Comments on: George Henry Mecham Pays a “Debt”

By: Debra Young Liening

Debra Young Liening — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 03:28:09 +0000

I learned of Joseph Millet through a Church News article read while a missionary in Chile. I was surprised to see an ancestor’s name in the article, A CHURCH FOR ALL LANDS – NOVA SCOTIA – KIND, GENEROUS PEOPLE. Only date I have for it is 1978. Joseph Millet was a mission companion for a short time with my ancestor Allen Stewart Adamson in Nova Scotia. The article was really about Brother Millet’s concern about making it on his own without purse or scrip after Allen headed west to gather with the Saints. Brother Millet had wonderful experiences with the generosity of the folks in Nova Scotia. He clearly passed along the kindness that was shown to him.
I grew up in Ely, NV near Spring Valley and never knew that Joseph Millet settled there — very interesting! According to family lore, Allen Stewart Adamson baptized members of an Ogilvie family during his mission in Nova Scotia. Esther Eunice Ogilvie later became his wife. I’ve found copies of excerpts from a journal Joseph Millet kept during his mission which includes entries about his time serving with Allen — almost 2 months. Thanks for adding more pieces to the puzzle!

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 03:05:27 +0000

Lovely story. What a good reminder for us all.

Thanks for all the hard work you do in researching these stories–no, these lives.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 02:32:32 +0000

Always so glad when a family member finds one of these stories! I feel like I’m restoring a family jewel that has been lost when you comment like this.

My source is a history written by the Spendlove family. It barely mentions George Henry Mecham — doesn’t even give his full name, but enough of it that I could identify him by using the census to find out what Mechams lived near the Spendloves at the time of William Spendlove’s mission. The family history did contain the best line, the quotation about what he owed to missionary wives (something that only Alice could report, of course), but otherwise everything in this post about George is something I dug out by doing primary research, and matching up the Mecham family milestones with those of the Spendloves. If you have some version of this story published somewhere, it’s from something I haven’t seen — this post is entirely my own research and writing.

Thanks for mentioning you had found it.

By: JoAnn Baugh

JoAnn Baugh — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 02:22:01 +0000

I can’t believe I found this story! George Henry Mecham is my husband’s grandfather. We have a copy of this story….somewhere in our house but can’t seem to find it right now when we need it. (I am sure it is in a very practical and safe place. Just can’t seem to find that place right now.) We are scheduled to speak in Church this Sunday and my husband, Ben, wanted to include this story in his talk. We searched lds.org thinking the story had been published in one of the Church’s magazine. No luck with that search, so I decided to Google George Henry Mecham. WOW! There was the story along with a big sigh of relief from my husband. We would be interested in where you found this story. Was it published in a Church magazine as we thought? Who was the author?
Thanks a million for blogging about this story. You saved us a lot of grief and frustration.

By: Maurine

Maurine — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 02:22:39 +0000

Thanks for the story. I’ll bet there are other similar stories in our family and church history that will surface some day. People are generally good people who look out for neighbors.

By: Clark

Clark — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:57:32 +0000

At 60 pounds a bushel, that’s 120 pounds of flour, just in case anyone was wondering, like I was.

I think–and I believe it was confirmed by several speakers this weekend–that those with the “care for your neighbor” ethic in their hearts like George Mecham are going to have the highest home on the hill in the heavenly neighborhood.

Now, if I could just practice it more often…

By: Hunter

Hunter — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:14:03 +0000

That’s a wonderful quote:

“Oh, yes, I do,” he responded. “I owe every missionary’s wife a sack of flour.”

Thanks for this.

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:36:13 +0000

I opened this page hours ago, but just got back here to read it. What a remarkable story! Thanks, as always, Ardis.

When my parents (not yet my parents and not yet married, either) were serving as missionaries, in the late 1940s, there were several elders in their mission who had married immediately before leaving for the mission field. That seems an awfully difficult thing to do–although it was a pattern familiar to thousands, perhaps millions, of American (and probably English and German and Japanese) couples who married during the war and then separated almost immediately for long periods.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 20:04:36 +0000

Although the chances of missionaries being men of wisdom and experience is slightly lower at the ripe old age of 19, how much better it seems for missionaries not to have to leave wives and young children struggling to make their way at home. But what an empowering experience it could be for the women — I just read the biography of one of my ancestors who assumed successful responsibility for all of her husband’s numerous business ventures when he was called on a mission. And she was expecting twins at the time!

Was there a Seventies Quorum in Tropic? Do I understand correctly that the Seventies Quorums sometimes assumed responsibility, as they were able, for the families of missionaries?

By: kevinf

kevinf — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:56:32 +0000

Great story, in some ways better than the Joseph Millett story. In the interest of connectedness, I should note that my grandfather who rode out the 1900 Galveston hurricane was also serving in the Southwestern States mission at the same time as William Spendlove. I can’t find any record that they ever served together, but they likely crossed paths at some point.