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John Pack Journal
(first 12 pages of narrative)
Transcribed with his own words, spelling, punctuation, and as written, line-by-line
by Brad Pack, August 5, 2007
May the 17 AD 1846
I John Pack the Son of George
rite this history or journal of my life
that my Children in time to come may no the dealings
of the lord with me their father My father
was Born in the State of New Jersey his
Father died when he was five years old an
my Father was bound to Mr Kent until he was
twenty one years of age my Mother was Born in
East greenage in the Ste of Rode islan they
was Marid in the Sity of St Johns New
Brunswick my Fathers Fathers name was Jobe
Pack Father had one Brother his name was
Bengaman I no no more about his Connction my
Mothers Fathers name was Ruphus Green
his Wifes name was Margret Buckhout my
Mother had four Brothers the eldest one was
John the next was Caleb the next was John
he was named in remembrance of the eldest
for he died when he was nine months old the
youngest name was James the three youngest
are yet alive they had two Cisters the Eldest name
was Nancy the next is my Mother her name is
Phylote when I was eight years of age My
Father moved to the State of New York Jefferson
County town of Watertown he had five Sons and
Seven Daughters the Eldest Sons name was
George he is now living in the State of New
York Madeson County town of Peterboro he has Nine
Children his Wifes name is Mariah Lothop Ruphus
Pack the next eldest is a member of the Church of
Jesus Christ of latterday Saints and is with the Church
now an has ben Since he joyned his first Wifves name
was Betsy Green She died in pike County State of
Illinois after her death he Mared Hanah Draper
She died firm in the faithe after her death he
Mared Jane Robison he has one Son and
Six daughters the next is my Self John Pack
the next to me is my Brother Caleb he was Baptised
an confirmed a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latterdy Saints at atlass Pike County Illinois he then moved
to the Town of Pery an died with the consumption in
the twenty eight year of his age he was Buried four
miles West of the vilage of pery in a hicery grove Near his
Wives Fathers whose name is Brower his Wives Name is
Mary Brower My Brother had one daughter her name is
Elizabeth Delight My next Brothers name is James Bengaman
he is the youngest he lived at Atlass one hundred
miles below Nauvoo he came to Nauvoo an said that he
had come on perpose to be Baptised he was baptised an
Confirmed in the Church an lived one year an died
firm in the faithe his complaint was the consumption
he died in the twentyfourth year of his age and was buried
in the old grave yard in Nauvoo below the Temple of
the Lord on the east Side of the yard he died in
the year of our Lord 1844 in the month of April
he pased through the troubles with the Saints in
Missoura an was taken by the mob an kept on
raw Beef three dayes an had his life threatened
many times he left A wife and two little daughters
when he died the two Children lived but a short time
after the death of their father his Wives name was
Susan Baxter I had Seven Sisters the eldest ones
name is Margaret She Marrid Farquer McKinsey
they lived in Hounsfield Jefferson County State of
New York an had nine Children three of there
Children died in Jefferson they then Moved to Uper
Canady an both died an there Children came back
to Jefferson County my next is Sally She was marid
to Thomas Nickerson they lived in Jefferson County
and had Several Children Sally died in Jefferson
County and was buried in the town of hounsfield
near the Sulpher Springs Mr Nickerson took the
Children and went to upper Canady I no nomore
of his Children he joyned the church and died at
Diamon in Missoura my next Cister is Nancy she
was Marid to Obidiah Brainard they are living in
the town of Frankling Portage County State of
Ohio My next Cister is Pheby She was Marid
To Levy Wood they both joyned the Church in
the State of New York and moved to Missoura he
died while on the journey near Huntsville Pheby
was Marid to Amos Herick they now live in
quincy State of Illinois and have Several Children
My Sister Mary the next youngest was Marid to
Henry coster and had four Children he died. She then
moved to the City of quincy in the State of Illinois
