Looking for Jeremiah Meacham

From the Bristol Evening Post, Tuesday, Oct 4, 1949:

Attention All Mechams!!--Searching for the birth-record Jeremiah Meacham born about 1613 in Somersetshire area: willing to pay for information.--L. R. Mecham.

In response to this ad the following was published in The Daily Mirror Fri. October 7, 1949:

Jerimiah was never in deep water--so he can't go to Heaven

Two young Americans now in London are very worried about their English-born sevententh century ancestor, Jeremiah Meacham--for they fear he is not in Heaven.
To ensure that Jeremiah is admitted into Heaven, his two descendants, both of the Mormon faith, are seeking a record of his birth. When they find it, a copy will be sent to Utah, U.S.
There a child volunteer, representing the departed Jerimiah, will be baptised by immersion, thus enabling him to be admitted to Heaven according to the Mormon faith.
One of the descendants, Mr. Vennor J. Meacham, 26, explained yesterday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in London:
"Because our church was founded only in 1830, it means that all my ancestors--and yours too--have not been baptised correctly by complete immersion, so they are not in Heaven.
"That is why our Church has a genealogy department in England, employing sixty people daily doing research into parish and county records tracing ancestors of Americans to be baptised by proxy.
"I'm sharing the cost of a search for the records of Jerimiah--probably one of the Pilgrim Fathers--with my second cousin Mr. L. Ralph Mecham, a student of Utah University, aged twenty-one.
"But we've had no luck at all with Jerimiah, a weaver from Crewkerne, Somerset. He left for America early in his life.
"Now we're advertising for all Meachams to contact us at [address]"
Doing It Here
Missionary Vennor Meacham added: "English folk, too, are busy having their ancestors traced for baptism purpose.
"But what we can't understand is that some English people are having all their Ancestors baptised, but don't care to get themselves baptised.["]
Mr. Meacham explained that he and his relative were both Mormon missionaries.

The following is given as an explanation to these arcticles, found on page 88 of the same book.

Failing in an effort to gain chance information by writing some thirty-five "Meachams" etc., in the Somerset and Bristol area and after exhausting many Genealogical Society records, Leonidas Ralph Mecham, then President of the London District, contrived with Vennor Joselyn Meacham Jr., British Mission Secretary, a last effort on their common ancestral line. A series of ads in the Bristol Evening Post was the result.

A reporter for The Daily Mirror, in London, upon reading the ad sensed a story and called at the Mission Headquarters inquiring about it. Vennor spent about two hours with him explaining the purpose of the ad, which led from temple work into many principles of the "Mormon" faith. The next day this article appeared in his paper as his version of the interview.

The Bristol Evening Post was much perturbed at being "scooped" on their own ad by not only The Daily Mirror but by another Bristol paper.

The Daily Mirror item created much interest, perhaps the most important being that the custodian of the records at the Somerset House,an elderly gentleman got in touch with the missionaries and after hearing their story stated that he would be glad to help them all he could.

They were able to locate many different Jeremiah Meachams born around the year 1600 but in every case their record continued on in England and therefore could not be the emigrant ancestor.

LATEST DEVELOPMENT

Practically all of the valuable records of Taunton were destroyed by German bombs, but Bryan Lees, (a close friend of the missionaries, who was employed doing research work for the Church in England, and since then emigrated to Zion and at present working for the Genealogical Society of Utah) , came across a rare list of Taunton Wills among which was the will of Ambrose Meacham of Crookherne. In his will he named a son "Jere:",(Jeremiah).

This particular son not being mentioned in any of the later records or deaths gived credence to the theory that he amy be the one who emigrated to America between 1630 and 1642 and could possibly be the original ancestor.

Joseph and Sarah Tuttle Mecham

The following is taken from the "Family Book of Remembrance and Genealogy with Allied Lines" by Leonidas Devon Mecham, found on page 692.

Joseph Mecham was born Feb. 1, 1806, at Thornton, Crafton Co., New Hampshire. He was the son of Joseph and Sarah Basford Mecham. He was a frontiersman and farmer, having at an early age assisted his father, older brothers and uncles in clearing timber land, plowing and planting the land then selling it and moving still farther into the timber. It was while engaged in this work in the state of Pennsylvania in 1836 that he first heard the message of the restored gospel. It was as music to the souls of these hardy but religious woodsmen, and soon some of the family accepted it with joy in their hearts and hastened to carry the message to their kinfolk living in New Hampshire and the state of New York. They were successful in converting more of the family. When Joseph was on his mission he administered to a man possessed of devils. It took many men to hold the man down. When Joseph opened the door into his room, the room seemed filled with evil spirits. Joseph laid his hands on him and commanded the evil spirit to depart; but there seemed to be too much opposition in the room, so he sent out part of the men, and administered again. The devil departed and the man was left limp. On his dying bed Joseph bore a powerful testimony of the divine mission of Joseph Smith.

