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Karl Maeser and Valeria Cheney Pack photograph collection

 Collection
Identifier: P1653

Scope and Contents

The Karl Maeser and Valeria Cheney Pack photograph collection consists of 17 boxes containing daguerrotypes, ambrotypes, cabinet cards, cartes-de-visite, tintypes, black-and-white prints and negatives, postcards, and souvenir prints related to Karl Maeser and Valeria Cheney Pack and their families and dating from approximatley the 1860s to 1970s. Boxes 1-6 contain largely portraits and images of members of the Cheney and the Pack family. Boxes 7-10 contain general images related to travel, outings, schooling, family, and Karl Maeser Pack's mission in Basel, Switzerland. Boxes 11-16 are oversized albums; boxes 11-15 are albums related to family, box 16 is an album of Karl Maeser Pack's mission. Box 17 contains oversized prints of various people and locations in Colorado.

Dates

  • 1860s-1970s

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Karl Maeser and Valeria Cheney Pack photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator.

Biographical Note

Karl Maeser Pack (1890-1949) was born in Woods Cross, Utah on May 18, 1890, to Walker Xenophon Pack and Bertha Marie Charlotte Zahler. He spent three years serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Swiss-German Mission and was one of the last missionaries to leave the mission after World War I began. In April 1916, he married Valeria Evelyn Cheney. Karl Maeser Pack worked as an elementary school teacher, an insurance salesman, and an entomologist for the United States government. He later obtained a degree in pharmacy from the Capitol College of Pharmacy and established the Western Pharmacal Company. He was also a partner in the Alf Engen Company which was established with his daughter, Evelyn, and her husband, Alf Engen. He was actively involved in church and community organizations, including the Kiwanis Club, until his death on June 18, 1949.

Valeria Cheney Pack (1891-1985) was born in Centerville, Utah on August 25, 1891, to Rosena Lucas and William Evans Cheney. She attended the Latter-day Saints' University. She was known for her writing and for her musical abilities on the piano and organ. Karl Maeser and Valeria Cheney Pack had five daughters: Evelyn (Mrs. Alf Engen), Mariel (Mrs. David Gardner), Rosalind, Aleen Amanda, and Karla Mae (Mrs. Donald Bennion). After Karl Maeser Pack's death, Valeria Cheney Pack assumed management of Western Pharmacal Company and was an active partner in the Alf Engen Company. She was a member of the Davis Stake Genealogical Committee and extensively researched her family history. She was also actively involved in church and community activities until her death on January 8, 1985.

Extent

17 Boxes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Karl Maeser Pack (1890-1949) and his wife Valeria Cheney Pack (1891-1985) founded and managed Western Pharmacal Company. Their daughter Evelyn Cheney Pack Engen married Alf Engen, and Karl and Valeria Pack were partners in the Alf Engen Company. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Karl Pack served a mission in Switzerland prior to World War I. This collection contains photographs, negatives, and albums documenting Karl Pack's mission and the Cheney and Pack families dating from the 1860s to the 1980s.

Arrangement

Arranged by subject

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Alan K. Engen in 2010.

Separated Materials

See also the Karl Maeser and Valeria Cheney Pack papers (ACCN 1993) in the Manuscripts Division of Special Collections.

Processing Information

Processed by Special Collections staff.
Title
Guide to the Karl Maeser and Valeria Cheney Pack photograph collection
Author
Finding aid created by Claire A. Kempa.
Date
2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository

Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863