an joined the Church an is living there now with
three of her Children Eliot Coster the eldest died at
Peterboro Madeson Couty State of new york my next
Cister is Hariet She Maried Samuel Farman they
are living at Milwakey Wiscosin Teritory Hariet joyn
the Church Some years a go Eleanor my youngest
Cister was Marid to William Bosley they both joyn
the Church Wiliam died in Nauvoo they had one
Son his name is Geore Wiliam after his Father
Eleanor after the death of her Husband was Marrid
to S H Laurence and is now living in the City
of quincy State of Illinois I now Commence
with My own history John Pack
I was born in St Johns New Brunswick Loer
Canida the twentieth of May 1809 when I was
eight years old My Parents moved to the State of new
york and when I was in My twenty fourth year of
My age I was Marred to Julia Ives the Daughter
of Erastus Ives and Lucy Paine Ives his Wife The Father of
Erastus Ives had four Sons the eldest was Joel the
next was Jothem the next Titus the next Erastus who is
My Wifes Father They had two Cisters the eldest was
Anah the youngest is Lucy. Lucy Paine My Wifes
Mother that was her Maiden name her Father had
Seven Children two Sons and five daughters the
eldest Son was Ephraime the youngest was Abigah
Elizabeth the eldest daughter the next is Mary the
next is Cloey the next is Lucy My Wifes Mother
Erastus Ives My Wifes Father died in Wattertown
Jefferson County State of New york when
Julia was in her twelvth year of her age
Her Mother Lucy Ives lived a widow Six years after the
death of her Husband She joyned the Church and Sold her
Property and moved to Kirtland State of Ohio She lived
there one year and then moved to the State of Missoura
She bought a farm in Davis County and lived there one
year and was driven by the Mob with the Saints to Nauvoo
She lived there Six months and died firm in the
faithe bing worn out by percicution and Could well
be counted a Marter She was Bured in the old grave
yard below the temple My Wifes Father had four
Children three Sons and one daughter the eldest is
Joel the next is Jerome and the next is Henry They
are all living in the State of New York
Jefferson Co Town of Watertown the name of the
daughter is Julia who is My Wife I was Marid in
the month of Octtober 1832 and lived in the town
of Watertown Jefferson County State of New york
four years there Julia bear Me My eldest Son
Ward E Pack April the 17 1834 I joyned the
Church of Christ of latter day Saints the Eight day
of March 1836 after one year I moved with my
famaly to Kirtland Ohio and stayed there one
year there Julia bear Lucy my eldest daughter
June the tweny fourth 1837 there I with my
Wife received our Patriachal Blessings
At a blessing Meting held in the Lords House in
Kirtland This the 22 day of July 1837 by Joseph
Smith Sen the Patriarch of the Church of Later day
Saints a Patriarchal blessing was confered on the
head of John Pack Son of George Pack born in
New Brunswick Loer Canida the 20 of May 1809
Brother Pack In the name of Jesus Christ the
Son of God I lay my hands on thy head Seal
and Confirm on the blessings that Shal never be
taken of I pronounce on thy head a Fathers
Blessing that thou and thy sead may be blest and
benefited My hand are on thy head with thy
Fathers hands and I pronounce this blessing in
thy Fathers name Thou art Caled and chosen
of God to do a great and mighty work on the
earth in this generation God has known thy blod
from all Eternity Thou art of the blod of Isaral
through the Loins of Joseph the Son of Jacob
Thou hast desired to do good to be made an
Instrument in the hands of God of bringing
Souls in to his Kingdom the Angels of heaven
have ben witnesses of the honesty and integrity of
thy heart They have Rejoised on account of
thy faithefulness The Eyes of God are upon the
from time to time and from year to year Thou
Shall behold the great joy that shal rest on
the Church of the Latterday Saints Thou Shalt
behold a great Salvation in Zion thou shalt
see the redemption of Zion thou shalt have
an inheritance in Zion and thy Children
Shal be blest and stand withe the Thou
Shalt See the Temple reared in Zion an Cloud
resting on it, Thou shat behold thy Saviour
Come in the Clouds of heaven with Pour and
great glory, God will bless the thy health
Shal hold good thy bodly and interlectual pours
