The OG Church Historian
Dear Uncle George
May 19, 1907
Rose about 5 am. After crossing Shoal Creek, found a gentleman in the fields who said I was going the wrong way to Whitmers. Mr. and Mrs. Whitmer made me welcome. William, Alonzie Troupe took me to Kingston, with five pair of grey mules. Made a negative of John Whitmer's tombstone. Reading History of Caldwell County...aka "Mormon Occupation."
"North and South Methodist Churches, divided since the Civil War. The war brought freedom not only to the Negro but also the whites. Before the war, you must not be known as North Methodist or LDS if you wished to get away with your life."
March 2024
It is true: 185 years and 360 days is a long time.
George, your interaction with the Whitmer family 117 years at this point in your mission comes into my life at the exact time that finally, after 185 years, the journal that you referenced has actually just been purchased by the "regular" Mormons, as they are called here in Missouri.
It's been a long go of it for them. Us.
Meet John Whitmer, the OG Church Historian of this dispensation. He was the right person, in the right place, at the right time.
John and his family clan were there before the beginning was officially the beginning. Born three years before Joseph Smith, Jr.. John's parents were Peter and Mary, old school Germans, living on some pretty sweet farm land in Fayette, New York.
Something to note here. Mother Mary must have been something special special because she is the only recorded woman to have seen the plates, including Joseph's wife, Emma.
History states Mary was pretty swamped with a lot of free-wheeling company. She basically needed a nap. And a stiff drink.
So, hiding out in her yard somewhere, she not only put herself in time out, surely with laundry in her hand, but also had a sacred experience.
I empathize. I mean, I have hosted a lot of freeloaders er, free-wheelers. It is tiring and no one has shown me anything special in the back yard next to my Buddha statue or the smelly corner where the neighbor's dog pens are. No one has offered me a stiff drink.
I have always wondered if Mary seeing the plates was a sore subject for Emma because it sure as heck would have been a sore subject for me. But if you know me, you already know that.
June 1829 was really a good month for John. Lifechanging. He became one of Joseph's new besties. A surrogent brother in a surrogent family.
"David, John and Peter Whitmer became our zealous friends and assistants in the work..." John was even told through direct revelation from Heavenly Father that He would speak to only things that John and God knew. He even recognized John as a "true and faithful companion."
John went on to the serve as the 3rd scribe for the translation of the gold plates "during the remainder of the work." He was baptized in Seneca Lake. Ordained to the priesthood. He was selected as one of the Eight Witnesses, a testimony he never denied.
He was present at the official establishment in this room in 1830 in Fayette, New York on the Whitmer family farm. From the beginning before it was officially the beginning, the church has been commanded to be a record keeping people and organization.
It is always good to write things down. Even God himself thinks so...you know, scriptures.
With so much work coming forth, Joseph was instructed to have his revelations and words recorded, arranged and copied for distribution. John picked up the role of scribe after a short stint by Oliver before his mission west.
This new role stressed John out. Writing down dictation verses your own view of a church being established and restored are two very different things.
When called in Doctrine and Covenants 47 as the church historian in 1831, he quotes himself as saying "I would rather not do it but observed that the will of the Lord be done, and if he desires it, I desire that he would manifest it through Joseph the Seer."
In other words, "Hard pass...but ok."
John had two assignments: write and keep a regular history/journal and assist Joseph in any translating he may do.
It was a pretty big gig. He recorded revelations, a hymnal, church newspaper and various other works. He carried an actual manuscript to Missouri for printing. He traveled other places, recording the work of the missionaries. All that, plus in his spare time, preached and shared the gospel. About a year later, his calling expanded to include the works of apostates.
Which a few years later, actually included his own.
The Kirtland years were full of challenges, one of which in my completely uninformed, un-first person knowledge is the arrival of Sidney Rigdon. I have no proof, but I feel like things shifted when he came into the picture. You hear less about the Whitmers, especially in a positive light.
Sidney seemed to become a fast, new best friend with Joseph and as everyone knows, people don't play well in threes.
John survived Zion's March. One meeting, right on the spot, he donated 2024 wages worth $18,000 to the temple construction. He stayed true to his church historian responsibility. There were a lot of rumors and stories floating around in Kirtland, so I imagine it took a discerning ear to figure out what to record. So much bitterness, in the words of Joseph Smith.
