Julia Ives Pack

This morning I stumbled across an autobiography of my great, great, grandmother, Julia Ives Pack (I am her namesake). I found it actually several years ago but haven't been able to find it anywhere for a long time. Recently, I've been praying and thinking more about it and then today I found it! I wasn't even looking for it, but just opened a folder about family history and there it was! I swear I'd looked in that folder several times, but it wasn't there before (in my recollection). I am so excited. It's fun, too, because John is taking an autobiography writing class right now. When I showed it to him he's like, "Can I have a copy? I want to read it."

There's a book out called 111 Days to Zion we have been using as our devotionals each morning. It just has two short pages for each day of the trek to SLC starting on April 5th to July 24th. So, each day we read that day's journey. It's gotten the kids really excited about pioneers, and I'm learning new things along the way as well. So, finding our own peice of history was all the more exciting for them.

One funny story is that Julia had a son named Joel (where we got the name for our Joel) who died when he was 10 yrs. old from getting kicked by a horse. Julia's comment about it was, "He was a fine little fellow." Joel wanted me to read that to him over, and over, and over again. :-)

Julia Ives Pack was married to John Pack (and I married a John!) who was a member of the first pioneer group that forged the trail to Salt Lake City with Brigham Young.  They were sealed in the temple by Hyrum Smith.  Julia herself was the 1st counselor to Bathsheba Smith, a Relief Society president in Salt Lake City. She was also friends with Parley P. Pratt and the biography talks of going to him while both families were sick, plus other faith-building stories and words of testimony in the 4-page biography.

There is strength in connecting generations.