Shal be Strengthend Thou must proclaim the
Gospel to this generation God will Give the
great Pour, Thou mayest Command the Enemy
to Stand back, thou Shalt have pour over
Winds and waves over tempest and raging
fires thou mayest turn Rivers out of their
Courses thou mayest walk on the waters Thou
Shal have Pour over Prisons they Shal not
hold the Nothing Shal hurt the Thou must
be faitheful thou art of the Covenant blod of
Iserael and Ephraim thou art entitled to the
Priesthood Thou Shalt belong to the holy ones
Thou Shalt Stand with the lamb thou
Shalt belong to the one hondred and forty
four thousand that Shal Stand with the
Lamb on Mount Zion thou Shalt Sing the
Song God will give the Pour and authority
to preach to the Spirits in prison Thou
Shalt Stand on a Great Planet morest in the
Celestial Worlds with the priesthood and nothing
Shal take it from you Thou Shalt have Pour
over Treasures hid in the Sand thou Shalt
have the Treasures of Abriham Isaac and Jacob
This is thy blessing it is given the on condison
of keeping the Commandments and word of
Wisdom I Seal it on thy head I Seal the
up to Eternal life amen
Brothr Packs Father haveing his hand on his sons
head with the Patriarch while pronounceing the
above blessing Confirmed it in these words my son
I Seal and confirm on thy head all that has
ben Spoken thou hast a great work to do thou
must lay hold of faithe and thou Shalt be
blest The blessings of God Shal rest on thy
posterity
Joseph Pine, Scribe and witness
At a blessing Meting held at the Lords house in
Kirtland this the 22nd July 1837 by Joseph Smith
Sen the Patriarch of Church the Latter day Saints a Patriarchal
Blessing was confirmed on the head of Julia Pack
Daughter of Erastus Ives an wife of John Pack
born in Watertown Jefferson Countey N Y the
8th day of March 1817 Sister Pack In the
name of the Lord Jesus of Nazerith
I lay my hands on thy head thou hast come
in faithe to clame from under my hands a
fathers Blessing to make the equal to thy
husband the Pours of Earth an hell Shal
not prevail a gainst the, Gods eyes are upon
the he knows thy heart an Soul thou hast
a heart to feel for thy fellow Creatures thy
life Shal be spared an thou Shal pass along
among thy bretheren with honour the Enemy
desires to destroy the an make a Prey of
the Erelong angels Shal minister to the
Thou shalt rejoyce in the lord and
Rock of thy Salvation thy heart is at this
time pure before God thy name is ritten
in the Book of heaven it Stands recorded
in the Lambs Book of life not to be
blotted out without thy concent thy Posterity
Shalt be blest from jeneration to jeneration yea
Sister they Shal possess the Pours of Faithe the
Lord has promised Nothing Shal be able to hold
the back but thou Shalt be able to do the work
an will of thy heavenly Father Thou Shalt be able
to Stand on the Earth in the flesh an behold
the winding up Seen of this Generation thy
heart will mourn on the account of the Dis
truction of Inocent Children Erelong thou shalt
See great Distruction in the Lan thou must
hold up by faithe Thou shalt have an In
heritance in Zion Thy children Shall be
withe the Thou mayest have to pass through
Tribulation yet thou Shalt rejoyce thou mayest
Suffer loss of Property yet thou Shalt become
rich haveing the Treasures of the Earth Thou
Shalt have pour to do a great Work in the
Earth Thou Shalt have the means of feeding
an instructing thousand of Orphan
helpless Children they Shalt be fed at thy
Table I Seel the up to Eternal life being
Spokemon for thy Father I leave the in the arms
of God Thou must kep the
Commandments an the word of Wisdom
Amen
Thou art of the Loins of the Patriarch
Joseph the son of Jacob being of the
Same kin with Thy husband he being
a desendant of Joseph an Ephram
I then took my family an moved with the
Church to Missoura There I Burid my Father
in the month of Septtember in the grave
yard at farwest in Febuary 1838 being com
peled by the mob I moved with my Family to the
State of Illinois Pike County four miles west of the
town of Pery I was compeled to labour with my hands
to Suport my family the most of my time in
conciquence of my being robed of my property by
the mob in Missoura but in cource of the year I
took A Mishon in the South part of the State The
next Spring 1840 I moved my Familey to Nauvoo