Far West was the deal breaker. I wasn't there so I cannot speculate (except in the case of Sidney Rigdon and I am not sorry about that), but it seemed that something turned not only John, his family and Oliver (his brother in law). Oliver knew stuff...what could be perceived as bad and good. Polygamy is recorded as an issue for Oliver and no doubt the staunch Germanic principles of the Whitmers.
I am empathetic to the view they must have had. To know, support and live with Joseph and Emma from the beginning, before the official beginning. To see his Joseph's power and influence grow. To see him become a rock star of the revolution of modern day ideas regarding prophets, revelation and doctrine. To go and do what they did not set out to do or want to do but did it, anyway. To watch him with Sidney, fail at banking, get involved with community policy...and my opinion...polygamy.
To be ratted out in 1837 by a fellow member of church council named George Hinkle to the rest of the council, the prophet and fellow early Saints must have been crushing. Humilitating. George, you don't even go here. Being accused of "hellish principle" and "iniquitous" by the new guys like Moses Martin (who?), John Cleminson (who?) and Elias Higbee (who?).
A side not from the meeting held against John and others: "...the vote against David Whitmer, John Whitmer and William W. Phelps was unanimous, excepting eight to ten..." Sirs, I do not think that means what you think that means.
A year later (March 10, 1837) finds W.W. Phelps and John again in front of a council, this time with a true unanimous vote of excommunication. They had "fleeced the flock of Christ" over $2,000 worth of land. Besides them, the entire Whitmer clan and Oliver Cowdery left the church. While some of them waded through some calmer waters later, John never did return to the fold.
When Joseph Smith arrived in Far West, it was already said and done. No doubt he had heard and read notes and minutes. There are varying reports of the situations, but bottom line, they were gone. His surrogent family was out of the church. The beginning before the official beginning had ended.
Not long after Joseph's arrival, the following letter was sent to John, as he would not release the history he had kept for 7 years to the church clerk:
Mr. John Whitmer, Sir: We were desirous of honoring you publicly to your notes on the history of the Church of Latter-day Saints, after making such corrections as we thought would be necessary, knowing your incompetency as a history, and that writings coming from your pen, could not be put to press without our reproach. Indeed, sire, we never supposed you capable of writing a history, but were willing to let it come out under your name, notwithstanding it would really not be yours but ours. We are still willing to honor you, if you can be made to know your own interest, and give up your notes, so that they can be corrected and made fit for press; but if not, we have all the materials for another which we shall commence this week to write. --JS and SR
Ouch.
Fast forward to March 5, 2024
Maybe it was planned. Maybe it wasn't. I don't know.
Maybe the sale after almost 186 years to the day of Joseph asking for the history from the John Whitmer and then the RLDS Church was timed in a way that only a few would notice.
A mere 185 years and 360 days from his excommunication and susequent grand-canyon-sized-chasm anniversary, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints now officially owns the John Whitmer History.
The same said history that he said in 1831 he didn't want to record. The guy Joseph trusted to follow God's commandment the best. The document John carefully carried through multiple states, for multiple years. The one that solicitated a note of "knowing your incompetency as a historian...we never supposed you capable of writing history..."
I find it interesting that even though John and his family, who were there in the beginning before it was the official beginning, were excommunicated in 1838, he still finished the work, his work, he reluctantly accepted to do.
Here is the closing statement of the John Whitmer History (aka Church History):
"Some temporal movements, have not proved satisfactory to all parties has also terminated in the expulsion of (many) members, among whome is W.W. Phelps and myself. Therefore I close the history of the church of Latter Day Saints, Hoping that I may be forgiven of my faults, and my sins be bloted out and in the last day be savd in the kingdom of God notwithstanding my presnt situation."
Who does that? Who finishes a task they don't want to do, meanwhile severing ties with the people they loved, served and would have died with?
Who completes a history that has been personally insulted and discredited?
Who writes of their own spiritual shortfalls, potential spiritual demise and frankly, generations later, seen as a traitor and villian?
Who doesn't burn that book to the ground?
Who does that? John Whitmer, that's who.
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