Imagining the (Largely Non-Extant) Whitmer Family Archives: An Additional Approach to Understanding Early Mormonism

Despite prevailing beliefs about Mormonism's first family, the Smiths were not a record-keeping people. That is not to say that they weren't literate or did not keep some records. Instead, the Joseph, Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith family did not create records with long-term goals in mind. When they first offered support to their son and brother, Joseph Smith, Jr., the family did so outside any habit of writing their thoughts and feelings down. When Smith first experienced visions and told tales of ancient people, he did so without any thought of documenting those experiences. As his inner circle grew, individuals with a record-keeping inclination, such as Oliver Cowdery, began to join Smith's ranks. When the Peter, Sr. and Mary Musselman Whitmer family joined Smith's ranks of believers, they, like the Smiths, were not prone to create records. But they became acquainted with Smith at a time when the logistics and development of the growing movement began to demand the creation of records. Geographical distance forced written records and people receiving sacred texts desired permanence.Given the importance of the early events to all of Mormonism, these earliest years are well-trodden ground for historians and believers alike. Years after the fact, Smith would himself remember and relate the events that founded the religion, and countless believers would read his (canonized) words, believing in those miraculous events. But what is accepted on faith by believers is sometimes challenged by scholarly tools. The need for historians to critically approach the archival record is no less true of events with a significant archival deficiency.Reconstructing events of 1820s Mormonism through contemporary documentary records poses a significant challenge to historians. First, Joseph Smith's theophany, angelic and seer stone visions, recovery of the golden plates, and preparatory efforts to translate the Book of Mormon were primarily or certainly couched in supernatural events leaving few or no physical, independent records. Second, many of what became crucial events were subjective experiences of one individual who recorded almost nothing of those occurrences contemporaneously. Finally, the vast majority of records that were created by private individuals who surrounded Joseph Smith during the 1820s are no longer extant. Such is the case with the Whitmer family, who played a central role in the development of recordkeeping in the nascent faith and whose archives included the majority of the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon manuscript,1 perhaps many (all?) of the early original, dictated manuscripts of the divine commandments and revelations,2 and of or record of contemporary historians of early Mormonism by the of with created or after the fact, and Smith and his earliest with and Such approach challenged and to the such approach is to what the creation and of records for early the creation of records to a to the of the movement that would the of these records are no longer historians that the the role of the Whitmer family archives the earliest years of in that archives are the record of and documenting the or of archives to and the of on early The and of early archives in some the in early believers first to writing their of the As Smith, Cowdery, the and the of Mormonism, the records the earliest of the But the events and the creation of archives through the of the records became of the not a to that of the Mormon manuscript the written not a to some of the earliest of historians a of the of the of the written record that Joseph Smith, the central in early Mormonism, not the individual the to the archives that the played a crucial role in early with the of the Book of Mormon to their on the development of the of the archives are not to such as the archival or as a to that the and archival record is to all the The to Joseph Smith at the the archives a and perhaps a of the written record by or who surrounded But when the early to the those individuals who on were a crucial of the those records what to in visions, seer and the Book of Whitmer and Mary Musselman in in in years the Whitmer family in with and in and Mary Whitmer in their The a of a in the with in and the of in the and the faith as by the in their But the were with any one their and to Mormonism, the Whitmer family and some of the earliest events and after the in of the Book of Mormon at their in of the of at the Whitmer The family to to the in and were of the the to the Oliver the their as a those who were not the of of with their Mormonism of one of earliest family of of the Whitmer family a in and their the to and after the of Joseph Smith in believers of the movement of of to in the a significant of believers joined Smith's son to the of of in of the and the of the Whitmer and and to of their early experiences. in to and the manuscript of the Book of the of the Whitmer family Oliver Whitmer in he not joined the ranks of the Whitmer family, his with his became one of the not the family archives of early The Whitmer family archives of the 1820s and not by a The of the is and original records of sacred texts would the of the perhaps in would in the to the Whitmer family to to the and development of the archives as as to the or of the the family is a of records created or by that the of their and is for the The of is the archival to records for their or The a of family that would or through the of as in the Whitmer family archives is for those records created and by the of the Whitmer family, such a of records not by any or first with Smith and of the Book of Mormon to Smith's first the written who to Smith the or of the Book of Mormon of the movement through the the Smith would his supernatural experiences with family, and through the all records were created by family As Smith began to the of the Book of Mormon on he or family his Smith's to the written and by the or of But the written would to Mormonism and the movement and those who in the first