John C and Catherine Mackay

John can be described as:fearless, ambitious, never idle, keeps everything in excellent condition, active in public affairs, handsome, neat, stern, honest, read every book he could get his hands on, a talented speaker(he spoke all over the valley).

Catherine can be described as: Loving, Busy, a wonderful teacher, dedicated, fearless, independent, positive & never allowing her heath (heart trouble) conditions get the best of her.

Catherine was young when her father moved her to a 160 acre piece of land in Taylorsville. She was raised there and met John at a local dance.

2 months after John and Catherine were married they had a local builder (Archie Frame from Taylorsville) build them a new 2 bedroom home at 3840 Redwood Road

During their marriage, they had 12 children. As their family grew, there home needed to grow.. Soon their 2 room home became an 8 room home with many bedrooms, a bathroom, parlor and closets.

The Mackay family had a large Granger farm with hay, grain, beets, and vegetables of all types, chickens, cows, pigs, ducks & turkeys.

John served as County Commissioner for 8 years and made some wonderful changes in the county during his terms. One of the favorite things John achieved while being the Commissioner was to have lights installed in public places and to have SLAG laid on all the county roads. People were used to sinking in the mud as they drove their wagons, and the SLAG was a great thing. He also moved the SMELTER out of the county. The Smelter was causing the air  to be too dirty and unhealthy to live or raise crops. He had his life threatened many times by those opposing him.

He served in the Granger Bishopric for many years & 2 years as a Utah Legislature. He was involved in the North Jordan Canal, President of the Utah Woolen Group and President of the Utah University Alumni Association.

John spent much of his time with his Sheep in Wyoming. Catherine spent all her time raising her dozen children. She taught them to be self-sufficient and busy. She once said that she taught her children just like she had been taught.  “My parents helped me to meet life in a practical way. They taught me NOT to look upon the little things as TRIALS or BURDENS, but to take them as blessings in disguise. …I was taught to be patient and things would work out alright”.

The home began as a 2 bedroom home. As the family grew so did the home.