| Hiram Page (1800–1852) |
One of the Eight Witnesses,
son-in-law of Peter Whitmer Sr., seer-stone practitioner.
| Born | 1800 in Vermont | ||
| Died | August 12, 1852 in Excelsior Springs, Ray county, Missouri | ||
| Baptized | April 11, 1830 in Seneca Lake by Oliver Cowdery. Oliver had delivered "the first <real> public sermon, which was delivered by any <member> {Elder} of our Church, we had a crowded audience." In addition to Hiram, Oliver baptized Catherine Whitmer Page, Christian Whitmer, Anne Schott Whitmer (Christian's wife), Jacob Whitmer, Elizabeth Ann Schott Whitmer (Jacob's wife), and Mary Page (identity unknown). | History [1839 Draft] in Papers 1:244. | |
| Ordinations | Teacher, June 9, 1830. | ||
| Events | Marries Catherine Whitmer, daughter of Peter and Mary Musselman, November 10, 1825 | ||
| According to Hiram and Oliver, some time before June 1829, Joseph used a seer stone to receive a revelation directing Hiram and Oliver to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon in Toronton. > | Early Mormonism, 174. | ||
| One of the Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, June, 1829. | |||
| Of becoming a Mormon, Hiram later wrote that angels "came and showed themselves to me as I was walking through the field, to confirm me in the work of the Lord of the last days—three of whom came to me afterwards and sang a hymn in their own pure language." | The Ensign of Liberty of The Church of Christ, 1 (December 1847), 63; Hiram Page to William McLellin, May 30,1847, qtd. in Joseph Smith's Response, 133. | ||
| Living with the Whitmers in Fayette, Seneca county, New York, when Joseph arrives in August 1830. Hyrum has been using a seer stone to obtain revelations which he, Oliver, and the Whitmers believed in. > | "History of Joseph Smith," Times and Seasons vol. 4 no. 8 (March 1, 1843), 118–119. | ||
| Oliver is instructed to tell Hiram
that the revelations he has been receiving through a seer stone are are
"not of me and that Satan deceiveth him," September ca 5–26,
1830. |
D&C 28:11 (Hiram and Oliver had both married daughters of Peter Whitmer, Sr.) | ||
| Travels to Ohio in Lucy Mack Smith's company, supporting her leadership rather than Brother Humphrey, May 1831. | Lucy, 513. | ||
| Moves to Thompson, Ohio, May 1831. | |||
| Moves to Jackson county with the Whitmer family. "Whitmer settlement," a cluster of ten or twelve homes, is located on Westport Road, about 8 miles west-southwest of Independence and 4 miles east of Westport. Hiram owns 120 acres. | Historical
Atlas,
39; Lucy, 849. |
||
| Is severely beaten during an attack on Whitmer settlement, October 31, 1833. | "Outrage in Jackson,"118. | ||
| Visits Hulet branch on assignment from David Whitmer and testifies in the case on July 31 and August 6, 1834. |
¶
Conference of July 31, 1834 |
||
| Moves to Richmond, Ray County, Missouri with the Whitmers in the spring of 1838, eventually settling in Excelsior Springs, 14 miles north of Richmond. | |||
|
On September 6, 1847, William E. McLellin baptizes Hiram and three Whitmer brothers (David, John, and Jacob) into David's new Church of Christ. Either then, or two days later, William ordains Hiram a high priest, and William and Hiram ordain Jacob a high priest. Those three then reordain John to the priesthood and ordain him a counselor to David in the First Presidency. Finally, all lay hands on David "Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and Translator" (one version has him being reordained "to all the gifts and callings to which he had been appointed through Joseph Smith in the [90] General Assembly of the inhabitants of Zion, in July 1834.") |
History
of William E. McLellin |
||
|
Family |
Catherine Whitmer (b. 1807) | ||
| John Elizabeth Philander Mary Peter Nancy Hiram Oliver Kate |
Children's names are from Lucy, 849. | ||
| Seer stone | ||||
| Joseph's account | ¶ | Mr Whitmer having invited us to go and live with him, [263] on account of the great persecution which had <been> got up against us, at Harmony Pa. We arived at Fayette, during the last week of August amidst the congratulations of our brethren and friends. | History [1839 Draft] in Papers 1:262–264. | |
