh ami Sli*i>I»cnI'l-abntly. wcro liiirn atui liulf Sli;i>!u-ii tlicd.
Indian lrmtiilc> had mullii)li<'ii until tlio Govcrniiu'nin'cn;:iiii«'il tlu'in a?; "Wars" and (or llu' [lari Craiidputook ill till' '"Cliirf Walki'r" and "niitrk ]I:i\vk" wars111' drew a jn-n.'̂ ion. a> well as ont- for his |iarliripalion inihc Mixii-aii War.
.After Gramlpa had losi most <>[ his ralllc and sho'i)l»y Indian raids he <Iispn.«:cd of wlint hi- had Icfl andniDvt'd iiito Salt Lake Ciiy. the first of all hi.': move? thatwas to Grandma's liking. Sht; enjoyed living where shernuhl'as>:oriate with the licller elasws of jienpio and enjoymore fnliy ihe leadership of the Cliiireh. She was qnitewell {•(lucated for her lime, servinf: m-iasioiially a? schoolleacher and always luildin^: po.tilions in the orpanizatioiisnf woiiK-ii. SliL' was refined anil (lentlr. lieinj: only one{:ener.iliiiii removed fmni llie titled family nf Miilhollanilof Ireland.
Wiili Grandpa it was different; he eiijnved llie lesssettled area- when- his aliility as an or-iani/er and leaderof lli«- eomnmii penide cmdd he i-xerel.-rd ami where In*diiln't have lo "Dress in a hlaik snit" hi-fore he e»>idilJiffielali- in a elinn-li i-apaeiiy. lint like his (Grandfather.Dr. Thomas Meatliam. he hud learned ih«* mi-di<'inii)values of many plants as well as preparetl drntrs anil mi-ili-j'ines, antl Ijis aliility tn s<"t a lirtikeii lind) or "imll"" atniith luade him alnio>i in<lis])<-iisalil<- in the iie\Y .•<etlle-ments where he Inealcd.
When the Park \"alley L. D. iS. Ward was nrpanizcd in]879, Erastiis Darwin Meneham was Hiado hishop andserved as such for ihirtoen years. He then l)ccnmP apairiareh in the elinreh. He had a profound faith 5n hisGod and prayed tn Him as if he fully fell his prayerswould he heard and if for liis liest good, would heunswerp<l. He was modest, inoffensive iiiid kind to all.liut if he disliked a jiersnn it were belter that they ilidnot meet. He was some les.«; than six f<-et (all and wei|:hodaround 170 Ilis. hi< hair and heard Idaek till ape silveredthem.
Ho wa< proud hut not hnasiful. neat and clean and sy.s-icmatieal in all that he did. Not nuieh for fine clothinpexi-ept that his hat and hoots must he of the very hcsl,hetweeii them, however, may he a fhinni-l shirt utid a pairof Levi Slr.ms overall? willi a wide ruff liirned up so llialhi.« fine hoots sliowed to pnod advanta;:c. He lieliovcdlhat ehildren shouhl be resiieclful an<l ohediciil. withc-mpha.<is on hoth those words, and he secured both frcimhis ehiliheii and {:ran«hhUdren. and did it by kinilness.siipjiorted when necesKiry by firmness.
Grandpa's voicc was rather low, but musical and hiscye.s <0 e.xpressive that tliey were truly the index to hissoul, and to his utoods as well. If amuso<l or pleased theywould fairly twinkle, if loiiehed with sympathy for othersthey sliofie dironpli tears. If vexed or offendeil they werestern and >Pt in their paze. but ihose who Io«)ki'd intothem when his temper had been unleashed and anper heldsway could not soon forpel iheni.
Grandma was aboni five feet si.'C or seven inches talland in laler life inclined to he raiher «limt. hut always,lo the lime of her tlealh, >iali'ly. She was as ti'uih'r antisyrnpallietii- in alti-ndinp ilie -lick as Granilpa was and asskilled, As a pair ihey norked lopelher as dni-lor andnurse, soinelinies Gramlpa as diicittr atiil she as nurse and•iomciimes l>rundma took iln- roll of doi-ior and llrand|ialhi> tiin'se. :«neb was the life of Granilpii and (^ranibii:).Meacliam. lliey were affei lionalely known for many milesaround their humble Park \'alley Iniine where Granilpa diedJune 7. 1099. and Grandma July 1-1. i9U3.
