Charlotte was born in England on Christmas, 1833. Her parents were engaged, but not married. Her father, Squire Steven Melland, had been called away to his father's deathbed and got back about the time the baby was born. He begged Charlotte's mother, Ann Broomhead, to marry him, but she was angry that he had stayed away so long, and would not marry him. However, Steven Melland took the baby to church and had her baptized. He claimed her as his daughter.

Charlotte lived the first few years with her mother. Her mother had married a Mr. Spooner. Then Charlotte went to live with her father. Her father was wealthy, but her mother and stepfather were not. It was quite a change for Charlotte to have a special nurse and a pony, and to be dressed in fine clothes.

Then Mr. Spooner made Ann bring Charlotte back to live with them. The only trouble was that her stepfather beat Charlotte. This made her father, Steven Melland furious. Finally Charlotte went to live with her mother's brother, William Broomhead when she was 11 years old.

When Charlotte was 13, the Mormon missionaries came to her uncle's home, and Charlotte and her uncle's family joined the Church. They went by boat to New Orleans and up the Mississippi River to St. Louis. Then they traveled to Winter Quarters (now Omaha, Nebraska) where the Mormons were staying.

Here Charlotte was placed in the home (cabin) of Elmira Buckley Day. Elmira's husband, Abraham Day, was away with the Mormon Battalion. Charlotte stayed with the Days after Abraham returned, and she drove a wagon across the plains for them. The Irishman who had been hired to drive seemed to be always getting drunk and giving Charlotte a bad time, and she offered to drive if the driver would be fired, which was done.

One day while on this westward trek, Charlotte wandered ahead of the wagons, picking flowers along the side of the trail. She had picked all she wanted and sat down on a large rock to arrange them, when a large, fine-looking Indian rode up on a horse and said, "How. How." She answered, "Are you lost?" to which he replied, "No. Are you heap scared?" "No," she answered, although she could hardly keep from fainting with fright.

He evidently saw how frightened she was, for he laughed. "Where wagons?" he asked. "Just a little way back," she replied. Again he laughed and rode away with a single head feather dancing in the breeze.

Abraham Day was asked to go into polygamy – have more than one wife. Elvira insisted that his second wife be Charlotte, whom she had grown to love. So Charlotte married Abraham Day.

The family moved to Springville, Utah. Later they moved to Mt. Pleasant. The two families had lived together, but in Mt. Pleasant Charlotte had a home of her own. Her first home was a two room cabin in the fort, with a wooden floor and a dirt roof. She lived for a while on a farm west of town until the Blackhawk War started, and it became too dangerous.

Abraham kept his family at the farm for a long time after others considered it dangerous. There were Indians camped nearby. When the Indians left to take their families to a safer place, Abraham knew it was time to move into town where it was safer.

At last the war was over. Life could go on.

Charlotte worked very hard all her life, cooking carding, spinning, and raising her children. They never had much of life's necessities. She was 39 years old before she ever had a stove to cook on, having always cooked on an open fire up to that time. Just a few months later, in 1872, she became ill with what they called "cramp colic," which she had been subject to off and on for several years. It was probably appendicitis. In September she died at the age of thirty nine. She had been the mother of twelve children. Four of them died young. When Charlotte died, Dora was married and had a baby. Eli A. was 16.
Children: Dora Elmira Day 1852-1934
Albert Damascus Day 1853-1854
Herbert Stephen Day 1855-1933
Eli Azariah Day 1856-1943
Benjamin Franklin Day 1857-1861
Hannah Flavilla Day 1859-1945
Ephraim Arthur Day 1862-1954
Harriet Ann Day 1863-1902
George William Day 1865-1901
Harry Hazelton Day 1867-1868
Mary Ellen Day 1870-1948
Joseph Abraham Day 1872-1874

Elmira took in the children and raised the younger ones. Flavilla went to live with her sister, Dora. Eli Azariah was soon working on his own.

Married Abraham Day November 30, 1851 at the Salt Lake City LDS Endowment House, S. L., Utah
Information provided by Shirleen