David Whitmer
1805–1888

“As we were praying the angel stood before us in his glory, and all those things were before us, as they were laid before us on a table, and we heard the testimony about the plates, and we were commanded to bear that testimony to the world, and our testimony is true. And when the angel had finished his words, and shown us the plates, one by one, which were to be translated, then the vision was closed at once, and exactly as it came even so did the sight disappear.”

Timeline

January 7, 1805: David Whitmer was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the fourth of nine children of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman.

Biography

David Whitmer was born on January 7, 1805, in Pennsylvania. While he was still a baby, David’s father moved the family to Western New York.

Life Stories
by Susan Easton Black

David grew to maturity on wooded farmland in Fayette, New York. In 1828 rumors of a “gold Bible” were confirmed to him in letters by Oliver Cowdery.

Statements

“My testimony to the Book of Mormon is true and I am admonished neither to add to nor take from my testimony already appended to the Book.”

Questions

Did David Whitmer ever deny his Book of Mormon witness because he thought that Joseph Smith was a fallen prophet?

Why Was David Whitmer Excommunicated from the Church?

A KnoWhy from Book of Mormon Central

Why Did David Whitmer Never Return to the Church?

A KnoWhy from Book of Mormon Central