David Whitmer (January 7, 1805–January 25, 1888) was an early adherent of the Latter Day Saint movement who eventually became the most interviewed of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon's Golden Plates. January 7 is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Latter Day Saint movement is a religious movement that can be said to have been founded primarily by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... A monument to the Three Witnesses at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. ... The Book of Mormon[1] is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement, regarded by Latter Day Saints as divinely revealed, and named after the prophet-historian Mormon who, according to the text, compiled most of the book. ... An 1893 engraving of Joseph Smith receiving the Golden Plates and the Urim and Thummim from Moroni. ...

Early life

David Whitmer was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the fourth of nine children of Peter Whitmer, Sr. and Mary Musselman Whitmer. By the 1820s, the Whitmer family had moved to a farm in Fayette, in New York's Finger Lakes area. Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Dauphin Incorporated 1791 Charter 1860 Government  - Mayor Stephen R. Reed (D) Area  - City  11. ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... Peter Whitmer, Sr. ... Mary Musselman Whitmer (August 27, 1778 - January 1856) was the wife of Peter Whitmer, Sr. ... Nationalistic independence helped reshape the world during this decade: Greece gains independence from the Ottoman Empire in the Greek War of Independence (1821-1827). ... Fayette is a town located in Seneca County, New York. ... NY redirects here. ... The Finger Lakes, a major tourist destination in the west-central section of Upstate New York, are actually eleven in number, but only seven of the largest are commonly identified as such. ...

Role in the early Latter Day Saint movement

Whitmer and his family were among the earliest adherents to the Latter Day Saint or Mormon movement. Whitmer first heard of Joseph Smith and the Golden Plates in 1828 when he made a business trip to Palmyra, New York, and there talked with his friend Oliver Cowdery, who believed that there "must be some truth to the matter."^[1] The Latter Day Saint movement is a religious movement that can be said to have been founded primarily by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Mormon is a term used to describe people who are adherents, practitioners, followers or constituents of Mormonism, and who are identified as the Latter Day Saint movement formally established in 1830. ... Joseph Smith, Jr. ... An 1893 engraving of Joseph Smith receiving the Golden Plates and the Urim and Thummim from Moroni. ... Year 1828 (MDCCCXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Palmyra is a town in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 7,672 at the 2000 census. ... NY redirects here. ... Photograph of Oliver Cowdery found in the Library of Congress, taken in the 1840s Oliver Hervy Pliny Cowdery[1] (3 October 1806 – 3 March 1850) was the primary participant with Joseph Smith, Jr. ...

Whitmer eventually accepted the story and brought his father's family to join the Smiths in Palmyra. David Whitmer was baptized in June 1829, nearly a year prior to the formal organization of the Latter Day Saint church. Perhaps during that same month, Whitmer said that he, along with Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery saw an angel present the Golden Plates in a vision.^[2] Martin Harris reported that he experienced a similar vision with Smith later in the day. Whitmer, Cowdery, and Harris then signed a joint statement declaring their testimony to the reality of the vision. The statement was published in the first edition of the Book of Mormon and has been included in nearly every subsequent edition. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Church of Christ was the original name given to the church formally organized by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... A Gothic angel in ivory, c1250, Louvre An angel is a supernatural being found in many religions. ... Martin Harris (1783–1875) was the first financier of The Book of Mormon. ... The Book of Mormon[1] is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement, regarded by Latter Day Saints as divinely revealed, and named after the prophet-historian Mormon who, according to the text, compiled most of the book. ...

When Smith organized the Latter Day Saint "Church of Christ" (as it was initially called) on April 6, 1830, Whitmer was one of six original members. (In his 1838 history, Joseph Smith said the church was organized at the home of David's father, Peter Whitmer, Sr., in Fayette, New York, but in an 1842 letter, Smith said that the church was organized at Manchester, New York.)^[3] The Church of Christ was the original name given to the church formally organized by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Manchester, New York is both a town and a village located in Ontario County, New York. ...

Whitmer had been ordained an elder of the church by June 9, 1830, and he was ordained to the office of High Priest by Oliver Cowdery on October 5, 1831. Soon after the organization of the church, Joseph Smith, Jr. set apart Jackson County, Missouri as a "gathering place" for Latter Day Saints. According to Smith, the area had both once been the site of the biblical Garden of Eden, and would be the "center place" of the City of Zion, the New Jerusalem. On July 7, 1834, Joseph Smith ordained Whitmer to be the president of the church in Missouri and his own successor, should the Prophet "not live to God". Elder is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek Priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... High priest is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... is the 278th day of the year (279th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Largest metro area St Louis Metro[1] Area  Ranked 21st  - Total 69,709 sq mi (180,693 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 300 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... The Fall of Man by Lucas Cranach, a 16th century German depiction of Eden The Garden of Eden (from Hebrew גַּן עֵדֶן ) is described in the Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve, lived after they were created by God. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1834 (MDCCCXXXIV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

(Although early church documents state that Whitmer, like Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery, was ordained to the priesthood office of apostle,^[4] there is no record of this ordination, and Whitmer—as with Cowdery—was never a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Rather, Cowdery and Whitmer were chosen to be a selection committee, empowered to choose and ordain the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve,^[5] which they did in 1835 with the assistance of Harris.^[6] Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Photograph of Oliver Cowdery found in the Library of Congress, taken in the 1840s Oliver Hervy Pliny Cowdery[1] (3 October 1806 – 3 March 1850) was the primary participant with Joseph Smith, Jr. ... In Mormonism, an Apostle is a special witness of the name of Christ who is sent to teach the principles of salvation to others. ... The current Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the LDS Church. ...

Excommunicated as a "Dissenter"

Whitmer continued to live in Kirtland and his counselors, W.W. Phelps and John Whitmer (David's brother) presided over the church in Missouri until the summer of 1837. After the collapse of the Kirtland Safety Society bank, Smith and his counselor Sidney Rigdon, battered by creditors and hauled before several courts, moved to Far West, Missouri. The ensuing leadership struggle led to the excommunication of the presidency of the church in Missouri — David Whitmer, W.W. Phelps and John Whitmer — as well as other prominent leaders, including Oliver Cowdery. William Wines Phelps (also W.W. Phelps, and William W. Phelps) (February 17, 1792–March 7, 1872) was an important early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... John Whitmer (1802–1878) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. ... Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 (MDCCCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Kirtland Safety Society (KSS) was a quasi-bank organized in 1836 (and reorganized on January 2, 1837) by leaders and followers of the Church of Christ (precursor to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Far West, Missouri, was a Latter Day Saint (Mormon) settlement in Caldwell County, Missouri. ... Photograph of Oliver Cowdery found in the Library of Congress, taken in the 1840s Oliver Hervy Pliny Cowdery[1] (3 October 1806 – 3 March 1850) was the primary participant with Joseph Smith, Jr. ...

Whitmer and the other excommunicated Latter Day Saints became known as the "dissenters." The dissenters owned a great deal of land in Caldwell County, Missouri, which they wanted to retain. The church presidency, however, publicly called for their expulsion from the county. A number of Latter Day Saints formed a secret society known as the Danites, whose stated goal was removal of the dissenters. Eighty prominent Mormons signed the so-called Danite Manifesto, which warned the dissenters to "depart or a more fatal calamity shall befall you." Shortly afterward, Whitmer and his family fled to nearby Richmond, Missouri. Caldwell County is a county located in the state of Missouri. ... An oration delivered on June 17, 1838 by Mormon leader, Sidney Rigdon, against Mormon dissenters. ... The Danites were a Latter Day Saint vigilante group organized in the late 1830s. ... Richmond is a city located in Ray County, Missouri. ...

Whitmer and the other dissenters complained to the non-Mormons in northwestern Missouri about their forcible expulsion and the loss of their property, and they began to file lawsuits to recover it. raised alarm among non-Mormons and contributed to the 1838 Mormon War. As a result of the conflict most of the Latter Day Saints were expelled from Missouri by early 1839.^[7] | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Mormon War is a name sometimes given to the 1838 conflict which occurred between Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and their neighbors in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Missouri. ... 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Whitmer used his position as one of the Three Witnesses to condemn Joseph Smith's church. "If you believe my testimony to the Book of Mormon," wrote Whitmer, "if you believe that God spake to us three witnesses by his own voice, then I tell you that in June, 1838, God spake to me again by his own voice from the heavens and told me to 'separate myself from among the Latter Day Saints, for as they sought to do unto me, so it should be done unto them.'"^[8] A monument to the Three Witnesses at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. ...

President of the Church of Christ (Whitmerite)

Although the main body of the Latter Day Saints eventually relocated to Nauvoo, Illinois, Whitmer continued to live in Richmond, where he operated a livery stable and became a prominent and respected citizen. Nauvoo (נָאווּ to be beautiful, Sephardi Hebrew NÃ¥vu, Tiberian Hebrew Nâwû) is a city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ...

After the assassination of Joseph Smith in 1844, several rival leaders claimed to be Smith's successor, including Brigham Young, Sidney Rigdon, and James J. Strang. Many of Rigdon's followers became disillusioned by 1847 and some, including Apostle William E. M'Lellin and Benjamin Winchester, remembered Whitmer's 1834 ordination to be Smith's successor. At M'Lellin's urging, Whitmer exercised his claim to be Smith's successor and the Church of Christ (Whitmerite) was formed in Kirtland, Ohio. However, Whitmer never joined the body of the new church and it dissolved relatively quickly. Main article: Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Jan. ... See also, Brigham Young University Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was the second prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1856 daguerreotype of James Strang, taken on Beaver Island, Lake Michigan, by J. Atkyn, one of his assassins. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... In Mormonism, an Apostle is a special witness of the name of Christ who is sent to teach the principles of salvation to others. ... William Earl MLellin (January 18, 1806—April 24, 1883) (often modernized to McLellin) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. ... Benjamin Winchester (August 6, 1817–January 25, 1901) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. ... The Church of Christ (Whitmerite) was a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement based on the claims of David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormons Golden Plates. ... Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. ...

Around this time, fellow Book of Mormon witness Oliver Cowdery, began to correspond with Whitmer. After traveling from Ohio to Kanesville (Council Bluffs), Cowdery met in the Kanesville Tabernacle meeting, called to sustain Brigham Young as the new President of the Church; Cowdery bore his testimony with a conviction to the truthfulness of everything that had happened spiritually with Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Meeting with Young at Winter Quarters, Nebraska, he requested readmission into the Church, where he was re-baptised into the church. Cowdery then travelled to meet with Whitmer in Richmond, to persuade David Whitmer to move west with him to rejoin the Saints in Utah. While staying with Whitmer, however, Cowdery succumbed to consumption and died. In the Latter Day Saint movement, the President of the Church is generally considered to be the highest office of the church. ... Winter Quarters, Nebraska, was an encampment formed by approximately 3,500 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they awaited better conditions for their trek westward during the winter of 1846-1847. ... Rebaptism is a practice in some denominations of the Latter Day Saint or Mormonism movement. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  Ranked 13th  - Total 84,889 sq mi (219,887 km²)  - Width 270 miles (435 km)  - Length 350 miles (565 km)  - % water 3. ... Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus) is a common and deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria, mainly Mycobacterium tuberculosis. ...

