Save the date
Reunion/Survey/JPFA Officers
Hello John Pack family members and friends! Our reunion is less than a week away! I hope you are planning on attending if you can!
Please fill out this survey if you have not had a chance to do so:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LLQSWRW
I want to bring up a few things about the reunion so we will all have a little more information.
First, that we have HUGE DISCOUNTS on the This is the Place Heritage Park passes available for those who come the John Pack home and buy them from us! It will cost $5 instead of $15! Come and enjoy this amazing park!
Next, we will be offering lunches which can be purchased for $10 each! They include a ½ sandwich (very large), a pickle, a cookie, a mint, and a salad (frog eye, potato, or fruit). We will have bottled water and Creamies for everyone also! The following sandwich options will be available:
· Turkey and Swiss on honey wheat
· Ham and Havarti cheese on sourdough
· Roast Beef and Provolone on 13 grain and Dijon horseradish
· Vegetarian on 13 grain with cheddar cheese, mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts, red pepper, avocado, and pesto mayonnaise
Please let us know how many lunches you want by email, here [email protected] and we will make sure we get those ordered for you!
Then, we are looking for several new John Pack Family Association (JPFA) volunteer Officers. Here are the positions we are looking for with some very high-level ideas of what they might be doing:
· JPFA President – Helps organize Committee, contributes to the monthly JPFA Newsletter, sets up committee meetings, delegates tasks to Committee Members, and other tasks.
· JPFA Secretary – Organizer and communicator extraordinaire! Helps the Committee stay on task!
· JPFA Treasurer – Manages the bank account and handle accounting needs, including the tax-exempt status of our non-profit organization.
· JPFA Vice Presidents for Wife Groups – The ideal is to have at least one of these for each of the six wives that John had children through! They help gather and communicate with their Wife Group descendants and lead genealogical efforts for that Wife Group.
· JPFA Genealogy Committee Members – Anyone who wants to help! We have multiple projects in mind that we need to talk about, decide on, and execute!
Please think about volunteering to help us if you are so inclined! Also, think of your family members and cousins that you may believe would do a good job on this kind of opportunity! We are looking to really move forward with some great things into the future!
I love our shared heritage and the pioneering spirit that has been so central to my life because of John Pack and so many others that have given us so much to be proud of and humbled by!
See many of you soon!
Gary Pack
JPFA President
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REMEMBERING OUR ANCESTORS—written by Margie Grider, Historian 8/2/2021
I woke up with a song in my head, “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief” that Joseph Smith sung before he was martyred.
A poor wayfaring Man of grief
Hath often crossed me on my way,
Who sued so humbly for relief
That I could never answer nay.
I had not pow’r to ask his name,
Yet there was something in his eye
That won my love; I knew not why.
and I thought of John Pack and his pioneer wives, and the sacrifices they each gave to be true to the gospel and a new religion. I am not comparing our ancestor to Joseph Smith, John was far from being perfect or not always loving in his personality, he was quite gruff and unrefined, but his heart was all in to serving God in this new religion. Our ancestors gave up much and were deeply committed. Thinking about the joys and trials that John and his wives went through. Each, independently converted to the gospel, willing to give up homeland and often family to be baptized and join the effort to create Zion in America. Six wives asked to marry and have children with a man they barely knew. One, Eliza Jane Graham left, and that took courage too. It also took courage to stay.
JOHN WAS ALL IN, NO MATTER THE DIFFICULTIES! Took on responsibilities of 8 wives. Purchased and lost land in several states, deaths of family members, sacrifice for church, persecution, illness and fear. Journeys across country for safety, living polygamy life with strangers, John marrying 3 extra wives at the same time, setting up life in a harsh environment like Winter Quarters, early Salt Lake, Bountiful and Kamas. Life was never easy, even when Salt Lake City became more civilized.
WHAT CAN I DO to honor their lives? How do I learn about them? What can we do to remember them? How can I connect with other descendants? Study FamilySearch, and family websites for histories and photos, sharing their stories to other family members, attend family reunions, donate $’s and pay dues, inform other people of the JPFA, collecting family emails and updating contact lists, message people updating genealogy with ideas and collaborate on research. Share modern technology skills with older family gives older generations a chance to share memories with young people whose computer skills come naturally. Volunteering, no matter how small the service feels, is a huge thing. Without service this family association does nothing, shrivels up and dies. Compared to the daily service of John, his wives and children; serving on the JPFA is a small sacrifice, with many rewards.