One Uninterrupted Honeymoon

Isn't that great! "Their union of 50 years has been as one uninterrupted honeymoon, so perfect have been the bonds existing between them."

This couple brings new meaning to sharing a name. James Mack, the brother of my Great Grandfather was born to Henry and Sarah Shaw McCracken in Scotland in 1836. When he came to Utah, for reasons unknown he unofficially changed his surname to Mack, a confusing shortened version. This practice was followed by his family members who immigrated later. 

His wife Elizabeth shared his name, Mack. James' tombstone includes both names, but his wife's marker only includes the shorter version.

James' death certificate lists his legal name with (known as James Mack) in parentheses.

The name Mack continued to be used for two generations, until the time my father enlisted in the Marine Corps and was required to use his legal name.

Common Ancestry

In the April General Conference of 2005, Thomas S. Monson, who was then the First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church told the story of one of his ancestral families. He began by saying, "It is important to know, as far as possible, those who came before us. We discover something about ourselves when we learn about our ancestors."

President Monson shared the following history:

Margaret Miller - President
Monson's Great Grandmother.

"I recall as a boy hearing of the experiences of my Miller ancestors.

In the spring of 1848, my Great Great Grandparents, Charles Stewart Miller and Mary McGowan Miller, joined the Church in their native Scotland, left their home in Rutherglen, Scotland, and journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean.

They reached the port of New Orleans and traveled up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri, with a group of Saints, arriving there in 1849.

One of their 11 children, Margaret, would become my great grandmother."

Elizabeth Ferguson Miller

Side note: Another of Charles and Mary's daughters was Elizabeth Ferguson Miller, who would become the wife of James Mack (McCracken).

"When the family arrived in St. Louis, planning to earn enough money to make their way to the Salt Lake Valley, a plague of cholera struck the area. The Miller family was hard-hit: in the space of two weeks, mother, father, and two of their sons died. My Great Grandmother, Margaret Miller, was 13 years old at the time."

Side note: Elizabeth was six years younger than Margaret, only 7 years of age at the death of both of her parents.

"Because of all the deaths in the area, there were no caskets available—at any price. The older surviving boys dismantled the family’s oxen pens in order to make crude caskets for the family members who had passed away.

The nine remaining orphaned Miller children and the husband of one of the older daughters left St. Louis in the spring of 1850 with four oxen and one wagon, arriving finally in the Salt Lake Valley that same year.

I owe such a debt of gratitude to these and other noble forebears who loved the gospel and who loved the Lord so deeply that they were willing to sacrifice all they had, including their own lives, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. How grateful I am for the temple ordinances which bind us together for all eternity."