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| One of the Eight Witnesses, seer-stone practitioner,
attempt to sell Book of Mormon copyright §, son-in-law of Peter Whitmer Sr. |
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| Born |
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1800 in Vermont |
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| Died |
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August 12, 1852 in Excelsior Springs,
Ray County, Missouri. |
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| Marries Catherine
Whitmer |
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November 10, 1825 marries Catherine
Whitmer, daughter of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. |
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| Book of Mormon copyright |
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Before June 1829 Joseph used a seer stone to receive a revelation
directing Hiram, Oliver and others to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon in
Canada. |
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Copyright revelation
Early Mormonism, 174. |
| Eight Witnesses |
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June 1829 one of the Eight Witnesses
to the Book of Mormon. |
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| Book of Mormon copyright |
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Early 1830: Authorized to sell copyright to the Book of Mormon for Canada with Oliver Cowdery, Hiram Page, and Josiah Stowell. |
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Book of Mormon Copyright |
| Baptized |
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April 11, 1830 baptized 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." Oliver also baptized Catherine
Whitmer Page, Christian Whitmer, Anne Schott Whitmer (Christian's wife),
Jacob Whitmer, Elizabeth Ann Schott Whitmer (Jacob's wife), and Mary Page
(otherwise unknown). |
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1839 draft history in
Papers 1:244. |
| Teacher |
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June 9, 1830 ordained a teacher,
one of the first twelve officers of the church. |
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Minutes
of June 9, 1830 |
| Seer stone revelations |
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August 1830 living
with the Whitmers in Fayette, Seneca county, New York, Hiram uses a seer stone to obtain revelations which Oliver and
the Whitmers believe. |
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JS history, TS 4, no. 8 (Mar. 1, 1843): 118–119. |
| Deceived |
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September [5–26], 1830 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."
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¶
D&C 28:11. (Hiram and Oliver both married daughters of Peter
Whitmer, Sr.) |
| To Ohio with Lucy |
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May 1831 travels to Ohio in Lucy
Mack Smith's company, supporting her leadership rather than Brother Humphrey. |
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Lucy, 513. |
| To Thompson |
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May 1831 moves to Thompson, Ohio. |
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| Jackson county |
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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. |
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Mormon atlas, 39;
Lucy, 849.
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| Beaten |
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October 31, 1833 severely beaten
during an attack on Whitmer settlement. |
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¶ Outrage
in Jackson County |
| Hulet branch |
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July 31 and August 6, 1834 after
visiting Hulet branch on assignment from David Whitmer, testifies in the
case. |
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¶
Minutes of July 31, 1834
¶ Minutes of August 6,
1834 |
| To Richmond
with Whitmers |
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Spring of 1838 moves to Richmond,
Ray County, Missouri with the Whitmers, eventually settling in Excelsior
Springs, 14 miles north of Richmond. |
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| Angels |
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As to the Book
of Mormon, it would be doing injustice to myself and to the work of God
of the last days, to say that I could know a thing to be true in 1830,
and know the same thing to be false in 1847. To say my mind was so treacherous
that I have forgotten what I saw, to say that a man of Joseph's ability,
who at that time did not know how to pronounce the word Nephi, could write
a book of six hundred pages, as correct as the Book of Mormon without supernatural
power. And to say that those holy Angels who 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 an hymn in their own pure language; yes, it would be treating the
God of heaven with contempt, to deny these testimonies. |
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The Ensign of Liberty of The
Church of Christ 1 (Dec. 1847): 63, qtd. in Brodie revisited, 84. |
| David Whitmer's Church
of Christ |
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September 6, 1847 William E.
McLellin baptizes 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.") |
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Origins,188.
William E. McLellin,
Ensign of Liberty (Aug. 1849) qtd. in RLDS history,
3:89–90. |
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Family |
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| Spouse |
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Catherine Whitmer
(b. 1807) |
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| Children |
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John
Elizabeth
Philander
Mary
Peter
Nancy
Hiram
Oliver
Kate |
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Children's names are
from Lucy, 849. |
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Seer
stone |
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Joseph's
account
Fayette |
¶ |
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. |
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1839 draft history in
Papers 1:262–264. |
| Hiram
Page's revelations about Zion and the church |
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To our great grief
however we found that Satan had been, lying in wait to deceive, and seeking
whom he might devour. Brother Hiram Page had got in his possession 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. |
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Original: Hyram
In
the 1850s, Martin Harris's brother, Emer, reported Hiram's stone was
black After D&C
28, it was ground to powder and the revelations produced through it
were burned. Early Mormonism, 248.
Zion—the New Jerusalem
D&C 28
The conference was held September 26. Minutes
of September 26, 1830 |
Oliver
and Whitmers believe
Joseph gets revelation |
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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 revelations, which gave
us much information on that & other subjects connected with our respective
duties. |
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| Conference
discusses, renounces Hiram's stone |
¶ |
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— |
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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] < |
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| Stone and revelations destroyed |
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The stone "was Broke to powder and
the writings Burnt." |
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Emer Harris, April 6, 1856 statement, qtd. in Early Mormonism 248. |
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Joseph Fielding Smith comments |
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Joseph Fielding Smith explanation
Ether 13 prompted Hiram's revelations |
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… In reading the Book of Mormon
(Ether 13) it was discovered that Zion, or the New Jerusalem, was to be
built upon this continent. This prediction caused some speculation at that
early day and Hiram Page endeavored to settle
the question by means of revelation received through his stone. |
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History and revelation 1:125n1.
Ether 13:1–13 refers to the
city as the New Jerusalem. Zion does not appear.
Zion—the New Jerusalem |
Joseph not yet sole revelator
Oliver and Whitmers believed Hiram |
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As it was but a few months after the organization of the Church the members
had not learned that there was but one appointed of the Lord to receive
revelations for the Church, and several others thought that Hiram Page or
Oliver Cowdery could receive revelation, just as well as Joseph Smith. Oliver
Cowdery and the members of the Whitmer family were deceived by these false
declarations of Hiram Page. |
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| Oliver rebukes Joseph |
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This caused serious trouble and Oliver Cowdery took the Prophet to task
for not accepting what Hiram Page had given. |
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¶ D&C 28 Background |
| Joseph persuades Oliver, gets revelation,
conference conforms |
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Finally the Prophet persuaded Oliver Cowdery that these things
were wrong, and later the whole membership renounced the revelation given
through this stone, but this did not come until the Lord had given to the
Church the revelation known as section twenty-eight. |
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D&C 28 (September
[5–26], 1830) |
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Book
of Mormon Copyright |
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| David
Whitmer's version |
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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. |
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Address to believers,
31–32.
Copyright Revelation |
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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. |
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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. |
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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." |
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| Oliver's
version |
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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. |
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Seer stones,
58. |
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