| John Whitmer (1802–1878) |
Early convert (1829), one
of the Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon scribe, first Church
Historian, member of the presidency of the Stake of Zion, brother-in-law of
Oliver Cowdery; with W. W. Phelps (the other counselor in the presidency), chose
Far West for gathering, laid out the city, selected a temple site and appointed
building committee, etc. without consulting the high council; objected to the
Prophet's dictating the temporal affairs of church members; rejected with his
brother, David, and W. W. Phelps, as presidents of the church in MIssouri, February,
1838; excommunicated in March 1838; fled to Richmond, Missouri after receiving
threatening document signed by Hyrum Smith and others in June.
| Born | August 27, 1802 in York, Pennsylvania (Ancestral File) | Journals of William E. Mclellin, 467 has Fayette, New York. | |
| Died | July 11, 1878 in Ray county, Missouri | LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:251 and Papers, 1:521 have Far West. Ancestral File has Richmond. | |
| Father | Peter Whitmer (1773–1854) | ||
| Mother | Mary Musselman (1778–1856) | ||
| Baptized | June 1829 by Oliver Cowdery in Seneca lake | ||
| Ordinations | Elder, by June 9, 1830. | Conference of June 9, 1830 | |
| High Priesthood by Lyman Wight in the first meeting where such ordinations took place, June 3, 1831. | |||
| July 8, 1834 assistant president of the Missouri high council (his brother, David, was president). | Council of July 3, 1834 | ||
| Positions | June 1829 one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. | ||
| Scribe for Book of Mormon, "translation" of the Bible, Book of Commandments revelations. | |||
| March 8, 1831 first Church Historian | D&C 47 | ||
| 1835–1836 editor of the Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate. | |||
| Events | July 1830 assists Joseph copy and arrange revelations later published as Book of Commandments 2–27. |
Revelations, 25; Inventing, 154 |
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| August [1–7],1830 Newel and Sally Knight visit Joseph and Emma in Harmony, Pennsylvania. John is also present. "We prepared some wine of our own make, and held our meeting … We partook of the sacrament, after which we confirmed the two sisters into the Church, and spent the evening in a glorious manner. The Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon us. We praised the God of Israel and rejoiced exceedingly." | Newel Knight diary cited in Revelations, 38 | ||
| June 12, 1831 begins "The Book of John Whitmer," the first official history of the church. | John's record, covering 1831–1838, is in From Historian. | ||
| November 20, 1831 to January 5, 1832 takes revelations for the Book of Commandments with Oliver Cowdery from Kirtland to Independence per D&C 69:1–2. | |||
| April 30, 1832 named to select and "make all necessary verbal corrections" to Book of Commandments revelations. |
Conference of April 30,
1832 Joseph's 1839 history has a date of May 1, when the three are "appointed to review and prepare such revelations as shall be deemed proper for publication, for the press." Papers 1:381 |
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| July 1832 sent to Zion to "assertain the exact number of Deciples that have arived in Zion." | Joseph to W. W. Phelps, July 31, 1832 | ||
| July 23, 1832 agrees with other church leaders to leave Jackson county by January 1, 1833. All Mormons to leave by April 1, 1833. | Times and Seasons vol. 6 no. 5 (March 15, 1845), 835 | ||
| June 23, 1834 selected to receive Kirtland endowment. | |||
| May 1835 returns to Kirtland; back in Missouri by July 1836. | |||
| January 21, 1836 assists in administering the first ordinances in the House of the Lord, Kirtland. | "Oliver Cowdery's Kirtland," 418 | ||
| March 27, 1836 sits in the third pulpit in the west end with David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery for the dedication of the House of the Lord. | American Prophet, 143. | ||
| March 29, 1836 Hyrum washes John's feet during the all-night temple session. David washes W. W. Phelps' feet. Phelps washes John's feet. | American Prophet, 153. | ||
| August 8, 1836 purchases south half of site for Far West, Missouri (W. W. Phelps purchases the north half). | Comprehensive History, 1:423. | ||
| November 5–7, 1836 with W. W. Phelps responds to charges from the high council of high-handed, unauthorized, and fraudulent exercise of power in purchasing and selling Far West land, etc. > | |||
