Mary Elsa Musselman Whitmer (August 27, 1778 – January 1856) was a Book of Mormon witness and the wife of

Peter Whitmer Sr. Peter Whitmer Sr. (April 14, 1773 – August 12, 1854) was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement, and father of the movement's second founding family. Whitmer was born in Pennsylvania and married Mary Elsa Musselman. The Whitmers had ...

She was born Mary Elsa Musselman in Germany to Jacob and Elizabeth Musselman. She immigrated to Pennsylvania in the late-18th century, where she met and married

Peter Whitmer Peter Whitmer Sr. (April 14, 1773 – August 12, 1854) was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement, and father of the movement's second founding family. Whitmer was born in Pennsylvania and married Mary Elsa Musselman. The Whitmers had ...

, a farmer, also of German descent. They moved to Waterloo, New York, in 1809, and later purchased a farm in Fayette, New York. They had eight children, Christian Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer,

John Whitmer John Whitmer (August 27, 1802 – July 11, 1878) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He was one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon's golden plates. Whitmer was also the first official Church Historian and a member of th ...

David Whitmer David Whitmer (January 7, 1805 – January 25, 1888) was an American Mormon leader who eventually became the most interviewed of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon's golden plates. Early life Whitmer was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania ...

, Catherine Whitmer Page,

Peter Whitmer Jr. Peter Whitmer Jr. (September 27, 1809 – September 22, 1836) was the sixth child and fifth son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Whitmer, Mary Musselman. He is primarily remembered as one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon's ...

, Nancy Whitmer, and Elizabeth Whitmer Cowdery. Through her son David, she and her family became acquainted with Joseph Smith around 1828. In 1829, she was caring for three boarders (Smith,

Emma Hale Smith Emma Hale Smith Bidamon (July 10, 1804 – April 30, 1879) was an American homesteader, the official wife of Joseph Smith, and a prominent leader in the early days of the Latter Day Saint movement, both during Smith's lifetime and afterward as a ...

, and Oliver Cowdery) in addition to her large household while the Book of Mormon was being translated. She said that she was often overloaded with work to the extent she felt it quite a burden. During this time, the male boarders and members of her household were speaking of being shown the golden plates. One evening, when she went to milk the cows, she said that a stranger with a knapsack spoke to her, explained what was going on in her house, comforted her, then produced a bundle of plates from his knapsack, turned the leaves for her, showed her the engravings, exhorted her to faith in bearing her burden a little longer, then suddenly vanished with the plates. Whitmer always called the stranger "Brother Nephi". Whitmer was baptized a member of the

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * When used in the plural, a New Testament designation for local groups of people following the teachings of Jesus Christ: "...all the churches of Christ greet you", Romans 16:16. * The entire body of Ch ...

by Oliver Cowdery in Seneca Lake, April 18, 1830. She was excommunicated from the church with the entire Whitmer family in 1838, largely due to their dismay at the failure of the Kirtland Safety Society, as well as personal criticism from Joseph Smith. The family moved to Richmond, Missouri, the same year, and she died there in January 1856, at the age of 77.

References

Sources

* * *Keith W. Perkins
"True to the Book of Mormon—The Whitmers"
'' Ensign'', February 1989.

External links

Mary Whitmer in the Joseph Smith Papers

Mary Elsa Musselman Whitmer Grave
1778 births 1856 deaths American Latter Day Saints Angelic visionaries Book of Mormon witnesses Converts to Mormonism Doctrine and Covenants people German Latter Day Saints People excommunicated by the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) Whitmer family {{LDS-stub