Farmer, James Saberry

James Farmer was born in Leicester, Leicestershire, England, on June 12, 1825. He converted to Mormonism around 1843, when he was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. On January 7, 1849, he was ordained as an Elder in the LDS Church at Houseforth, Yorkshire. Farmer had been employed at Butcher and Lyons Hosier, but was fired by that company due to his involvement in the LDS Church. He obtained a hawker's license and worked in the hawker business until the death of his wife Ann (Webster) from typhus in September 1850. At that time he made the decision to go into ministry fulltime, and spent the next several years performing baptisms and giving sermons in Shearsbey, Walton, and Dunton. While in England, Farmer faced continuous external religious persecution and was at times also attacked from within the LDS Church, which accused him of "extravagance" and other offences. In January 1853 he left England for New Orleans. Farmer eventually settled in Fort Ephraim, Utah, where he worked for a time as a government surveyor. After the death of his second wife, Mary Bateman, he married Sarah Broadbridge in 1856. He later marred Jane Blain as a plural wife. In the early 1880s, Farmer returned to England on an extended mission trip. He was also involved in the settlements at Manti and Monroe, Utah, and worked for the Deseret News. Farmer died in 1908.

From the description of Diaries of James Farmer, ca.1856-1882. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 472201258

...