| November 15, 1836 with W. W. Phelps selects Jacob Whitmer, Elisha H. Groves, and George M. Hinkle as building committe to assist them build a temple. | Meeting of November 15, 1836 | ||
| April 7, 1837 authorized with other "wise men," W. W. Phelps, Edward Partridge, Isaac Morley, and John Corrill, to buy land for the church in Clay county. | Council of April 7, 1837 | ||
| September 4, 1837 revelation to Joseph that "John Whitmer & William W. Phelps have done those things which are not pleasing in my Sight. Therefore if they repent not they Shall be removd out of their places. Amen." | |||
| February 5–9, 1838 general assembly in Far West rejects John, David Whitmer and W. W. Phelps as presidents of the church in Missouri for inappropriate use of church funds, violations of the Word of Wisdom. | General Assembly of February 5, 1838 | ||
| February 10, 1838 a common council of the bishopric and high council cancels John's right to sign and record licenses. | |||
| March 10, 1838 excommunicated by the high council with W. W. Phelps | Council of March 10, 1838 | ||
| April 9, 1838 Joseph and Sidney ask John to return his historical records. > | Papers, 226–227. | ||
| June 1838 Joseph's journal (kept by George W. Robinson): "O. Cowdery, David Whitmer, Lyman E. Johnson [h], and John Whitmer [are] guilty of bace iniquities, and that to manifest in the ages of all men, and being often entreated would continue in their course seeking the lives of the First Presidency and to overthrow the Kingdom of God which they once testified off." | American Prophet, 187. | ||
| 1838 moves from Far West to Richmond. | |||
| September 1847 William E. McLellin [h] baptizes David and John Whitmer, Hiram Page, and Jacob Whitmer into "the Church of Christ;" they then reordain David with "all the gifts and callings to which he had been appointed through Joseph Smith." David is not enthused about the new church and nothing comes of it. | |||
| Family | Sarah Jackson (1809–1873) md. February 10, 1833 | ||
| Nancy Jane (1834) | |||
| John Oliver (1835–1846) | |||
| Sarah Elizabeth (b. 1837) | |||
| Jacob David Jefferson (b. 1844), inherited the Far West temple block from his father | |||
| Alexander Peter Jackson (b. 1849) | |||
| Far West Land | ||||
| Funds for the poor | Thomas B. Marsh (h) and Elisha Groves collected $1450 to benefit the poor in Missouri and delivered it to John and W. W. Phelps as counselors in the stake presidency. | Far West Record, 107–110 | ||
| Purchase land instead | But the two, without consulting the bishop, high council, or First Presidency, use the money to purchase the tract of land that became Far West, then sold it to church members at a profit. | |||
| High council investigates | On April 3, 1837 the high council, headed by John Murdock, prepare a list of questions for John Whitmer and W. W. Phelps: by what authority had they selected the site, appointed and ordained a committee to superintend the construction of a temple, ordained Jacob Whitmer to the High Priesthood, disfellowshipped a high councilman, denied preferential treatment of the bishopric and high council in the sale of lots, and profited from the sale of the lots? | Council of April 3, 1837 | ||
| John Whitmer and W W. Phelps before the council | Two days later, John and W. W. Phelps appear before the council. First they object to the presence of the bishopric and apostles Thomas B. Marsh [h] and David W. Patten [h]. Phelps threatens to dissolve the council. Marsh counters that he would bring charges against them before the bishop and twelve high priests (an excommunication hearing). John and W. W. acquiesce and respond to the questions. | Council of April 5–6, 1837 | ||
| Agree to turn land over | The hearing continues through the 7th of April, the two presidents being severely rebuked (including Patten's accusation of fraud). In the end John and W. W. Phelps agree to transfer land adjacent to the commons to the bishop and use profits from the sale of lands to benefit the poor. | Council of April 7, 1837 | ||
| Stake presidency superintend temple construction, receive revelations | Another session is held, at which the city platt is approved; John and W. W. Phelps, Edward Partridge, Isaac Morley, and John Corrill are authorized to set the price of town lots; the temple building committee was sustained as constituted, as well as the ordination of Jacob Whitmer; and the stake presidency (David and John Whitmer, and W. W. Phelps) were "appointed to superintend the building of [104] the house of the Lord in this City Far West and receive Revelations Visions &c. concerning said house." < | Far West Record, 103–104. (These minutes are out of order in the record.) | ||