Hy J. Arthur ^[elU'ham
ERASTUS DARWIX ME-VCHAM JR.Ero5tus Darwin Meaclinm. Jr.. second son of Ernstus
Darwin and Martha Jones Meachani, was born Mareii 17,185-1. at .Sprinpville. Utah. Me married Mar)- Ellen Godfrey on her fifteenth birthday.' Aju-il ]. at North0|;den. lUali. where they-Miaiie tlieii'hoilu; for about fiveyears. They iheii moved into the Park Valley eiiniilVyin the uorlhwesi pan of I'tah. Ili-re Darwin and'MaryICIlen. as llirv \v<-re ahvav> kunwii, h'imeslcadcd and did
Pjiiie G79
am
iliiiiiililiim:^Mm
mSi\
I
£jH;ii raSwsffiSS I
-t«K
EilASTUS DAKWIN MKACIlAM JR. FAMILY
l*firciiix: Krits'lus' Darwin Mcarluim Jr. aiul Miuy Lllen Godfrey "Meacliani 'ChUdrar. Ira EUlon M.. Li«ii' ^t. "llfiiit," Mury EtJiili M. Vcniniin." CilljL-ri M., Jnscpli Artluir M., Darwin Elijlin
:ini.
f-(jmi; fiiniiin^!. <"illli' raij-in;; ami riin?-itlfralil«; fri*i;:lilin}ilicuvi'i'ii Ctirriiiu and Ki-iloii. I'laii. and minin>f iiivvii? <if.Montana ajid iniii Boisi'. iilalin.
Ill May (if liWH lln-y tnnvrd lu Suir Vallt-y. yoniinj:.wliicli .-liinvi-il hi;:ns nf lii-iiifj a ixmul i-tiuiiiry ftir Pai'Mins••lidjion luisini"--:: nf -tui k rai^in-r. Tiii>^ mnvc [irovi-d fnfal.Iiinvfvi'r. fiir on tin- li^lli uf Ki'liniary. Il>t'>'). Darwin ilirdfrom itijiirii's i-cri'iv»-il tlirci- dayj^ i-arlit'r wliih- liiniliii;!.
.'\flcT iwu unsfiiii''! yrar.-i nf niMviii;: rridii one i>lai'«!In aniiliu'.r. Mary |-!llrn M-tllfd do»-ii on a ltoini'>ti'ail nearulicrc wc wen- wiiin-ilnj: wlii-n fatlit-r ilic-ii. Fruiii llii>i|i(ilnt <in this ski-fi-li tli-als \vitli llic lit).' and work of miriniiilii-r, Mary IHIimi Mcju-luitn. (laiiiililcr nf Jt)s('|ili andMarv Kccv(v Goilfrcv, lioni at N'lirlli n^^di-n. Utah. Api'il1, 1858.
Afli-r Tallij-r's di-aili Mnllicr .«oiij:lit riiiiMikition frtiintnatty suurcc.':. anKinj: wiiicli wa> a visit in Palriarcli Jnlm.Sniitli. who ;:avi' l»cr a M«»iiit: in wliirli. iinnuif: oiIhtlhiii(!>i, lie >aiil. "Voii >liall liccniur a ii)ii)i>Ii'rin;i antiflainejiij: lln- vii-k and arflirii-d.'' Tiiis slali'nii-nt was pri»-plictir. Shr xKin liri-anu- ih«* nmst si)nj;hl-afl«;r niid-wifc
anil |jraftii'al inn>f in l!ii' Star \alli-Y sc.lth-mcnl^. llcrrt'i'oril was one liiat inifilu well ho cnvii-d hy ihe licft ofilfn-tor."!. Iflie. in iniirr llian iwenty ycar<. lopt oidy one!»aljy. a |>ri.'matnrt* birlli. ami ii"t a nu'tluT. $ln' was calli.'d"Anni .NIary Ellen" l)y hiiiidrfds of ili«- yoinifi iirnjdc vliosi;[lari'iits fi.'ll ijnilt' rnnlciii if iticy nmltl Itavr "Si-lcrMracliaui" ivitli ihfni in ca;-!- i)f ni*arly any kind uf sii-liiitvH.Slic was syniiiatliclir and kind, witli iniiisual jiid^(-ni(-iil.Sho iluiu^lil di-vji ihnn^ht.^. read df«'ii liuoks und wrote>>Miie ilcc|i |>o(-try. even ihcanicd ii''i'|i. nii'anintifiil dreams,lint was not a dri-anu-r. lutl a don'. .Shi- nieasiiri-ii [ifciidi-.if al all, hy what lln-y did rather than liy whai llu^y >~aid..She was constani in Friendship and in li>v<r: lujr one andiinly lini- for wlmnj >ln: n-nuiincd a widow nearly fiftyyear> even llmii;:li she. at lime--, lieeaini' qnilc out <if[lalieme wilh hin) ftn'. as she uoiihl siiy, "Why has lie lofltne Ik'I'i! all this lon^: link-':' 1 luiv:* a nolion iini to (;r>wilh him when In- does conii; aflcr im,'."
