In 1817, Jesse Townsend was the first pastor of the Western Presbyterian Church of Palmyra. He claimed that Joseph Smith Sr. left Palmyra without paying his debts.
On December 4, 1833, Jesse signed the “Testimony of 51 Neighbors,” later printed in Mormonism Unvailed.[1] He died on July 14, 1838 and was buried in the southeast corner of Section S, Lot 2 in the Palmyra City Cemetery.
[1] Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, pp. 366–367.