D&C Section Forty Seven

Previous to this time, Oliver Cowdery had been keeping a history of the church but was so busy that Joseph Smith asked John Whitmer to be the church historian. John didn't want to do it and asked Joseph to obtain a revelation from the Lord and said he would do it if it was the will of the Lord. He was not a very faithful historian. Over the next seven years until 1838, he only wrote 85 pages and much of that was taken up by the revelations Joseph received. He was one of the presidency of the church in Missouri but the saints there refused to support him. One of his responsibilities was to purchase land in Missouri, but financial irregularities led to an investigation where he was asked to hand over the records for all purchases. He refused to do this and was subsequently excommunicated. He refused to give the history he had been keeping to the church and it was until years later the church was able to obtain a copy.

As a result, Joseph and others began dictating a detailed history of the church from its beginning to assigned clerks and this became the History of the Church that is published still today. John remained in Far West, free from the atrocities because he was no longer a member. With the Saints gone, he was able to purchase most of the town of Far West at a cheap price and stayed there until his death in 1878. During these last years of his life, he continued to write the final chapters of his history and it revealed his bitterness towards Joseph Smith and Mormonism. As one of the eight witnesses to the Book of Mormon, he never denied his testimony. His testimony was told often and one account late in his life said, "Old Father John Whitmer told me last winter, with tears in his eyes, that he knew as well as he knew he had an existence that Joseph translated the ancient writings which was upon the plates which he saw and handled."