Joseph Sr. and his brother Joshua, with their families were with the saints in Kirtland, Ohio, Jackson Co., Mo. and Nauvoo, Ill. as were also other members of the Mecham family. Very little has been recorded of their experiences but the fact that they were there and continued faithful, speaks volumes of the integrity of their characters and physical endurance. Several of their number acted as body guard for the Prophet Joseph Smith, including Joseph Mecham Jr.

Joseph Mecham Sr. died in Nauvoo in 1845, at the age of 65 years. Joseph Jr. had the great privelege of receiving his endowment in the Nauvoo Temple 7 Feb., 1846. It was also here that he accepted and began living the doctrine of plural marriage, by marrying as his second wife, Elizabeth Bovee, 9 Jan. 1845. He married first Hannah Ladd Tyler, 10 Feb 1827, who bore him ten children. Alma was the only one of the first family to come to Utah. He came in his teens. He joined the Chruch, then later apostatized and went with his brother, Harrison T. Mecham to California. Harrison had a large cattle and horse ranch and farm at Petalune, California, where he became a millionaire. Joseph's wife Hannah died 7 De., 1846, at Council Bluffs. Jason Mecham, their oldest son was a member of the Mormon Battalion and died in Mexico in 1847.

Joseph Mecham and family remained at Council Bluffs until the spring of 1852, where he built the first log house.

No doubt they were among the number that were requested by Pres. Brigham Young to remain and plant corps for the benefit of other emigrant saints who stopped there and replenished their food supply before continuing on to the valley.

Probably it was while residing here that he first met Sarah M. Tuttle, who later became his 3rd wife. They came across the plains during the summer of 1852. Sarah M. Tuttle was the daughter of Edward Tuttle and Sarah Maria Clinton. She was born 25 jan., 1825, at North Haven, Conn. Both her parents, her brother, Norton Ray, and sister Eliza Ann and herself, joined the church in 1843, but they did not leave their home and start on the westward journey until 1848. Her brother, Norton Ray Tuttle, recorded in his autobiography:
Her brother, Norton Ray Tuttle, recorded in his autobiography:

The first Tuttles came to America from England in 1632, twelve years after the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers of Plymouth Rock, and settled at Salem, Mass. It has been a source of pride to the Tuttle family, in preserving the genealogy of our people, to find so many engaged in the professions and business enterprises, and filling places of trust and responsibility, and that the records of crime have been comparatively free of the name of Tuttle.

My father (who was also Sarah Mariah Tuttle's father) was Edward, the son of Samuel and Sarah Mariah (Clinton) Tuttle; Sarah Mariah Clinton was the daughter of Jesse and Patience (Todd) Clinton. My great grandfaterh, Lawrence Clinton, emigrated from England previous to the Revolutionary War, joined the American forces, taking with him, my grandfather, who was then only 16 years of age, to repel the British. They came out of the war unharmed. One of my grandfather Tuttle's brothers died of cruel treatment while he was a prisoner on a prison ship in New York Harbor.

The Clintons were prosperous farm people of their time. Grandfather Clinton was the Choir leader in the Presbyterian Church. The Clintons furnished several member os the Choir.

My grandfather, Samuel Tuttle, was killed by falling under the harrows at the age of 44 years. He left a family of 10 children, largely dependent on their mother and my father, who was the oldest of the family. My father was a blacksmith by trade. A man of industrious habits, and devoted much of his time to the study of the Bible. I remember hearing a minister express surprise at my father having such a knowledge of the Bible and would not join any religious denomination. When the Gospel was introduced to him in 1842, by a Latter-Day Saint Elder, he was one of the first in the community, in which he lived, to obey it. He died 11 May 1845, at North Haven, Conn., a year after he joined the Church, age 56 years, leaving a widow, who had been an invalid for several years, and 4 children, one son and three daughters.

It is interesting to note that William and Elizabeth Tuttle, fifth great-grandparents of Sarah Mariah Tuttle, were fourth great-grandparents of Emma Hale, wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Sarah Mariah Tuttle was the first one of the family to be baptized into the church, 5 April, 1843. She married Joseph Mecham in the Council House, Salt Lake City, Utah, 5 january, 1853, by Pres. Brigham Young.

The Tuttles, who were a prosperous family, gave up their beautiful home and surroundings, their big black surrey and beautiful black team of horses for oxen and wagons to cross the plains.

Sarah's mother was a girl of refinement, from whom Sarah inherited her gentle nature, her deep love of the artistic and the beautiful and her fine instincts for refinement and culture. She was more fortunate than many girls of those days. She received a good education. She was reared in a family where the sterling virtues of thrift and industry were taught, and she learned early in life the saving value of honest toil. She developed into beautiful womanhood full of grace and truth, thus was well able to meet the great issues of life.