III! finally eanio and she wnii Mitli him on ihf; 17thof January. 10H!4. M'iihin scvn miles nf the |daee wlicrrt he.lefi her forty-nine yeais hrfore.
Cod BIc-sp lifr Menu»rv!
Page G81
Erastus Darwin Mecham (Meacham), Sr.(1826-1899)
MILITARYSERVICE: Private, CompanyD
Enlisted: 16July 1846, CouncilBluffs, Iowa Territory (age 19)Lieutenant William Wesley Willis*s Detachment: Pueblo (Rio Grande), 10November 1846Discharged: 16 July 1847 'BoimtyLand Claim:62042-160-47Survivor's Pension: 4February1887, Park Valley, Box Elder, UtahWidow's Pension: MarthaJones Mecham, 17February 1900,J^ark Valley, BoxElder, UtahNon-Battalion: Nauvoo Legion
Captain, Blawk HawkIndian War
BIRTH: 20July 1826, HopUntown, St. Lawrence, New YorkSon ofStephen PeabodyMecham andDorothy (DoUy) Maria Ramson
FIRSTMARRIAGE: Martha Jones, 4 February 1848, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, IowaDaughter ofElisha Jones andMargaret Talbott
Birth: 7August 1832, Wayne County (Jefferson County), OhioChildren:
Sylvia E. Mecham, 17 December 1849, Kanesville, Pottawattamie, IowaWilliam Heniy Mecham, 31 December 1852, Little Cottonwood, Salt Lake, UtahErastus Darwin Mecham, Jr., 17March 1854, Spiingville, Utah, UtahMarthaMariaMecham, 19February 1857, Provo,Utah, UtahElisha Jones Mecham, 15 September 1859, Provo, Utah, UtahElizabeth Margaret Mecham, 27March 1862, Fairview, Sanpete, UtahStephen Peabody Mecham, 1864, Fairview, Sanpete, UtahFrancis Carter Mecham, 10March 1866, SaltLakeCity, SaltLake, UtahJohn Hyrum Mecham, 10 November 1870, North Ogden, Weber, UtahRichard LaFayette Mecham, 21 July 1873, North Ogden, Weber, Utah
Death: 14 July 1903, Park Valley, Box Elder, UtahBurial: ParkValley, BoxElder, Utah
SECOND MARRIAGE: Sarah Bandy 14 February1857(pluralwife)Daughter ofWilliam BondandMaryAm Barker
Birth: 10 September 1838, Manchesta:, Lancashire, EnglandDeatli: 20 April 1874, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, UtahBurial: 23 April 1874, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
THIRD MARRIAGE: Clawson, 8August 1894 (pluralwife; divorced)
DEATH: 7June 1899, Park Valley, Box Elder, Utah (age 72)
BURL\L: 11June1899, Park Valley City Cemetery, Park Valley, Box Elder, UtahThe USMormon Battalionmarker has beenplaced on hisgravesite.
In May 1838 Erastus and his family were baptized into The Church ofJesus Christ ofLatter-daySaints by Joseph Mecham. In 1844 the family moved fiom St Lawrence County, New York, toNauvoo, Hancock, Illinois. In Nauvoo, Erastiis was amember ofthe Nauvoo Legion. He servedas abodyguard to the Prophet Joseph Smith and was employed in ablacksmith shop CTrivateErastus D. Mecham''). Due to religious persecution, he fled to safety in Iowa Territory in 1846.