Joseph Smith, they the Whitmer to for many people in the were about the of golden by one Joseph Smith, Whitmer these the of to some for the Whitmer to individuals to Smith and his family, those who the in the the were and a Oliver he acquainted with the Smith family, and he some in the of the plates, and that he to the Whitmer in the of when he and of ancient and angelic is that to his family in the of of Mormonism by his to his and through the But the of the about Smith is is of the about their early to Mormonism and the Whitmer of the of plates, in some of at the the of many early believers, their their and to as a to or of the of of or of of that himself and his family the of Mormonism, to his to the and of the in of Mormonism their or their at that early time is The Whitmer family through or the of the record-keeping by the in the 1820s is by a of As family, that few records and would the to and But the of Oliver to Whitmer and his family the of the written records outside of the The Whitmer archival record certainly Smith in the Mormon the as Mormonism began through the for those to as Smith to to with family or believers by to the Smith family offered Whitmer a to who of Smith's in as he to the Smith family in But the would and or or through few after to Whitmer that he to through a written and Whitmer a to Such the Whitmer The written a Smith and after and the Whitmer family their would they written with the Smith family, his of their and his to to he support Joseph Smith's The to the the Whitmer family to and the through the written Whitmer that would to through of what he When Smith, he would himself as to the But as of individuals in his of Smith's miraculous to his in with and his experiences with of these are extant. to the creation in of the to written the to the in after in he to and that Joseph of the and told of his that he not to any in any by the that Smith to in the of to his earliest Such were believers or The divine dictated after to the and a divine to and the of that that many to the of the of the of their The written of the forced to his written and for The Whitmer family to to the of on Smith and began to the of written for his growing to Whitmer his to Whitmer or to the in the of a read by Whitmer of Smith's Whitmer of the of and his to Whitmer with of divine commandments and miraculous the of through or The commandments outside of their original creation or the experiences of Whitmer to that the of that he his to in the of the growing with of through Smith's dictated commandments Whitmer and his family these to and and a growing of Smith's The of the Book of Mormon one of Smith's the growing through the written Smith his of believers without one Whitmer the of the Book of Whitmer to read the Book of significant written on by Smith, Cowdery, and Smith's to in he a few of what they the of the of the Book of with that he with of the as one of the first of the outside those in the of the as to the inner of Smith and The Whitmer the miraculous of the But the of the Book of Mormon not a written to The Book of importance divine the that he of a that he a record of a people that and that the they were a of these The Book of Mormon not read outside the of Smith's about ancient and the divine he in The of the Book of Mormon forced early to the of ancient of written records by Smith's of he those about in a the of the Book of Mormon began to that to miraculous through the of and to Whitmer the of at that he through with and the written Joseph and in the of the Book of Mormon of a significant of Smith and to the Smith dictated the of a Whitmer to to and Smith, and to the Whitmer in to the in those Cowdery, the of Smith Whitmer read sacred by or to a divine to Whitmer to The challenged Whitmer to of his to support the his Whitmer to with a and the written the Whitmer family to Smith, Cowdery, and the of their Smith's growing as a to one by at they when at and the on the of the for he Joseph to in the that he did and told all these of Oliver in his a when Whitmer in he the of the and their Joseph through the seer stone and told Oliver a of and by on the that the to record in that would his and faith in with Smith the written to and Smith's some the of the and early As by his to Smith, to the Book of Mormon plates, the and Smith's of receiving of of to the Whitmer of as by Smith through his seer stone to himself of the of Smith's certainly to Whitmer and The to record Smith's in the early Mormon record to not first Smith to the of experiences on certainly that The and of with Smith's seer stone and and believers or believers, the divine and seer and the of writing and the in the of to The on the the of the his visions, and the in Smith's to and in the of But the of documenting the of the seer offered believers a to faith in the of the on the experienced events of early Mormonism through a of written in some and the of the to the miraculous events in the Whitmer family the the of those to their growing The created a faith in Smith of any with the Such a the of of Smith that to of Smith to a of to Smith and his to for the first would the and Smith When he Smith and to Whitmer that he with they were some of for Whitmer to in that they by that to the he forced to some of his of Smith and his miraculous written But Smith and to to those The written and without the need for Whitmer family first became acquainted with and to Mormonism, in through the written But that offered Smith a to his and to the written as the a of events of Mormonism, so would and first of Smith's through manuscript or the The by The archives of Smith's is that of the and is that Smith's for time are almost to the creation of Smith's to written years in the The by the of the written original manuscript of the Book of Mormon is with of the manuscript the in the of the and manuscript is a to the of the are to the But is in the manuscript that is extant. The with the as of many of the Book of Mormon manuscript through the of the Whitmer that are and sometimes no on the But not on the of the by the the Book of Mormon by the growing are created in a time and the Book of Mormon that original