| ¶ | To our great grief however we found that Satan had been, lying in wait to deceive, and seeking whom he might devour. Brother Hyram Page had got in his opossession a certain stone <by> which he obtained certain revelations concerning the upbuilding of Zion the order of the Church and so forth, but which were entirely at variance with the order of Gods House, as it is laid down {both in ancient and our modern} in the scriptures. and our own late revelations. | |||
| ¶ | At a conference meeting had been appointed for the 1rst September I {did} <thought it wisdom> not to do much more than converse with the brethren on the subject untill the conference {was} <should be> held. Finding however that many of the brethren (especially the Whitmer family and Oliver Cowdery) were believing much in these things which were set forth by this stone, a few of us got together and succeeded in obtaining the following revelatinos, which gave us much information on that & other subjects connected with our respective duties. [D&C 28, 29.] | |||
| ¶ | Conference at length assembled, the subject of the Stone &c was brought up, and after considerable discussion, reasoning and investigation Hyrum agreed to renounce the stone and its author, and the brethren unanimously agreed to renounce them also—We now partook of sacrament—confirmed and ordained many, and attended to a great variety of Church business {during} <on> that day and the following day. During which [264] time we had much of the power of God manifested, The Holy Ghost poured out upon us and obtained the following revelations— [D&C 30, 31.] < | In the 1850s, Martin Harris's brother, Emer, reported Hiram's stone was black and after D&C 28, it was ground to powder and the revelations produced through it were burned. Early Mormonism, 248. | ||
| Book of Mormon copyright | ||||
| David Whitmer's version | ¶ | Brother Hyrum thought they should not wait any longer on Martin Harris, and that the money [to print the Book of Mormon] should be raised in some other way. Brother Hyrum was vexed with Brother Martin, and thought they should get the money by some means outside of him, and not let him have anything to do with the publication of the Book, or receiving any of the profits thereof if any profits should accrue. He was wrong in thus judging Bro. Martin, because he was doing all he could toward selling his land. | An Address, 31–32. | |
| Brother Hyrum said it had been suggested to him that some of the brethren might go to Toronto, Canada, and sell the copy-right of the Book of Mormon for considerable money: and he persuaded Joseph to inquire of the Lord about it. Joseph concluded to do so. He had not yet given up the stone. Joseph looked into the hat in which he placed the stone, and received a revelation that some of the brethren should go to Toronto, Canada, and that they would sell the copy-right of the Book of Mormon. | ||||
| Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdery went to Toronto on this mission, but they failed entirely to sell the copy-right, returning without any money. Joseph was at my father's house when they returned. I was there also, and am an eye witness to these facts. Jacob Whitmer and John Whitmer were also present when Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdery returned from Canada. | ||||
| Well, we were all in great trouble; and we asked Joseph how it was that he had received a revelation from the Lord and the brethren had utterly failed in their undertaking. Joseph did not know how it was, so he enquired of the Lord about it, and behold the following revelation came through the stone: "Some revelations are of God: some revelations are of man; and some revelations are of the devil." | ||||
| Oliver's version | that some among you will remember which sent Bro. Page and me, so unwisely, to Toronto, with a prediction from the Lord by "Urim and Thummim," that we would there find a man anxious to buy the "First Elder's copyright." I well remember we did not find him, and had to return surprised and disappointed. But so great was my faith, that in going to Toronto, nothing but calmness pervaded my soul, every doubt was banished, and I as much expected that Bro. Page and I would fulfill the revelation as that we should live. And you may believe, without asking me to relate the particulars that it would be no easy task to describe our desolation and grief. Bro. Page and I did not think that god would have deceived us through "Urim and Thummin [sic], " exactly as came the Book of Mormon < | "The Gift of Seeing," 58. | ||
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