InCouncil Bluffe he enlisted intheMormon Battalion. Atthetime ofhisenlistment hewas 5'8having afair complexion, dark hair, anfl blue eyes. Erastus served as abattalion hunter ftomCouncil Bluffs to theRioGrande River. Hereturned to Santa Fewith theWillis detachment an<journeyed with the detachment to Fort Pueblo. There he suffered from alung disease that hecontracted in August 1846 (Pension File).
Upon arrival at Pueblo, he was commanded to travel to Bent's Fort to obtain provisions. Heobstinately refused to go, and was "court-martialed and sentenced to stand one hour each day fcaweek mthe blacksmith shop" ^emy Weeks Sanderson History). After wintering atthe fortErastus migrated to the Salt Lake Valley, arriving in July 1847. He became an employee ofihsAmerican Fur Company inWyoming before returning to the Missouri River CTrivate Erastus 1).Mecham").
In1848 he was married toMartha Jones atthe home ofElisha Jones byLyman Stoddard(Pension File). They migrated to the Salt Lake Valley, where in 1850 Erastus earned areal wea Ithof$250 through fanning (Utah Federal Census, 1850). On 9April 1852 he was ordained aseventy by Joseph Young and became amember ofthe Twenty-seventh Quorum ofthe SeyentOn 25 August 1852 he received his endowment and he and Martha were sealed in the Presiden :'sOffice inSalt Lake City (Intematipnal Genealogical Index).
Erastus accepted amission call to settle in Fairview, Sanpete, Utah, where from 1879 to 1892 leserved as bishop ofthe Park Valley Ward in the Curlew Stake (Jenson, LDSBiographicalEncyclopedia, 4:448). By 1891 he suffered from heart disease and had undergone two paralyti(^strokes. The strokes disabled him, asdidhis continuing lung disease (Pension File).
A TRIP mo THE immQ
X think it m>uld be proper for vsb to atate in the hegiJinlflg ^t Iconsider the prinoiple reasons xay great love ibr the outdoorso
I em a great^great^^andson of the fssotis honter of the Adix^ndacks^Bta Thomas i^aohsmj aeoordiag to infonaation ve as a family have beenable to gat!Wp ^as one of the greatest (if not ^ greatest) hunters ofhis tijsdo
X am a grai^son of the 05 Oovemment Soout and tras^per^ S« Do Heaoh^^tsas a pej^onal £ri.ezid as as seout £br Kr> Lander on his tmm trj|)
ttoiA the east through Kebraskaij Dalsta^ Vlts^mingj and Xdaho vhere l/ssxdsrdied axid Has l^ried the j^esiadi£der.<of the party* .ISy grandfath^ and therest of the p^^r then ooptioaed on to trhai is mw >Ieaaha^^ Oregon* Qrand»father tras also a scout ^th^ and a friend of Sit Carson and Wliam Cot^o
Perhaps it is becaose I inherit sose of the pioneer spirit and habitsof these ancestors that X so lo^ to e^lore nm and nnosual places to fishand hunto Sfy lo^ £oir the great outdoors is only ec^aHed bgr desire tosee the wonderiUl resources of natore pre8a*ved fbr ititure generations endmade accessible to those ^ ladH re^pLly s^eciate them and help to preservetim at all costs0
Perhaps it is the desire to get a»ay firom the crowded city^ the foot*burning pav^^enct^ the hostle and tustle. end the hase and of congestedcities that ^s^Hs me to take these ti^pso 1i^te^^^r it Is^ it can only besatisfied ^ a trip to so^ nev stream or lake^ or some tm area to temt*
Xt vas a combination of some^ or all of these thst prated me to accompany ^ nephetr^ Bill leamaQp a licensed big gssse guide in ^«i^oming e»i also adescendant of Bto Thomas M^chaa^ to take a trip into the Qreat Teton Wilder*"1^8 of till^mingo
This lies south of the lello^tone Park and on both sides,of the Gontin«ental Divide* Xt truly is a ^lildernsss ^se grandeur and beauty deiydescription and can be enjoyed by the average sportsman at a very re^naKLecost*
On July 2U9 1955 Bill and Xleft Affcon^ laming (his headquarters) i^th atrack and t^ saddle horses^ one pack mQle^ and our camping ami fishing gear*We drove through the be^tifUX Stsr VeUeys to the Juhction of SaXt^ Qreys^and Soui& Fork of the Snake River* fSrom here ^ fblloved the Snaka l^iver toJackson^ fipom Jackson north throu^ therTe^n Hational Park to Morran tMohlies on the pine covered slopes of the beautiftCL Jackson Lake* ftom Horran^vd ifent east to Turpln Heado^ 'on the Buff^ Hiver^ ^lere ^e left the truckand ete£<ted our pack trip* This drive takes fseom four to five hours, but younever miss the time as it takes you through some of the moat isag^flceatcountry in the eest*
Tbfire 'mre hofidreda of ilk az^ lioose throu^ here that seenied onlyQurioud ^ut ^ ^sere doing* Thoy ^lould stand and vatch us until. VQ^lere out of si^td The cow moe» and odvea uould ^fost aovia out of ourijeor stand inaxy undcmeensed as m passed while the large hulls^ould trot off far eaou^ ibr safisty (ax^ msc^ our safety too)*
^ ^ rode around the great Boc^ mountain koom as Hasrks Besti ve passedthe south of Atlantic Creek* 'Sh5s is realty loaded idth large nati^^ cut<»throat trout.
