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Woolstenhulme, James, senior president of the 22nd quorum of Seventy, is the son of John W. Woolstenhulme and Alice Mellor, and was born March 24, 1837, in Oldham, Lancashire, England. His father died when James was six years old, leaving a widow and four children, all younger than James. He began to work in a cotton factory at the age of seven. On the last day of October, 1844, the mill at Oldham, in which he was employed, collapsed and many lives were lost, but a kind Providence saved him. At the age of 11 years he was elected as a student in the Oldham Blue Coat school where he received a good education. March 4, 1851, he set sail for America on board the ship "Olympus." While on board this ship he first heard the gospel preached by Thomas Smith and other Elders. He was baptized April 13, 1851, together with about 50 other passengers, which had been converted on the ship. He landed in St. Louis, Mo., May 10, 1857, where he met his mother, who had married Thomas Hill. He left St. Louis for Salt Lake City May 1, 1852, traveling with an ox-team, via Independence, Jackson county, to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Here he found the company that was bringing machinery to Utah to manufacture beet sugar. He arrived in Salt Lake City Nov. 11, 1852, having endured many hardships on the journey. He now found himself alone in a strange land, but he soon obtained employment at Bountiful, Davis county. He passed through the grasshopper war with scanty fare and participated in the Johnston army troubles, doing excellent service as one of the Davis county mountain rangers. He was on guard in Pioneer Hollow, when Southworth and Groo (two returning missionaries) brought Gov. Alfred Cumming's message; was with Lot Smith on the Muddy, and did picket duty at Needle Rocks, near Yellow creek, where he and several others took five men prisoners. He returned to Bountiful about Christmas. In the spring of 1858 he married Mary L. Page, and, together with his young wife, he went south during the "move" and lived in Provo, but returned to Bountiful when the Saints moved back. In 1861 he worked in Kamas, doing the first logging in that part of Utah. Feb. 15, 1863, he married Julia Duhamel. In April, 1863, he went East to the Missouri river after emigrants. He took part in three Indian raids, and had some interesting experiences. On one occasion he lived for three weeks on flour and water, the meal being prepared by roasting the flour and water over the fire on sticks. He was elected justice of the peace in Kamas for three successive terms. 1874, 1877, and 1880. In August, 1874, he was elected county commissioner in Summit county. In 1876 he was ordained a Seventy by Apostle Orson Pratt and set apart for a mission to Great Britain. While on this mission he gathered much valuable genealogy. In 1888 he was fined $65 and sentenced to 65 days' imprisonment in the Utah penitentiary for unlawful cohabitation with his wives. During 1888 and 1891 he filled another mission to Great Britain. Brother Woolstenhulme is the father of 17 children, 13 of whom are now alive, and he has 22 grandchildren. He has done a great work for his departed relatives in the Temple. At present he is the senior president of the 22nd quorum of Seventy.
Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4 vols. Salt Lake City 1:469.) |
Biographies 
