Person:Roxena Mecham (1)

As Written in the history of Irena Carter

Irena's mother, Roxena Mecham was the daughter of Edward Mecham and Irena Currier. She was born 2 Dec. 1830 in Salem, Mercer Co. Pennsylvania, the oldest of a family of three children--a sister Sally Ann and a brother Amasa Lyman. Roxena's father joined the LDS Church 25 April 1838. Roxena's mother joined shortly after. About this time the family holdings in Pennsylvania were disposed of, including the farm, and the family started with the Saints to Missouri. Before reaching its destination the family resided for a period of more than two years in Iowa and in Illinois in the general vicinity of Nauvoo, Hancock Co. They settled also at a place called "Gold Point" about five miles below Nauvoo. Here a tract of land was purchased and a house built. From Gold Point they moved to Nauvoo. Here they heard the Prophet Joseph Smith deliver his last sermon before hiving himself up to the officers of the law. This was several days before Joseph and Hyrum were shot and killed. In this speech the Prophet indicated that he could see the sacrifical cup prepared for him and that he knew he must drink its bitter draught.

Roxena and her family, with many other Saints and friends of the Prophet, were eyewitnesses to all the mob action and even to the martyrdom.

Roxena and her family also witnessed the taking of the two bodies from Carthage to the Mansion House where they were cared for by the family and other loving friends. Early next morning, Roxena's family helped place these bodies in coffins covered with black velvet and then place the caskets in rough pine boxes. The Mansion doors were open and the family, with more then ten thousand others viewed the martyred clay. Following the public review of these two, the Mansion House was closed and caskets were lifted from the rough pine boxes and concealed in a Mansion room and bags of sand put in the pine boxes to take the place of the bodies. A mock funeral followed. Roxena and her family attended the funeral. The pine boxes, with sandbags within, were carried in a hearse to the graveyard and buried with the usual ceremony. At night, with Roxena's father helping, the real caskets and bodies were taken from the Mansion House to the Nauvoo house, the foundation of which was then built. Here they were interred in the basement. A terrific rainstorm immediately followed. This storm abliterated all traces of the newly dug grave. Here the bodies remained until later when they were moved elsewhere. The story of this martyrdom could be told with lingering interest by Roxena.

At the age of 10, Roxena was baptised by Nathan Tanner and confirmed by Joseph Smith. The family had lived in Nauvoo one year when the mob, in 1845, gave orders for all Mormons, totaling 700, to leave the city. On June 1 of that year Roxena's family made the move to Council Bluff, Iowa, then to Bonaparte, Van Buren Co., Iowa, then to "Parley's Spring" (Carterville), Iowa, and then is where she met and courted her future husband, William Furlsbury Carter.

1.   Also seen spelled as Roscena.