from here it is just about a ^jdle and a h^ to the ^idg^ Lakeo Thisiflfcft lies about one loile jQrom the south boandaxy of YeUoi^tone Park. Ue
camp here and 'vblle Bin set the tent and hobbled the horses I oau^tfish for sapper and breakfast* They ^re cutthroats and averaged about teopounds each# They ^e fat and f\x]l of fi^t bat seemed ansdUms to hitmost asy kind of lure*
We had ridden abcnit thirty«*five aiiles since ^ left the tracks so uediecidfid to stay here tl»3 nest day and ni^« bad to lesrre the truckso far from our final destination because this fdlderaess is entirely pro»hibited for the use of any Reeled chicle or cosiBerclal gracing* It ispresenred porely ibr tdld li£d and himtingaand fishing*
All the following day m just played around the late shores trying firstone lure^ then another^ For tiso hours ve used evisry fly and spinner ve hadthat sensed moat unlikely to attract fish* We ^uld laake three casts andchangB* or change on the first catch* Bill used flics and I used spinninggear and flat fish, wbb3jers, plngp, spionerB of every else and variety andtrhile this seems izscrediblei ^ eau^t iish on everything m tried for tuof^ll hours*
We "sere standing in the shadotis of a lar^^e /sdllow clump at one placeidiere te could see out into the clear ^ter for fifty feet aud Bill caught oneand tunsed hia loose. He just se^oed to stick around to see what it vas allabout 80 Bill dropped the fOy out just over Mia again and he really liit it.He vas caught and released three t^9 before he really left.
I knot? this sounds like a lot of that Ush atory stuff, bat tefore ypuquestion crar saJiity or our honesty, take a tarip over there some tiae andsee Sot yourself. We brou^t out pictures and fish to prove it is reallymrth the 6fibrt> and in case you t£ant to Biake the trip^ we are goini ^again €ffound the twenty fourth of JFuly. Better come join us*
After those tvto wonderful days ^re packed up and started back* We -sjaregoang back by way of Enos Lake and fish for grayling, but decided against itand after crossing Tt^ Ocean Pass ve turned Sast and came do\m the HorthFbrk of the Buff^c«
The Tso Ooean Pass gets Its neise the fact that the water onelarge spring dividss and fonss the head ^ters of both Atlantic and PacificCreeks, this is the onSy spot in the t^nited States that it ^uld be possibldfor a £isb to auin Sr<m the Pacific drainage to the Atlantic. Fantastic as
TusrplQ Meadons ue started on horsebaok up. the Baff«do Rlver^ in*tanding to f^h ths South Bork and swiag back to Grater Lake^ bat due to adx^ burst the day before on the head uators ^ had to ohan^ our plansand go up the Sorth Fork to its junction nltb the Soda J^rk^ then up toGrater LakSa
^ made Crater Lake that evening in tiiro to set up casop and get fishfor sups^ and bre^^^^ bat ^ had to pass up fishing the river^ «hioh isone of tloB s»st beautiitil stress^ on the trip, because of the earlier oloudburst* ^ stayed l^re ni^ttts and tdiile the fish ^lere not hitting toogood "Ke landed severe t^ to four pounders^ They the Golden Troutand ^sre redUy gsae*
^ left Crater Lako the naming of the 26th and rode over the Gontin^ental Bivide at' an elafvation of 11^000 feeto As m rode up the ridge leadingto the Divide and lootal baek at the lake in the olear soaming air^ I couldn'thelp feeling that suoh beauty ues beyond compare^ def^g deseriptiona The
leys just ufiddr the rda of tt^ soontaSn and is fed % streams troBiBfiSlting snotf in the ravir^ ^isre it stays tto year roundo
Vlhen ^ got on the Divide i?ere forced to detour around sno^ drifts^boggy ground a^ rock slides^ until it looked at tiiaes libs m ^uld haveto go backj but due to Bill's kooiMioB and good horseaanship tss finallymade our ve^ around into the basin that ^xtts the head of Woodard GanyoneThis basin is tt^ center of t^e best Slk country arori^ere as tsell as one ofthe iQost beautiful spots on tl^ entire tripo It fonss a sead^oirole underrock ledges and iMle t^e ^ere riding under the led^s of rock I counted 1$0T^ater tjhere the streams toere cooing from the sielting sno^<^ In thdearly noming eun it tias just like seeing 1^ rainbouso
