Centered in faith,
a family emerges

For two and a half years, Mitt Romney would wear the dark suits and white shirts of a Mormon missionary. There would be no drinking, no smoking, no sex, and no dating. All of his time would be devoted to trying to persuade the people of France to join the Mormon Church. (By Michael Kranish and Michael Paulson, Globe Staff)

Two cousins, two countries:
A family split in half

Mike Romney, a school administrator in a small town in the Mexican desert, and Mitt Romney, a candidate for president of the United States, have never met. But the two distant cousins are just a year apart in age, and both are descendants of the same great-grandfather, Miles Park Romney. (By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff)

In 1885, Miles Park Romney, the great-grandfather of Mitt Romney, fled US authorities who wanted to enforce anti-polygamy laws. He was told by church officials to create a Mexican refuge for Mormons who wanted to maintain polygamy. At right is Mitt Romney's grandfather, Gaskell Romney. Mitt's father, George, is fourth from left. (Special Collections Dept., J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah)