Jacob Whitmer
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| Jacob Whitmer | |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | February 2, 1800 Pennsylvania, United States[1] |
| Died | April 21, 1856 (aged 56) |
| Resting place | Richmond Pioneer Cemetery, Missouri, United States 39°17′6.76″N 93°58′34.93″W / 39.2852111°N 93.9763694°W |
| Known For | One of the Eight Witnesses |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Schott |
| Children | 9 |
| Parents | Peter Whitmer, Sr. Mary Musselman |
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Jacob Whitmer (February 2, 1800 – April 21, 1856) was the second born child of Peter Whitmer, Sr., and Mary Musselman. He is primarily remembered as one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon’s golden plates.
Biography
[edit]Born in Pennsylvania, Whitmer moved with his parents to New York, where he married Elizabeth Schott on September 29, 1825. Whitmer and Elizabeth had nine children together, only three of whom survived to adulthood.
Whitmer’s younger brother David became a close associate of Joseph Smith. In June 1829, Jacob Whitmer joined his brothers in signing a statement testifying that he personally saw and handled the golden plates said to be in Smith's possession. On April 11, 1830, he was baptized into the newly organized Church of Christ.
Whitmer moved with the majority of the New York church members to Ohio in 1831. Whitmer then gathered with early church members to Jackson County, Missouri by 1833, but was driven by anti-Mormon vigilantes from his home there and later from his home in Clay County, Missouri as well. He then settled in Caldwell County, Missouri where he served on Far West's high council and received an elder’s license from the church in December 1837.[2]
In a dispute over land ownership in Far West, Whitmer was excommunicated from the church in 1838 along with the rest of the living members of the Whitmer family,[3] and driven again from his home—this time by Mormon vigilantes.[2]
Whitmer settled finally near Richmond in neighboring Ray County, where he worked as a shoemaker and a farmer.[2] He died on April 21, 1856, still affirming his testimony of the golden plates.
Notes
[edit]- ^ United States Census, 1850
- ^ a b c "Whitmer, Jacob". www.josephsmithpapers.org. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
- ^ McCune, George M. (1991). Personalities in the Doctrine and Covenants and Joseph Smith–History. Salt Lake City, Utah: Hawkes Publishing, Inc. pp. 142–145. ISBN 0890365180. OCLC 25553656.
References
[edit]- Jenson, Andrew (1901). Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A compilation of biographical sketches of prominent men and women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Vol. 1. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Andrew Jenson History Company (Printed by The Deseret News Press). pp. 276–277.
- Keith W. Perkins, "True to the Book of Mormon—The Whitmers", Ensign, February 1989.
| Three Witnesses |  | |
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| Eight Witnesses | ||
| Additional Witnesses | ||
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- 1800 births
- 1856 deaths
- American Latter Day Saints
- Book of Mormon witnesses
- Converts to Mormonism
- Farmers from Missouri
- Leaders in the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints)
- People excommunicated by the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints)
- People from Caldwell County, Missouri
- People from Clay County, Missouri
- People from Fayette, New York
- People from Ray County, Missouri
- Religious leaders from New York (state)
- Whitmer family
- Latter Day Saint movement stubs