the of of not the of records the of to the Whitmer family the is a manuscript to that But a on that as a to any of the the Book of Mormon in a manuscript that or in But the not of or manuscript on the manuscript as as for by As the the manuscript with the record on a for the family and The in the manuscript as as that manuscript by early of at the of the Book of Mormon a in the faith in Smith would on his to and with one on their to Joseph Smith, and Oliver experienced that would by Whitmer in his The a who told he to the they and no of the Smith that the a and he the of the and read of the Book of Mormon by Cowdery, with ancient the logistics of the of the their to Whitmer that the his on their by a that the were on the Whitmer Smith the Whitmer in he by a family who of Smith, offered their were as to Smith's But the faith in Smith would experiences of visions and feelings about would a family the to at the supernatural and the to The Whitmer family that the of the Book of Mormon no longer a and to their at the of the of the the creation of a the growing to family the Whitmer Mary Musselman not to the as and the is what Smith told the by of any for the The to and by to the of the Smith to without his the to the after he to of Smith would the in he to the any would to the that any on the the after the of Smith, Cowdery, and the by Smith and on the at the and he the to a on to the Mary the individual who told and in are of the of is that a that faith the the to the of the the first of the Book of Mormon as as a to on Mary and a that of of and ancient no longer Smith or the or Smith's Book of Mormon The Whitmer of Book of Mormon no longer of texts in experienced to the miraculous of ancient The Whitmer family with and the Book of Mormon But the of faith Smith to to the Book of Mormon a family who not his miraculous those their The to Smith's or the and Smith to his the Smith, the were to their faith to Smith and his the creation of the Book of Mormon manuscript about in of supernatural by the such a in a The Whitmer family, who the of their the and told in to Smith and the their as to to as Mary experienced during the of the Book of Mormon would through for and writing a for the to their faith in the Smith and the the Book of Mormon would not through miraculous the the the The miraculous through the the did or for the in of and for Smith as he dictated the of the Book of Mormon the of the written when he and when the to in to in the manuscript of the Book of Mormon their in the were the first to of the of and the Book of to would the in his and his in his so as to the and read the they that Smith the seer stone a in to the the would of would and on that the Smith would read writing to Oliver Cowdery, or Whitmer who would for When the in the Whitmer first read the of the Book of the time with those and The of the Book of Mormon a Smith and the created the manuscript through a The at the Whitmer a family and the of the creation of the the or the written the Whitmer at years at the by and and and for Whitmer the time the all would in and the on the and not in the the and the The creation of the Book of Mormon for those who were not in the not in the as or after the the Cowdery, and Smith about the and The Whitmer family the at in need of the to to the a the family to the and the the of any who at the the in Whitmer to that the to Smith the fact, Smith at no time his and the in the of not the of the Whitmer and of Smith's Smith and the family The of the Book of Mormon a the crucial role that played in the and of the Book of the of created the on the the the manuscript The Book of Mormon written on in to of writing of these were to manuscript by Mary Musselman Whitmer to the Smith some of the Book of Mormon The Whitmer the creation of the a family Mary and the for the As and The time to When what he thought the original manuscript to in about the manuscript that with he his Whitmer to his when he the his creation of the sacred The of Book of Mormon through But and experiences to the movement during the Book of Mormon that the Book of Mormon a divine that through Smith, their to the years after the of his in of the manuscript of the Book of he thought the original one of in he told that the included the Book of Mormon When he would the manuscript he Oliver to keep these sacred and would not for Whitmer would of his his and his the of Whitmer his on the of the manuscript of his to Whitmer his and to the manuscript of the Whitmer family But that archives a family through the efforts of the the of the of the Book of Mormon and the Whitmer family would join their in the Peter, Jr., and with Oliver Cowdery, and Smith family would their to to the of the and of the But did not the The of did not with of the of the The Whitmer family in the of Mary to the of the plates, they the of the and they joined their faith in the creation of the The of to Smith that the of the Book of Mormon a of a growing faith The miraculous in became a sacred in in no to the Whitmer in a sacred a sacred As the manuscript sacred by the is the family But the of the and their that manuscript is not extant. The of words, or are by the The manuscript and at that support documenting The experiences that created the manuscript are or not written and by Whitmer by by Whitmer and by the the the of the not the manuscript a faith in a Whitmer the Whitmer Whitmer faith to the of the Book of Mormon manuscript the Whitmer the of the Book of the significant by and through the creation of the Whitmer family is in the the early sacred commandments or were accepted and the of early believers, the But of commandments the the Smith himself as of the the of the Book of Smith dictated texts in the of early texts and to Smith, Cowdery, the Whitmer family, and were commandments by the of the of the Book of the divine and the sacred commandments their original of the Whitmer significant in their creation and after the first a crucial in these early commandments were first the on the creation some The of Smith's commandments began he the visions experienced by Smith to to these began as of the of the Book of Smith began his