 His father was an Apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 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.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.