Daughter of Charles Henry Love and Anne Eliza Miranda James Love

Wife of Orson Hyde Lance, married 24 Jul 1873 in Midway, Wasatch, Utah

Mahala was born on the 6th of July 1855, in Perry Pike County, Illinois. The daughter of noble parents and she too, was born on the plains, the third child and the second daughter of Charles Henry Love. While she was yet a child of 5 years, still in Illinois and with two other children in the family, a sister and a brother, younger than she, the mother Eliza Miranda James Love, was killed and buried at Hauns Mill.

Charles Henry Love, along with his 5 little children 1 thru 8; traveled alone to the valley of the mountains. It is said that Mahala Melvina Love was born a Cherokee Indian and was adopted by Charles and Eliza James Love and raised as their daughter. No proof has been found as of this date 10/9/04.

Mahala's son Myron E. Lance said his mother Mahala Melvina Love was a full-blooded Cherokee "adopted" by the Love family. Orson married Mahala Melvina Love, on 24 July 1873 in Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah. They were endowed and sealed in the Old Endowment House on Temple Square in Salt Lake City on 28 November 1878.

While living in Midway, where they owned 40 acres of farming, Orson Hyde and his wife Mahala Melvina Love Lance, had four children born to them. Another five more children were born to them. Melvina tells how their wagon tipped completely over and she fell out with the baby, Mary Eliza, 9 months old, in her arms. She said that she held the baby high so she would not get hurt, but Melvina suffered a broken arm, bruises, and other abrasion. This happened on a road where there was no available medical help, just family and their faith.

Mahala Melvina was in the Relief Society Presidency and a Visiting Teacher for many years. She had a creative talent she developed quite extensively. Mahala and the children would gather wheat straw with which she cleaned and dampened and flattened the straw and braided it while damp, into straw hats for both ladies and men. She would dye part of the straw into different colors and braid some of the hats into variegated colors. She sold the hats for 50 cents each and often received honey or other things for pay. With the beautiful fruit orchards, she had her family dry the fruit; peaches, pears, apples, grapes, and plums. They would make preserves and put them in large 50 gal. barrels leaving the peaches whole, using molasses and honey for sweetening. The family would gather wool from the brush after sheep herds had passed, or sheer their sheep, and wash the wool in warm water with homemade soap until the wool was white and clean. Then it was carded into bats and made into quilts. There were many quilts needed to keep their large family warm. Mahala made cheese and her soap. Every fall, the family was sure to have several barrels of cucumber in every form of pickles.

She loved homemade head cheese and every time Orson killed a pig, she would clean the head and make delicious head cheese which all in the family enjoyed. She would give many pounds to the neighbors. She also loved flowers and wherever she lived; their home was surrounded by flowers of all kinds. She felt great satisfaction working with her flowers.

Like Orson, Mahala loved the Gospel, and their family was often blessed. She averted trouble many times by listening to warnings in dreams. She sensed that something was wrong many times before it happened; either death or sickness and she warned her family that someone was ill.

Orson & Mahala lived in Duchesne for 20 years. They remain faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mahala made temple aprons for members in the different wards where they lived and for the Relief Society. After the family was raised, all of the children were active in the Church and had homes of their own. Orson and Mahala moved to Green River, Emery Co, Utah where some of the family lived. Here again, they built their home and raised all their vegetables and fruits. The pictures of President Joseph Smith, President Brigham Young, and President John Taylor belonged to Mahala Melvinda Love Lance and were found in the Lance's family album with a note on the back of one photo saying that she had this for 50 years and prized it very highly.

On 6 June 1940, Mahala Melvina Love Lance died, nearly 85 years of age, in her home at Green River, Emery, Utah, and was buried in the Midway Cemetery, Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah.