Christian Whitmer

Christian Whitmer
Personal details
Born	January 18, 1798 Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States
Died	November 27, 1835 (aged 37) Clay County, Missouri
Known For	One of the Eight Witnesses
Spouse(s)	Ann Schott
Parents	Peter Whitmer, Sr. Mary Musselman

Christian Whitmer (January 18, 1798 – November 27, 1835) was the eldest son 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

Born in Dauphin, Pennsylvania, Whitmer moved with his parents to New York in 1809. On February 22, 1825, he married Ann Schott (1801–1866) in Fayette, New York. In June 1829, Whitmer, along with several of his brothers, was shown the gold plates by Joseph Smith; he subsequently signed a declaration of the Eight Witnesses. On April 11, 1830, he and Ann were baptized into the newly organized Church of Christ. Upon its organization, Whitmer was made a teacher in the church.^[1] They subsequently moved to Jackson County, Missouri, where Whitmer was appointed a leading elder of the church.

By 1835, Whitmer and his family had relocated to the new Latter Day Saint settlement of Far West, Missouri, where Whitmer sat on the high council. He died there in 1835, leaving no children. His widow Ann eventually returned to Fayette.

Notes

1. "The Joseph Smith Papers: Minutes, 9 June 1830". The Church Historian's Press: The Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 11 February 2014.

References

• 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. 1. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Andrew Jenson History Company (Printed by The Deseret News Press). p. 276.
• Keith W. Perkins, "True to the Book of Mormon—The Whitmers", Ensign, February 1989.