Born in Cortland, New York; baptized in 1837; served several missions in eastern U.S.; moved to St. Louis, Missouri, following death of Joseph Smith in 1844; worked as steamboat officer; sailed to California in 1848; appointed with John Murdock to open missionary work in Australia; sent Hawaiian mission a box of books; led small contingent of Saints from Australia to U.S. in 1853; called to serve as a missionary in California at conference held in San Bernardino, California, in March 1856; returned to Utah because of Utah War; established residence in Beaver and then in Provo; joined Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1873; returned to Australia in 1874 as missionary for RLDS Church; died in Sydney, Australia. (See Jenson, BE, 3:551–52; Newton, Hero or Traitor; Newton, Southern Cross Saints, 282; Lyman, Payne, and Ellsworth, No Place to Call Home, 395; Farrer diary, May 19, 1853; GQC journal, Oct. 15, 1852.)