Alexander Mackay was a pioneer missionary to Uganda. He was born in 1849 in Rhyme, a village not far from Aberdeen. His father was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland, so it is no surprise to learn that the Bible and the Westminster Catechism were the two most important books in the house.
Until he was 14 he was home-schooled and during that time he came to love and trust Christ.
He could recollect that his parents had a map of Africa hanging on a wall of the house. The map was rather empty at first, apart from the coasts, but they gradually filled it in as discoveries were reported. At 14, he went to Aberdeen Grammar School, and then six years of study in Edinburgh followed, two years at the Free Church Training College for Teachers, and four years studying engineering at the university. During his time in Edinburgh his minister was Horatius Bonar, a name you will often see in your hymn book.