| John Whitmer's History 1836–1838 | ||||
| Kirtland
Safety Society Polygamy Gadianton bands |
In the fall of 1836,
Joseph Smith Jr.., S. Rigdon, & others of the Leaders of the church
at Kirtland, Ohio, Established a bank for the purpose of Speculation and
the whole church partook of the same spirit. They were lifted up in pride,
and lusted after the forbidden things of God such as covetousness, &
in secret combination, Spiritual wife doctrine, that is pleurality of wives,
and gadianton bands in which they were bound with oaths &c. that brought
divisins and mistrust among those who were pure in heart and desired the
upbilding of the Kingdom of God. |
From Historian, 183–185. | ||
|
1838 Missouri |
J. Smith Jr. & S.
Rigdon & Hyrum Smith moved their families to this place, Far West, in
the Spring of 1838. As soon as they came here they began to enforce their
new organized plan in force which caused disensions and difficulties threatnings
and even murders. Smith Called a counsel of council. He Stated that any
person who said a word against the heads of the church should be driven
over these prairies as a chaced deer by a pack of hounds, having an allusian
to the [184] gideonites, as they were then termed, to Justify themselves,
in their wicked designes. |
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| Salt sermon | Thus on the 19th of June 1838 they preached a sermon called the Salt sermon in which these gideonites understood that they should drive the disenters as they termed those who believed not in their secret bands in fornication adultery or midnight machinations. | |||
| Sued dissenters | Therefore they commenced suing at the law of the land by attachment for debts which they knew were paid and Justly paid, according to the laws of God and the Land & thus foreswore themselves in these things. | |||
| Threatened to kill us | J. Smith, S. Rigdon,
& Hiram Smith were the instigators & G. W. Robinson was the prosecutor—against
David Whitmer,
L. E. Johnson
(h),
O. Cowdery, F. G. Williams, W.
W. Phelps and myself—they had threatend us to kill us if
we did not make restitution to them by upholding them in their wicked purposes
and designs after they had instituted the foregoing suits. |
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| Dissenters won suits | O. Cowdery, D. Whitmer,
L. E. Johnson & myself went to Clay Co. to obtain legal counsel to prepare
to over throw these attachments which they had caused to [be] sued against
us which we were abundantly able to do by good and substantial witnesses. |
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| Cowdery and Johnson families driven from homes | But to our great astonishment
when we were on our way home from Liberty, Clay Co., we met the families
of O. Cowdery & L.
E. Johnson (h)
whom they had driven from their homes and robed them of all their goods
save clothing & bedding &c. |
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| Threats | While we were gone Jo. & Rigdon & the band of gadeantons kept up a guard and watched our houses and abused our families and threatened them if they were not gone by morning they would be drove out & threatened our lives if they ever saw us in Far West. | |||
| Mormons
loot Daviess Old timers repay War Only dissenters left |
After they had driven
us and our families they commenced a difficulty in Davies Co. adjoining
this Co. in the which they began to rob and burn houses &c, &c.,
took honey [185] which they (the Mormons) called Sweet oil & hogs which
they called bear, and Cattle which they called Buffalo. Thus they would
Justify themselves by saying we are the people of God and all things are
Gods, therefore they are ours. The old inhabitants were not slack in paying
them in their own coin. Thus war and bloodshed commenced and the result
was that the Church driven from this land & the pure in heart and inocent
as well as the more wicked, Save a few dissenters who were left here to
fulfil some of the former commandments. |
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| Request for the return of records | ||||
| On April 9, 1838, Joseph, Sidney, and E. Robinson wrote John, | Papers, 226–227. | |||
| Please return notes, incompetent historian |
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