“We are still willing to honour 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 the press.” — Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon¹

John Whitmer was baptized in June 1829. He was one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon and acted as a scribe during its translation at his father’s home in Fayette, New York. He made copies of Joseph Smith’s revelation and was later appointed as Church historian in 1831. He settled in Jackson County and lived there until the Saints were expelled from the area in 1833. In 1834, he and W. W. Phelps were appointed as assistants to Whitmer’s brother David in the Church presidency in Missouri. Whitmer also helped establish the Latter-day Saint settlement in Far West, Missouri.²

The Missouri high council later investigated Whitmer and the rest of the Missouri Church presidency for mishandling land sales. Whitmer was accused of selling consecrated land and profiting from it, violating church covenants.³ On March 10, 1838, John Whitmer was excommunicated by a church council in Far West.⁴ After the Missouri presidency was removed from their positions, Thomas B. Marsh was sustained as president pro tempore of the church in Zion, with David W. Patten and Brigham Young as assistant presidents on April 6, 1838.⁵ On April 9, 1838, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon demanded Whitmer surrender his notes on church history for revision and publication, but he did not comply.⁶

1. Letter to John Whitmer, 9 April 1838, josephsmithpapers.org

2. “Whitmer, John,” josephsmithpapers.org

3. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 26, 300-305;

4. “John Whitmer and William W. Phelps Excommunicated,” josephsmithpapers.org

5. “Appointment of Church Historians and Clerks,” josephsmithpapers.org

6. Historical Introduction, Letter to John Whitmer, 9 April 1838, josephsmithpapers.org