Peter and Mary Whitmer Home

The Peter and Mary Whitmer farm is among the most significant locations in the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph and Emma Smith and Oliver Cowdery were living here as guests of the Whitmer Family when they completed the translation of the Book of Mormon. It was also on the Whitmer Farm that the three witnesses were visited by the angel Moroni and shown the golden plates, where several important revelations were received, and where the Church of Jesus Christ was formally organized on April 6, 1830.

Oliver Cowdrey met David Whitmer sometime in 1828 while David was in Palmyra on business. The two became friends as they discussed the rumors of Joseph Smith’s revelations. They maintained contact with one another during the time that Oliver was assisting with the translation in Harmony. When it was clear that Joseph and Oliver needed greater privacy than was available in Harmony in order to complete the translation, Oliver called on his friend David for help. In May 1829, David traveled to Harmony where he first met the prophet and his wife. The following month, David took his wagon to Pennsylvania and brought Joseph, Emma, and Oliver to live with his family.

The Whitmer family provided support for Joseph Smith at a crucial time as he worked to fulfill his prophetic call. Peter and Mary Whitmer and their family opened their home and lives to the Prophet while he lived with them on their farm. Some members of the Whitmer family served as scribes during the translation of the Book of Mormon. David Whitmer was one of three men who were shown the Book of Mormon plates at the farm by an angel of God, and Mary Whitmer also became a witness of the Book of Mormon when the angel Moroni showed them to her during a private visitation.

In June 1829, Peter and Mary Whitmer welcomed Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery as boarders in their home. After Joseph finished translating the Book of Mormon, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris were shown the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated in a secluded location near the Whitmer home. The three later wrote a statement affirming the truthfulness of the book which has been published in every edition of the Book of Mormon as the Testimony of the Three Witnesses. Later, eight more witnesses also testified of the reality of the golden plates after the Prophet showed them the plates near Palmyra, New York. Four of these eight additional witnesses were members of the Whitmer family.

On April 6, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ was formally organized in the Whitmer Home. Approximately 55 people—who had traveled from the towns of Colesville, Manchester, and Fayette—sustained Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery as leaders of the Church. Afterwards, Joseph and Oliver blessed and distributed the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper to the congregation and confirmed several people who had been previously baptized as members of the newly organized Church. On the same day, Joseph shared a revelation from God (Doctrine and Covenants 21) with the assembled congregation and some of those present were baptized in nearby Seneca Lake. Later, the Whitmer home was used for several important meetings including the first conferences, from 1830 to 1831.

The Whitmer’s were members of a large German-speaking community that had migrated from central Europe to Pennsylvania seeking religious freedom. The family moved to Fayette, New York in the early 1800s and became respected members of their community. In December 1830, a revelation received at the Whitmer Home commanded the Church to “go to the Ohio” (Doctrine and Covenants 37). The following April, the Whitmer Family sold their farm and moved with the rest of the Saints to Kirtland, Ohio.

Read more about the organization of the restored Church of Jesus Christ at the Whitmer Farm in Saints Volume 1, Chapter 8.

360° Walkthrough

What to Expect

The Peter and Mary Whitmer Home is part of the guided tour given by missionaries at the Whitmer Farm. The tour begins in the Visitors’ Center where visitors can watch an introductory film and view interactive exhibits.