while in Nauvoo I Spent the Most of my time in
preaching I went once to the State of Maine once to
the State of new jersey an other small mishons while
on my Mishon to New jersey the Prophets Joseph an
Hiram Smith was Slain immediately after I heard of
their death I returned home the Mob continued to
rage an burn our houses an kill our Bretheren
until we agreed to leave the State in Nauvoo
Julia bear me My Second Son George Caleb
November the Sixth 1840 She also bear Me John
Jun My third Son the fifth of Oct 1843 There
she also bear me My second Daughter Julia the
fifth of Octtober 1845 in the Month of August
1843 Julia my Wife was sealed to me for time
and through all Eternity under the Order of the
holy Priesthood by the Patriarch Hiyram Smith
after Julia was Sealed to me I Stood
Proxy for my Mother to be Sealed to My
Father George Pack Septtember 1844 Susan Baxter
My brothers Wife James Pack was Sealed to Me
for time and Eternity in Febuary 1845
Nancy Boothe was sealed to Me for time
an Eternity also Ruthe Mosier was sealed to
Me for time and Eternity in the Month of
March the Same year
December 1845 we received our ordinances
In the Temple of the Lord and in the Month
of febuary the 8th day of the Month 1846
I took My leave of My Comfortable dweling
and crosed the Missipy river an took my shelter
with my familey an the Saints in the open
air on Sugar Creck where we was exposed
to the Cold Storms of winter the Cold was
so Great that while we was there encamped
the river frose sufficient for loded teams
to cross on the ice but not with standing
their was several thousand Souls in camp
three weeks there was not a death an very
little Sickness the camp was then organisd
by hondreds an fiftyes and tens The
Apostals Brigham Young And Heber C
Kimball was appointed President of secon
Fifty in first Hondred an Steven Markum
Capt of Fifty an my Self was appointed Clerk
we then Comenced our journey to the Rockey
Mountains the Snow an Rain was so severe
an the mud was so deep that we made but
little progress the last of April we arived
to garden grove on the East fork of grand
River Where the hole Camp planted a large
field an left a few Saints to raise graine for
the Saints that came after we then took a
North west Cource over hils and vaiels for days
but traveled oneley about 45 miles the countrey
being very rough our cattle had become very
numerous and made a beautiful appearance
as they crost over the hils and reached for a great
distance we came to the midle fork of gran
river where we maid an other Settlement
and Caled the place Mount Pisga The camp
remained here two weeks from this place we
persued our journey for the Mountains an arived
at Cutlers fark the first of August on the
blufs three miles from the Missoura river an
twelve Miles above council point here
we buried our second daughter Julia the
thirtieth day of August 1846 in the buring
ground near by the first of September the camp
moved down on the river an Caled the place
Winter quarters here we stayed through the
winter The leaders of said Camp deemed it necesary
to raise a camp of pioneers to Search out the
rout to Salt lake Valey in the Mountains A
company of a bout one hondred an fifty Men
was raised for the purpose the company was led
by the twelve Brigham Young an Heber C
Kimbal Company was organized in a Military
form an I was appointed Maigor or Lieutenant
Cornel over Brother Brighams Division we
Started the eighteenth day of April, 1847
In winter quarters My Wife Julia performed
the folering
This May certify that on the thirteenth day of
January 1847 I took oil that had ben prepared
an concrecated for the purpose an anointed
my Husband John Pack his head and feet for his burial an
Reserection an wiped his feet with the
hairs of my head and Sealed upon him
my claim that he Should bring me
fourth in the reserection Julia Pack
This may certify that on the thirteenth
day of January A D 1847 that Julia Pack
my first Wife took oil that had ben
prepared and concrecated for the purpose
an anointed my head an feet for my
burial and Reserection an wiped my feet
with the hairs of her head an Sealed
upon me her claim that I Should bring
her forth in the Reserection John Pack
We took our own Cource through the wilderness
making our own Rodes when we arrived at
North fork of plat river 350 Miles from