commandments on he as or in in in the of Smith dictated commandments the of the manuscript in the of and to the first of on the Book of Mormon Smith dictated the of written Smith the written as those commandments were with like the commandments to one by the of the the sacred Smith a some individuals the through divine early in when Cowdery, who that to the are dictated a and on the and of a the of the of to the of the the for to the of the not to these that when to the of of by the of the the written the he for his as a in with no as Smith to translate the Book of Mormon in Smith Smith he his role in mind. As he the role the growing Smith's commandments would in through in the of in and that to the Whitmer family Smith's at of the earliest commandments on to and the Smith's to translate the Book that he to no for no The of the Book of Mormon to Smith's the of the Book of Mormon and the creation of the earliest commandments created sacred the of sacred the Smith dictated commandments through a seer stone in a to his of the Book of Mormon the Smith his role and the role of the commandments the the of after the of the Book of Mormon and the of the Smith and a that the the Book of Mormon and the commandments by the of the of sacred in in writing the by the all the in the what Whitmer to the in record to in the of the on the stone to Oliver and the of believers he through with The seer the seer stone to translate and commandments to his that after the the to of for Smith to in the of Smith began to to their individual and to Whitmer as he that Smith that would all to on the to and the of the as Smith to commandments to Smith the early believers to their divine through As he the so did he to the of the early Smith created a in a of with the of Smith's commandments on a role the Smith's commandments and would the of a Joseph Smith to Oliver written in the the to in the of in to the of the Book of the Book of Mormon and the by the Smith not commandments of the divine he of the of the Book of Mormon about the of the or a Smith, what he and Smith to Smith the a time when Smith to the of the the Book of Mormon and the the commandments in the of the role of what would for the in one Whitmer family Oliver Cowdery, who with the Smiths at to and Whitmer a to to Smith The at to the commandments to of the of Smith and Whitmer to the and The commandments to they the to of Smith's role as and as texts for the of the of Such and for But significant the or so divine Smith that for some to through the divine commandments is no longer extant. Despite the few to to some that a of some of the of the The earliest of one of as the the growing of believers, so would the written to the of the of The of Joseph Smith and Whitmer in the of the of of to the in written with some of the to the to of the of Cowdery, read a of one of the himself the to Smith's he a his of Smith of in the and of the any divine in the of the the and the of the and in their the of a for the written or by and the of the the the with to the by their that they the of the of their that the to they a of their of and Smith the of to those that Cowdery, as in the Smith, created a of for a and the he to to Smith's of Smith's of the for Smith what he to to or to or to or a or the Smith's experiences the in his in fact, in a that he that to in the of Smith early believers to their the commandments on his to the and Smith to the for at one of the a of on and the written Smith the of in The of early Mormonism not and would to a with the Whitmer family the in the or of Whitmer and his were the of a some When at the some on Joseph Smith a seer stone to translate or of a divine what to he his and the on the writing the he on the seer and in their The on for some time as to as as The of a to the by Smith's and he would the by the first and early that by the first of a of of these the one their the were as by of the to Smith's at the time of the a of the his and the in his a stone he to the of the of the and so were at with the of as is in ancient and of and the of the first few of the of But Smith's to the of to the written texts Smith's of of not his to the on those who included his the the Smith and Smith to the of by his so Whitmer is to that were a of the of Joseph and those who in the divine through a seer Smith some the of that are the on Smith's the in he the Smith of a seer stone to for the not challenged the on and Smith's growing to those texts the they Smith's to his role as of a seer stone to when Smith his seer stone to the first of Smith his seer stone and the of a early would not the or so Smith's for his seer stone is certainly did not the of a of receiving supernatural Smith sacred texts by of the seer stone after he a after the events in Smith the of believers their seer stone in the beliefs to or of divine Smith's seer to couched in such a of Mormonism to As early as Smith's movement as of a and a Smith would to his in such as and seer the of Smith's the of to Mormonism to the The were not to the is that when he to for the on Smith and to The of he and Smith a to of the in and The Smith with the believers in and Cowdery, and the of their and the the as not of that to their in the true of dictated by Smith the say no one to commandments in The of Mormonism's Smith, as the and in writing for the Smith's did not the fact, the first of the of the importance of the of say Oliver that that by the in all by the the commandments But told he through at any time by the to or or at all by the of the But not by of The of for written the not to and the Smith did not for a of the role of he the of the to the of the written by the the of Smith and Smith of the and by the of the to and for of Smith read the The he the of is he on what he the on their The with a of who a in a The Smith and a the of texts created during the of the Book of Mormon the Book of Mormon But Smith that the movement a when Smith the and the and the of the But the would his to the time for Mormonism to to the written texts to the of Mormonism were a by Smith, Oliver read the and of the with by Joseph the written Smith and Whitmer for the and Smith were the written