ill through this basin the idld flmere grow as thick as they can standand are evexy color and size issagiaable. They grotr ri^t to the snotj bankSjamong t^ roclcs and tree roots until ^ey fbra a coc^lete caac^t ov«r thsentire baSin iloore 1 believe Xhave never seen more beautii^ «ild flowersor a greater variety of theaa in all the tra:9eling I have donso
R^i:i is really at home here^ as it is the center of his Blk huntingterritor:^ and it is here he takes most of his £lk hunters in the fall«
^ siade our vay dom Is^oodard Canyon to the Xello»Btone fiiver and crossedit betseen Castle fiock (idiich to^s ^ve the trail like a Medieval caetle)and Xante Peako here m follmmd* the votth side of the river throughoxie of the most outstanding pine and fir forests in the entire a]raa« Thetrees vere so thick that the trail tsound through than like a snakes trailand many had to be out out in order to get pack horses throug^e
The river drops through a nerzw gorge and over a series of falls justabove Castle fiock and then out into a valley covered vith grass thati^ves in the vijod. like a field of labsato This valley i^ould be a cattlesoan'sparadise except that it has ^ely t»en ^thdrawn firom grazing and is leftto tl^ t^d aniaals that roam here by the hundreds^
it seen it is trae. The Ibrest Ban^ in that area vill verity it»
An:^ne can mil afford this trip and it is one will never regretmaking and one ytm will never for^t, I believe the chargie for the eeveuday trip is priced at one hundred dollars each, fbr a pairty of SivB^ Thisincludes meals, horses, transportation Stom Afton to Turpin ^ado^ and back;everything bit personal gear and sleeping bags* A party of four or fivecan best be served by one guide, a larger party reqaires an extra man toassist «iith cooking, setting up c^p, etOo
Anyone oering to have fUU details can do so by siting me at hoiBejaddressed to Hr« Ira £« fteachasi, 1^33 Washington &lvd», O^den, Utahs
In case you think you are too old to make this trip X hope you are atleast seventy, because I m 8is&y*seven and I enjoyed it all*
Star Valley Memories
1am LeoneMeacham (Mecham) Whittier, dauber of Ira EldonMeacham and Bessie
HerrickMeacham. In the summerof 1931 -1 believe- we movedinto a log cabin owned by my
UncleRoe Hcrrick. I was7 years old. Mybabysister, MymaDeawas bornin that cabinon
April 16,1932. During thewinter I went sleigh riding with my cousins, across thej5elds where
the fences were buried insnow that had crustcd and made a wonderful sleigh ride. 1started 2"**
Grade in Etna, and was inmiediately promoted to 3^*^ Grade because Ihad come from school inBrigham City, Utah. 1can't remember when wemoved to J'hayne, but1know 1went to school
there through the 5^ Grade.InThayne wc lived ina two^story house set far back away from the road, across thestreet
from a Creamery, andbeside a creek that flowed down thehill. Sometimes thefolks who
ownedthe creamery wouldgiveus some milk,and sometimes Hazel would get somenickelsand
would buy cheesc curd forboth of us. I remember thelittlegirl who lived at thecreamery. She
had been scalded under her arm and the scars were torn one day as we played in the field in front
ofour house and her brother pickcd her up and swung her around by her arms. Her screams of
pain sentusall flying togetherparents, i don't remember what happened after that Mytwin
brothers loved to ski down the hill west of the house. They cut trees, made skis out ofthem and
builta skijump on the hill. I remember seeing them on sleighs beingpulled through thestreets
byhorses thatwould race to the endof a plotted course, turn quickly andshoot theboys on the
twenty footropes they held into sudden turns thatmade them whoop and holler. It wasscary to
watch, but I loved the excitcmcnt.
