David Patten Kimball (August 23, 1839 – November 21, 1883) was an early

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into severa ...

leader, one of the three young men of the Sweetwater handcart rescue. Kimball was born on August 23, 1839, in Nauvoo, Illinois the son of

Heber C. Kimball Heber Chase Kimball (June 14, 1801 – June 22, 1868) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement. He served as one of the original twelve apostles in the early Church of the Latter Day Saints, and as first counselor to Brigham Young ...

and his wife the former Vilate Murray. His father was an

Apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

and left to serve a mission in England about the time of David's birth. In the winter of 1856, Kimball helped a company of handcart pioneers stranded near the Sweetwater River, in response to a request from

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...

. Several accounts of the event imply that Young promised Kimball and others a guaranteed place in heaven for their efforts, although no direct evidence attributing this statement to Young exist. Kimball served as president of the Bear Lake stake in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

before moving to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in 1877. He was a

teamster A teamster is the American term for a truck driver or a person who drives teams of draft animals. Further, the term often refers to a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union in the United States and Canada. Origi ...

, and when he died he was first counselor in the St. Joseph stake. In November 1881, Kimball was making a freight run between Maricopa railroad station and Prescott when he was caught in a snowstorm near Prescott and contracted pneumonia. On the return trip, he became separated from his traveling companion and wagon and got lost in the

Salt River valley The Salt River Valley is an extensive valley on the Salt River in central Arizona, which contains the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Although this geographic term still identifies the area, the name "Valley of the Sun" popularly replaced the usage ...

south of

Wickenburg Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa and Yavapai counties, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 7,474, up from 6,363 in 2010. History The Wickenburg area, along with much of the Southwest, became part of ...

. He spent four days in the desert with no food or water. During this time, he reported seeing a vision in which his deceased father warned him to get his life in order, and that he had only two years to live. Kimball had doubted Mormonism for over a decade. His traveling companion assembled a search party, and they found Kimball near present-day Surprise. Kimball died at the age of 44 on November 21, 1883, in

St. David, Arizona St. David is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,699 at the 2010 census. History St. David was established as a result of the Mormon Battalion having earlier passed through the San Ped ...

Notable descendants

* Thomas S. Kimball, Arizona state senator, son * Quentin L. Cook, Apostle in LDS Church, great-grandson Lineage: Heber C. Kimball -(Vilate Murray Kimball)- David Patten Kimball - Quince Kimball - LaVon Kimball - Elden Clifford Kimball - Lynda Diane Kimball Richards - John Adair Kimball -

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kimball, David Patten 1839 births 1883 deaths American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Mormon pioneers People from Nauvoo, Illinois People from Cochise County, Arizona People from Rich County, Utah Latter Day Saints from Illinois Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from Arizona

Notable descendants

See also

Notes