John Pack
Encyclopedia
John Pack was a member of the Council of Fifty
and a missionary
in the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Pack moved to Kirtland
, Ohio
, then to Missouri
, and then to Nauvoo
, Illinois
. He was a member of the Nauvoo Legion
holding the rank of Captain. Pack also served as a policeman in Nauvoo.
Pack was in the first company of Mormon pioneers to cross the plains with Brigham Young
. He held the ranks of captain of fifty in the company as well as colonel in its military organization. At the time of Joseph Smith's death
, Pack was serving as a missionary in New Jersey
with Ezra T. Benson
.
The University of Deseret, the predecessor of the University of Utah
, was begun in the home of John Pack.
Pack served with John Taylor as one of the first Mormon missionaries in France
beginning in 1849. Pack was in this mission until 1852, but he spent most of his time preaching in the Channel Islands
.
In 1860, Pack and his eldest son, Ward Eaton Pack, built the first sawmill in Kamas
, Utah Territory
.
who was later a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Another one of John Pack's sons, Frederick J. Pack
was a prominent professor at the University of Utah
.
Council of Fifty
The Council of Fifty was a Latter Day Saint organization established by Joseph Smith, Jr...
and a missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Biography
Pack was born in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. He married his first wife, Julia Ives , in 1832 in Watertown, Jefferson, New York. In 1836, Pack was baptized a member of the Church of the Latter Day Saints.Pack moved to Kirtland
Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. Kirtland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Origins of Kirtland:...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, then to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, and then to Nauvoo
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. He was a member of the Nauvoo Legion
Nauvoo Legion
The Nauvoo Legion was a militia originally organized by the Latter Day Saints to defend the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, . To curry political favor with the ambiguously-political Saints, the Illinois state legislature granted Nauvoo a liberal city charter that gave the Nauvoo Legion extraordinary...
holding the rank of Captain. Pack also served as a policeman in Nauvoo.
Pack was in the first company of Mormon pioneers to cross the plains with Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
. He held the ranks of captain of fifty in the company as well as colonel in its military organization. At the time of Joseph Smith's death
Death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The death of Joseph Smith, Jr. on June 27, 1844 marked a turning point for the Latter Day Saint movement, of which Smith was the founder and leader. When he was attacked and killed by a mob, Smith was the mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, and running for President of the United States...
, Pack was serving as a missionary in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
with Ezra T. Benson
Ezra T. Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was as an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:Benson was born in Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of John Benson and...
.
The University of Deseret, the predecessor of the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, was begun in the home of John Pack.
Pack served with John Taylor as one of the first Mormon missionaries in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
beginning in 1849. Pack was in this mission until 1852, but he spent most of his time preaching in the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
.
In 1860, Pack and his eldest son, Ward Eaton Pack, built the first sawmill in Kamas
Kamas, Utah
Kamas is a city in Summit County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,274 at the 2000 census....
, Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
.
Descendants
Ward Eaton Pack twice served as president of the Hawaiian Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also served in the presidency of the Cache Stake, which covered all of Cache County, Utah and into Wyoming at the time. Ward Eaton's daughter Grace married Charles A. CallisCharles A. Callis
Charles Albert Callis was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was ordained an apostle by Church President Heber J...
who was later a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Another one of John Pack's sons, Frederick J. Pack
Frederick J. Pack
Frederick James Pack was a professor of geology at the University of Utah and Brigham Young College and a writer on the deleterious effects of tobacco on human health...
was a prominent professor at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
.