I remember the day whenwe thought the Haderlie Garagewas burning. Only when we
saw Aunt Olive and some ofthe children driving up to our house did wc Icam that it was their
home that burned to the ground. Mymother and Aunt Olive clung to cach other and the tears
flowed only for a moment Suchstrong women! They beganplanning the daysaheadas if they
were accustomed to such tragedy.
1ixjmember playing with Hazel Haderlie, and sneakinga swim in the canal behind
her Grandma's house and getting into trouble for it 1rememberhelping my sweet Aunt Em with
a little housework, because she had a broken leg. 1remember that one day 1was supposed to be
helping her, but instead I wenthorseback riding with a girl -1 cannot remember her name - but
we found shelter from a sudden heavy rain, in a shack in the middle ofa field where a large bull
resided. Wewere prisoners there until he finally went far enough awaythat wecould escape. I
didn't tell Bessie - Mother - what I had done, but she found out. Boy, was I in trouble; for the
lie and for not helping AuntEmwhen I wasneeded.
£nov^ about my childhood memories! It is time to remember whatI canabout Bessie
and Ira and their life in Star Valley.
ka was the sixdi child ofErastusDarwinMecbam, Jr., and MaryEllen Godfrey. He was bom
in a logcabin inSmoot His &ther died when be was 4 months oldas the result of injuries
caused while he hunted for meat for a hungry communityin the hard winter of 1888. Mary Ellen
was a compassionate woman who didmuch good taking careofothers inthe community. Her
story is documented elsewhere. Herlastyears were spent in Aiton at thehome of Aunt Edith
and Uncle Pat Yeaman. She was a strongand blessed woman, loved by all, especiallyher
grandchildren. Weall calledher"Nannie."
Mymother, Bessie, toldme abouthowshecameto be in StarValley. Her father, William
James Herrick, hada drinkingproblem whenthey livedin Utah. After Aunt Em and John Coy
homesteaded ground theyconvinced William that he should come anddo the same. Hewanted
to move thefamily butEmma Jane saidshe would only come with thechildren if hestayed sober
fora year. Bessie was 13 when the family joined herfather in Thayne. Mother didnot sayhow
long hestayed sober, butshelived with the family inthelogcabin hebuilt (which was added to
and later the addition was removed, though she did not know when). She attended Muddy String
School through the 8^ Grade, worked on the farm pitching hay, doing whatever her father toldher. She refused to leave her mother, and stayed until she married Ira.
Bessie told us that she thoughtit would be grandto be married to a handsomecollege man,
who was a school teacher. Wehave no recordsto supportwhetherbe taught school,or what had
broughthimto the valley afterhe graduated from Brigham Young College in Ix)gan. Bessie said
they met at a dance. It must have beenin the summerof 1911,because1havea copy ofa love
letter he wrote to her in October ofthat year. They married in the Logan Temple on December
18,1912, and begana homestead in the valley.
I remember Mother tellingabout their life on the homestead: HowIra buih their little
home and all the outbuildings; how she loved it all; how, in winter, when she hung the wash to
dry and it wouldfreezebeforeshe couldset the clothespins, then she would takethe lid fromthe
boiler she had heated the water in, sit upon it and sail down the hill. She said the walk back up
was not so much fun, but the ride was worth it all.
She told about the time Ira inviteda guest for dinner on the day he had painted the kitchen
chairs. Thepaint was notdryandwhen theguest gotup to leave afterdinner, his pants were
stuck to the chair. On another occasion,the chimney on the stove collapsed and threw soot all
over a visitors hat She laughed aboutthoseharrowing accidents later in life,but theysurely
weren't fimnyat the time.
Bessiewroteextensively abouther life,and the writing was lost forever whenone of her
granddaughters borrowed allofit and suddenly died. In thetime thatfollowed herdeath, the
books were losteven though much effort wasput forth to findthem. What a terrible lossof
history of Star Valley!