Winter quarters I felt imprest upon to rite the
folering lines
May the 16 1847 North fork of Plat River
After I John Pack having had much contem
pilation about the order of adoption an my
Kindred and maid it a Subject of prayer
for a long time I rite this my will to my
Wife Julia and my Children being dictated
by the spirit of the Lord first of all I want
my Children to be sealed to me and I want
to be sealed to my Father and my Father
to his Father and so on from Son to Father Until
all of our Kindred are redeemed Then I want your
Kindred to be Sealed to me in like maner
Thanks be to god it is my privilige to be
A Saviour on Mount Zion and save our
kindred and this I am Determined to do by the
assistance of the Lord and if I Should fale
On the Earth and die before I have an
opertunity I command you Julia and my
Children in the name of Jesus and by the
authority of the holy Priesthood to See that
it is done And you Julia have bourn me
Sons and daughters if I die before you you
have no nead to be Sealed to any Man for
time The lord has blest you your reproach
is taken away but my request is that you are
never Sealed to any man beside Me for I
am thy Husband and Saviour through time
and through all Eternity and thou art the
Wife of my youth if I Should leave Wives
when I die that have not bourn me children
if they chouse let them be sealed to Some
good man for time but I had rather it
would be Some of my Kindred I charge
you faile not to do this for it is the will
of the lord and the will of his Servant
John to his Wife Julia and to his Children
John Pack
We persued our journey from North fork of plat River
Crosing rivers making our rode a crost Mountains and
arrived in the valley the twenty fourth day of July
1847 we plowed one hondred acres of ground and soed
it to graine for The Company that should follow after
us after we had done this we left the valley of
Great Salt Lake and returned to our familyes in
Winter quarters Where I stayed until Spring I then with
my familey and the Saints persued our journey to the
valley leaving winter quarters the first of April
1848. In Winter quarters Julia bear me my
fourth Son Don Carlos the twenty Second
day of August 1847 After traviling five
Months we arrived in the valley here I campt
with my family and proceded to get out
timber for a house to Shelter my family which
haveing done in the spring and summer I
labourd hard to raise graine for my familey
which I accomplished The sixt of October
1849 I was Caled upon in company with
John Tailor and Curtis Bolton to go to
France to preach the gospel
In Salt Lake City State of Deseret
August the twenty second 1849 Julia
bear me her third daughter Eleanor Phylote
also Nancy my wife bear me her first
Child Sarah Amelia the Second day
of June 1849 in Salt Lake City
My wife Also Ruthe bear me her first Child October
The twentieth 1849 Silas Mosier
We left Salt Lake City for France the
eighteenth of Oct 1849
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Thanks be to God it is my privilege to be a savior on Mount Zion and save our kindred, and this I am determined to do by the assistance of the Lord. And if I should fail on the earth, and die before I have opportunity, I command you Julia, and my children, in the name of Jesus, and by the authority of the holy priesthood, to see that it is done." -John Pack
I think it is very interesting to note that, even with his wide variety and rich personal history in the early days of the church, and knowing personally Joseph Smith and others, the majority of his journal, nearly 70 pages, is devoted to genealogy and temple work. Only about 12 pages of the journal is a narrative about his life. John had to go by horse and buggy from Salt Lake to Logan to do temple work and went several times. I think when we see the value and importance he placed on genealogy and temple work that it should be a good encouragement for us to do it too since it is so much easier for us, in our day.
To see the original handwritten John Pack Journal pages go on our web site:
www.johnpackfamily.com/journal/
John Pack Journal
transcript of John Pack's Journal in text format.
| File name | johnpackjournalmytranscript_001.txt |
| File Size | 21.25k |
| Linked to | John PACK |
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