James Barnes

James Barnes was born 10 February 1815 at Eldersfield, Worcestershire, England. He was the son of Thomas and Sarah Reeves Barnes. Thomas was an agricultural labourer in the area and died when James was 10 years old. James took up an apprenticeship as a stone cutter in Worcester for some years. Little else is known of his early years around Eldersfield. James was a convert to the LDS faith as a young man. He was baptized 10 March 1840 by Wilford Woodruff at the Hill farm. He was ordained a priest on 22 April 1840 and ordained an elder in August 1840.

On 16 August 1840 he arrived at Garway, Herefordshire, to begin his mission, which covered nearly all of Herefordshire, especially the areas where Wilford Woodruff had laboured. He kept a daily diary that noted how many people he contacted, where he stayed and his reception by the people he met. The first page of his missionary diary reads, “August 16, 1840, I James Barnes arrived at Garway, Herefordshire at Brother Morgans. I was kindly entertained for the night. The 17th, I visited eight families in Garway, preached two sermons. On Monday the 18th I visited some five or six families in Garway. At night I preached to a large and attentive congregation.” He continued his mission until April 1841, when he decided to join with the saints in Nauvoo. Before he left England, he decided that he ought to get married. He made this a matter of prayer and married Charlotte Cartwright on 3 May 1841.

He and Charlotte sailed for Quebec, Canada on 10 May 1841. The company leader was Thomas Kington. They arrived in Quebec, Canada 12 July 1841. After spending some time in New York state, they made their way to Kirtland, Ohio and lived there until 1843 when they moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. He worked at the Nauvoo Temple as a carpenter and stone cutter. Eight children were born to them, but some died in infancy from diseases like croup. In 1846 they moved to Denmark, Lee County, Iowa to start their trek toward Salt Lake. They suffered many trials and hardships while crossing the plains. They buried two children along the trail. They arrived in Salt Lake in 1851. Charlotte Cartwright died on 6 February 1852, leaving James alone to raise his children. In May of 1852, at a prayer meeting, he met Mary Thompson. The next day he wrote her a letter asking if they could become acquainted. They were married on 28 May 1852. James worked for many years as a stonemason at the Salt Lake Temple. He built an adobe home in Salt Lake City where he and Mary lived and raised their children.

James died on 28 April 1890 in Salt Lake City, Utah - Age 75.