Bessie gave birth to Marie mOctober of 1913 and Ekna in March of 1915 while they lived
in StarValley. Before thetwins were bomin May of 1917, they hadmoved to a small
community outside Burley, Idaho. Irawrote m bitabout some of themoves tiiey made, to help
his siblings when hismother asked him to. Many years and many moves later they returned to
the valley in 1930 or '31, to take upresidence in Uncle Roe's cabin.
Erastus Darwin Mecham,Jr., is buried in the Alton cemetery;Mary Ellen God&ey
Mecham is buried in Logan. Nannie saidshedidnotwant to beburied beside herhusband
because hedieda young and handsome manandshehadlived to be oldandwrinkled. "Ifhe
wants me,he cancome to Logan andgetme; if I'm buried beside himhe might thmkhe hasto
takeme." Thosemaynot be herexactwords, but themeaning is clearly there.
I wish I could add more to the early history ofStar Valley, but 80 years have passed since I
lived there, and memory dims.
'im^ •: •:::; '. i'-;;:. -e;:,;:? •̂:.• r:,- :: .-iV. -Sin
.•,., V
'/ f I/^ ^ Fafi,r'-'''<V---'"^ A /,n , 2^ /7 /I S
« />>y /-» and/^'/'-£:t.l^ T-, -/V /./7'—-/^P-SU ,J' ^ . -•>--.^.P~c.L^U,.c/_ §>) "^7 ji t
lized n / /,^ Towli" •••-•^.^... ^:r c^.Cr / /v^O / 7~" r, ^ Counts '•••^••'̂ fft
Ordained • „ ^ ^ ^6^ il-., .̂ / i'UI^ lO Ihe office of rr:/;-- -^
"/ >i clay of. ®i;iuTiy af (Jlhrfrt pit Mn C? (5 rn , p /^ ? 2Jafjpr.?v-,,T s,-- . ^
3 . O, on the 1•^* ^ ^ ^ fRecord of Oidmahom, Bool; / ni 7/'
- ' No.^^C? / ?K1 ^ _ ' •/ giH
_
"> /If ^ y>s. -
^ Bf ^iwSiig
Snaipmmjia^gj^ . q p^. Zj?./o.
p ,• J /O ,:T„... 3Was Orrla.-n.J .1 ^ or :Vaijn„}r «
>/:7 ''=>•°f. byOJi^ <5^.i2cc^.u. ... Op
hy_UJi^ c9. f^XZ
Hecordcd in the '̂E"=('....r.0:rUr£:^1^
^JF '̂il-i-vi,
l.-S''- -•-m
•• "'t:
•-t ;>'
,. .. ..
.-v; 1- •I
'•'••• 't.• - > L
;VV !:'•!'/
^rJ.-- •• >.uS
11
is- - «•
;'f^2-.- >•••'••'• ^i-|.':r-|
I'-'ftfi.";"M
m i'^ VfflidONCKRN;
f«)Uowins is the record of
Date...':''
as it iipfK»ars on llie re^cord l» the office.-; of the Ogden City BoaTd ofHeahli, 'Weber ('oimt:y, Slnte of I'tah:
Plare of IJirlh. . I,
Date of iJirth. . '
Ogden, Utah
FEBRUARY 2 1892
--HWh ii n.r,u„ lUiih 277A .Washlngtp]
•--•Faiher's' Name
Female
.attended in Birth ByHannah B, Pidcock
... „ • , 1 March 5, 1892Dale Kegistered '
Kt'ijislnitinii Nuniher ^.3!?-.'̂ ^
SnU": It WAS lUc cu.'̂ tom at the e^rly dat<^ of1892
reeortl iiirtli-s without detail, in eon.SH(jiience the ahove itiforination istlie extent of the .statistir.-^ reconlcd on the l)ooUs of the 0«deii CityHealth DeiKirtuient, Division of Vital Statisties.
STATE OF UTAH,]County of Weber j
This is to eertify tliat the above Hirth Record is
it ti ne, eorreet ami conipleie eopy of the rer()rd on file in Hie 0}:den CityCoiiaty of \Vel>er. State of I tah Health Department y
A'i.a'iy ReRi.slrar of Vital .Stati.s{ic.s.
Snhserihetl iinii Suoi-n to Wu^./..My Conuuission i'\pire.Hi_c4-<Vf^
••
Notary Publir
ts£ol-/Lui^-t^ <^^«-<^ '' 3^ /
\ /f7j^
'• OaJ^^ &ju,7''^S'^
[u^ y./i-,