Whitmer continued to live in Richmond and in 1867, he was elected to fill an unexpired term as mayor (1867–1868). In 1876, Whitmer again asserted his claim to be the successor of Joseph Smith and organized a second Church of Christ (Whitmerite). In 1887, he published a pamphlet entitled An Address to All Believers in Christ, in which he affirmed his testimony of the Book of Mormon, but denounced The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah. At the end of his life, Whitmer ordained a nephew to be his successor. David Whitmer died January 25, 1888 in Richmond. The Whitmerite church survived until the 1960s. Cunt BAg Twat Fuk suck my penis ring 0778851865!!!!!!Year 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The Church of Christ (Whitmerite) was a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement based on the claims of David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormons Golden Plates. ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  Ranked 13th  - Total 84,889 sq mi (219,887 km²)  - Width 270 miles (435 km)  - Length 350 miles (565 km)  - % water 3. ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...

The most interviewed Book of Mormon witness

Because Oliver Cowdery died in 1850 at age 43 and Martin Harris died in 1875 at age 91, David Whitmer was the only survivor of the Three Witnesses for 13 years. At Richmond, Missouri, he sometimes received several inquirers daily asking about his connection to the Book of Mormon, including Mormon missionaries who were traveling from Utah to the eastern United States and Europe. Despite his hostility toward the LDS Church, Whitmer always stood by his claim that he had actually seen the Golden Plates.^[9] Photograph of Oliver Cowdery found in the Library of Congress, taken in the 1840s Oliver Hervy Pliny Cowdery[1] (3 October 1806 – 3 March 1850) was the primary participant with Joseph Smith, Jr. ... For the game, see: 1850 (board game) 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Martin Harris (1783–1875) was the first financier of The Book of Mormon. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... A monument to the Three Witnesses at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. ... The Book of Mormon[1] is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement, regarded by Latter Day Saints as divinely revealed, and named after the prophet-historian Mormon who, according to the text, compiled most of the book. ... Mormon Missionaries are called of God to serve in their right place on Earth for a certain amount of time. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... An 1893 engraving of Joseph Smith receiving the Golden Plates and the Urim and Thummim from Moroni. ...

Nevertheless, his testimonies differed from one retelling to another. Recounting the vision to Orson Pratt in 1878, Whitmer claimed to have seen not only the Golden Plates but the "Brass Plates, the plates containing the record of the wickedness of the people of the world....the sword of Laban, the Directors (i.e. the ball which Lehi had) and the Interpreters. I saw them just as plain as I see this bed...."^[10] On other occasions, Whitmer's vision of the plates seemed far less corporeal. When asked in 1880 for a description of the angel who showed him the plates, Whitmer replied that the angel "had no appearance or shape." Asked by the interviewer how he then could bear testimony that he had seen and heard an angel, Whitmer replied, "Have you never had impressions?" To which the interviewer responded, "Then you had impressions as the Quaker when the spirit moves, or as a good Methodist in giving a happy experience, a feeling?" "Just so," replied Whitmer.^[11] A young Mormon lawyer, James Henry Moyle, who interviewed Whitmer in 1885, asked if there was any possibility that Whitmer had been deceived. "His answer was unequivocal....that he saw the plates and heard the angel with unmistakable clearness." But Moyle went away "not fully satisfied....It was more spiritual than I anticipated."^[12] Yet Whitmer ordered his testimony to the Book of Mormon placed on his tombstone. Orson Pratt Orson Pratt (September 19, 1811 – October 3, 1881) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Lehi refers to: Lehi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon Lehi, a city in Utah Lehi, a Zionist paramilitary group in Palestine/Israel Lehi, a location in southwest Palestine/Israel Lehi, a traditionally Mormon agricultural neighborhood in northern Mesa, Arizona This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid... Year 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... A Gothic angel in ivory, c1250, Louvre An angel is a supernatural being found in many religions. ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Notes

It has been suggested that Community of Christ membership statistics be merged into this article or section. ...

References

• Metcalfe, Brent Lee (1993). "Apologetic and Critical Studies Assumptions about Book of Mormon Historicity". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 26 (3): 153–184. 
• Davis, Inez Smith (1981). The Story of the Church, 10th ed, Independence, Missouri: Herald House, p. 75. 

External links

Book of Mormon Portal

• Saints Without Halos: David Whitmer
• Text of An Address to All Believers in Christ from Olivercowdery.com