James Lofthouse was born in 1833 at Downham, Lancashire, England. His parents joined the church as taught by the Latter Day Saints when he was very young. At one of the street meetings in Downham, he was about 4 years old, Elder Heber C Kimball held him wrapping him in his cloak protecting him from the wind and rain. He was baptized when he was eight years old in the River Ribble near Preston. His parents moved to Clitheroe in 1839.
He attended school here for some eleven weeks, later he worked in a cotton mill. His father died in 1847 at Clitheroe. Later his mother married a Richard Cranshaw. In 1853 he with his mother, stepfather and younger brother Joseph emigrated to Utah. Sailing on the ship Elvira Owen from Liverpool to New Orleans. A returning Missionary Joseph W. Young was in charge of the saints going up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to council Bluffs, an outfitting post, where they joined an wagon train for Utah with H. C. Wheelock as Captain. He drove an ox team for a Mrs. Lee while crossing the plains.
They arrived in Salt Lake City in 1853. From Salt Lake City he went to Grantsville with his family where he lived for a short time. In 1854 or 55 he went to North Ogden where he found work. While there he met Charlotte Elizabeth Woodhead marrying her in 1856. They lived in a dugout, where their first child, Charlotte Ann was born.
In the fall of 1857 he was called with others to go to Soda Springs to meet the US Soldiers, if they should come in that way. Going through Wellsville he stayed at his step father's home They had moved there from Grantsville in the spring 1857. He only went part way with the company as he froze his feet and had to return home bringing some horses back with him.
In the spring of 1858 James made two trips to Spanish Fork during the move south. His wife attended the meeting in which Governor Alfred Cummings heard the wrongs the saints had endured. The governor shed tears of sympathy while he listened.
In the spring of 1858 James was sent to Echo Canyon to meet Governor Cumming's carriage. A mere handfull of men appeared, met the governor's party, detoured and again met them at a lower point, thus making it appear as if the canyon was full of men. The trees, bushes and turns in the road helped them make this effect. The men's clothing was poor and insufficient to keep them comfortable in the mountains on the 5th of April.
In June 1859 he moved to Wellsville with his family staying there until the spring of 1861 when they moved to old Paradise now Avon. There he had built a house having a board floor, the first in the village.
In 1867 and 68 the settlers thinking they would be safer from attacks by the Indians though they were friendlier decided to move to the present site of Paradise. Here in 1868 he made his home in the south west part of the town. Later he bought a farm in the south east part where he built a nice home living here until his death.
Author long dead