She had to leave her sweetheart, who did not accept the gospel which meant more than life itself to her. It was easy for her to be obedient to its teachings, She met the supreme test of a woman's life, when she accepted, as many other young women of her day were called to accept, plural marriage. She became the 3rd wife of Joseph Mecham on Jan. 5, 1853, to whom she bore 7 children. During the same year Joseph married Mary Catherine Green, who bore him 4 children, 3 of whom died in infancy. She became disatisfied and they were separated.

Joseph and his families lived in Pine Canyon and Etee City, Tooele Co., Utah. For awhile they lived in a log house with a dirt roof. While the whole family were down with the measles, a heavy rainstorm came up, the dirt roof game away, some of the children ran outside in their night clothes and bare feet but the children suffered no ill effects of the exposure. At first they didn't have a stove. They would heat a board in the fire place upon which they stood barefooted while they chopped wood. They banked coals on the bricks in front of the fireplace, put their bread in the baking kettle, skillet or oven and placed it on these coals to bake. A corrugated dish full of beef tallow [fat], with a lighted cord or twisted rag, was all they had for a light for ten years. They slept on straw ticks for beds, went barefooted and bareheaded at times and were indoors from five to six months during the severe winters, at which times they could only remain outside long enough to feed the cattle, hogs, and sheep and to chop wood for the fire place. They kept some sheep and made their own clothing. They cut wheat with a cradle, threshed it with a club, blew the chaff by the wind, and sometimes ground up the wheat in a coffee mill. At one time they lived on boiled cracked corn for bread.

In 1862-63 they moved to Milton, Morgan Co., Utah. Here Joseph built the first sandstone house in the town and his family were more comfortably housed than most families at that time. This house was located on the old homestead north of Line Creek in Milton. t was still standing in 1908. There were about 240 acres in the homestead. Joseph was ambitious, industrious, fearless and faithful in his religious duties. He served as President of the high priests quorum of the Morgan Stake.

Sarah did all the knitting, washing, and sewing for her own 6 children and after the death of Elizabeth 17 October 1869, she took him into her heart and home her 7 motherless children and gave them the same care as her own which often made it necessary for her to work as late as two o'clock in the morning. Truly this large family called her blessed for her life was one of sacrifice and love, as has been related to her descendants. She was a woman talented and cultured in the arts of life. She did beautiful needle work, wrote poetry and while secretary of the Milton Ward Relief Society, she adorned many of the pages of minutes with beautiful sketches of birds and flowers. She embroidered cloth for the girls best dresses and knit gloves with pine tree stitching running up each finger. One time she fastened cloth to the tops of wooden soles she had hired made for their best shoes.

She taught school in Peterson, five miles from her home; this distance she walked morning and night, using the money she earned to buy a little furniture made by a carpenter of the town, and to add to the food supply of both families.

Joseph's and Sarah's example called for an industrious and obedient household. It was easy for their children to understand what they should do for they were taught by examples as well as precept. Obeying the commandments of the Lord and the laws of the land were the qualities they magnified most, for only through obedient and righteous living can one expect to live a full and complete life, and the best prepared to fulfill any responsibility God might place upon them. They considered each duty well done the best preparation for greater service.

Their mature lives were filled with responsibilities and sacrfices, but even in the face of sickness and death their endurance was remarkable. Sarah was modest in dress and conduct. One felt instinctively that any form of sham or insincerity was out of place in her presence. She was thoroughly genuine. These characteristics above all others made her friendship of the highest personal worht. By reason of her unfaltering faithe, her splendid character and personal sweetness, her cheerful optimistic outlook on life, she dignified each event in her life. Being so richly endowed, one wonders what might have been accomplished had this remarkable woman's physical strength been equal to that of her spiritual nature. But there is a limit to which the body can be taxed, and she was stricken with a lingering illness which caused her death 24 February 1880 age fifty-five.

She died as she had lived, courageously, a smile on her lips, a challenge in her eyes until the light grew dim and the spirit withdrew from her mortal body. Her passing was like the departing of a glorious day that was pure and lovely at dawn, warm and splendid during th lovely morning, full, ripe, and rich at noonday and glorious in color at its close, promising a brilliant morning whither she had gone.

Joseph's life had its share of joy and sorrow, hardship and happiness, yet he arose from them all uninjured and became one of God's faithful ones. Behind the scenes of his worthy accomplishments in life are found a large and industrous family. He was father of 32 children, a worthy monument to a life well lived and an example of abiding faith. He had at his command and infinite store of wisdom gleaned from years of wide experience. He never sought honors. His understanding of the purpose of life was clear. He was right in all that moth and dust cannot destroy.


Soon after the death of his wife Sarah, Joseph moved to St. George, Utah [house seen left] taking all of Elizabeth's children that were not married, with him. He passed away March 6, 1894 at the age of 88 years.