James Palmer

James Palmer was born in Dymock, Gloucestershire on 6 August 1820. His parents, James Palmer and Hannah Weaver, joined the United Brethren in 1836 and James joined soon after. He left home in 1838 to work in Worcester and returned two years later to become a preacher. In 1840 he attended a meeting in Ledbury, where Wilford Woodruff was preaching and was baptized 13 April 1840 into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He relates this experience – “It was now the month of April 1840. It was announced to me that a man of god had come from America with the word of the Lord to the nation of Great Briton and would preach in the town of Ledbury at a given time and all our church members were cordially invited to attend.  All my family responded to this call with many others and for the first time in our lives heard the fullness of the Gospel proclaimed by Elder Wilford Woodruff one of the twelve apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints it was on this occasion that I appreciated soundly my scriptural studies in school when a child. I was baptized being the 13th of April 1840, and also my father, brother Henry, and ten others of the United Brethren in a few days afterwards, my mother followed us through the waters of baptism, and soon we were all confirmed into the Church by the laying on of hands by the Elders and the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to all according to the measure of their faith”. 

At The Gadfield Elm Conference 14 June 1840, James was appointed to preside over a branch of the Church at Kilcot, where he labored diligently for over three months every Sabbath day.  During this time, he preached at Greenway, Dymock and Ledbury. James Palmer was married to Mary Ann Price at Liverpool by George I. Adams, Minister of the Gospel, 14 March 1842, and the next day embarked onboard the sailing ship “Hanover”, bound for New Orleans.  His parents preceded him to America by two weeks on board the ship “John Cummins”, from the same port. Their destination was Nauvoo where they all came together again in May 1842. Their first child, a daughter, was born at Nauvoo 4 January 1843, and died a few days later. Their next child was a son, born 6 January 1847. In a few weeks he sickened and died also.

In 1849, James and Mary left that sickly country for Council Bluffs and crossed the plains to Salt Lake City in the summer of 1850. In the fall of 1851, Elizabeth Foxall became the plural wife of James Palmer. James was a member of Capt. Ballo’s band that performed on the occasion of the laying of the cornerstones of the Salt Lake Temple on 6 April 1853. In April 1856 James was called to serve a mission to England, and on his return, he settled in Skull Valley, Tooele County, Utah.

James died 6 October 1905, in Grantsville, Utah - Age 85.