Stephen Mack, Jr.

Stephen Mack Jr. (2 February 1798 – 10 April 1850) adventurer and pioneer, American Fur Company employee, founder of Rockton, Illinois.

Born in Tunbridge, Vermont, he was the son of Stephen and Temperance (Bond) Mack. Stephen, Jr. was a first cousin to Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and when the Latter-day Saints moved to Utah, Stephen's mother accompanied them. Stephen Mack, Sr. was engaged in the mercantile business at Tunbridge until 1807 when he went to Detroit, leaving his wife and family behind.

The senior Mack valued education, and knowing that there was little opportunity in such a remote frontier village, he had his family remain in Vermont. The younger Mack would later pursue for himself a level of education uncommon for his time, and when he had children of his own, he was very active in procuring for them the best educational opportunities. Stephen Mack, Sr. was the first English-speaking merchant in Detroit. He entered into a partnership which was known as Mack & Conant which remained in business until 1821 when it was bought out by its chief competitor The American Fur Company. In 1812 he became a trustee of the village of Detroit and later he was the founder of the city of Pontiac and a director of the Bank of Michigan.

Stephen, Jr. attended Moors Charity School, a preparatory school at Hanover, New Hampshire from 30 August 1813 to 24 August 1816, He then attended a college in Boston but was forced to drop out after a minor illness he failed to properly attend to which became a major one (he did not attend Dartmouth as has often been claimed). It is believed that he joined his father and other family members in Detroit in 1819.

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