Born in New Rochelle, New York; Methodist minister prior to his baptism; sailed to California in 1846 on ship Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters; served as a counselor to Sam Brannan during voyage; disfellowshipped by Brannan following arrival in California; taught restored gospel to Francis A. Hammond in 1847; rebaptized by Thomas Whittle and ordained elder at San Francisco in November 1850; served as sheriff of San Francisco; went to Utah by 1853; member of Thirty-ninth Quorum of Seventy in 1855, residing in California. (See “Ship Brooklyn Saints,” in Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 3:566; Bullock, Ship Brooklyn Saints, 211; “Report of the 39th Quorum,” Deseret News, Aug. 22, 1855; Hammond, “My Introduction to Mormonism,” 366–67; “Elijah W. Pell,” in Seventies Quorum records, Thirty-ninth Quorum, 543; Owens, Gold Rush Saints, 278n36; GQC journal, Nov. 2–3, 7, 10–11, 1850.)