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Appendix 2, Document 1. Characters Copied by John Whitmer, circa 1829–1831

Source Note

“Caractors,” [possibly , Seneca Co., NY, or , Susquehanna Co., PA; ca. 1829–1831]; title in handwriting of ; characters probably also in Whitmer’s handwriting; one page; CHL.
Extant section of leaf, measuring 3¼ × 8⅛ inches (8 × 21 cm). The slip of paper was originally part of a larger sheet. The top was torn or cut, the left edge appears to be the original edge of the larger sheet, and the right edge is worn from age. The bottom edge was separated along a fold line from a now-missing portion of the leaf, as seen in a photograph made by 1886. The portion of the document that is visible in the photograph is 2 inches (5 cm) taller than the extant document, and edges of a folded-under portion are also visible. Thus, the original was as much as four times the height of the extant portion. Later notation in pencil on verso in unidentified handwriting: “Genuine”.
This document was in the possession of at the time of his death in 1888. It is unknown when or from whom Whitmer acquired it. He probably acquired it from his brother , who created it, or he may have received the document from , who also gave Whitmer the printer’s manuscript of the Book of Mormon and other early church documents shortly before Cowdery’s death in 1850. John Whitmer is known to have possessed this document or a similar document by 1875—on loan from David Whitmer. After David Whitmer’s death, the document was passed to his son David J. Whitmer, and eventually to George Schweich, David Whitmer’s grandson. About the end of 1899, the manuscript was in the possession of William E. Benjamin, a collector and dealer of autographs and rare books in , though Schweich still owned it. By 1902, the first presidency of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ) authorized the purchase of this document, the Book of Mormon printer’s manuscript, and other papers. In 2024, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acquired the document from the Community of Christ, and it is now held at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Jacob T. Hicks, Photograph Collection, Clay County Museum and Historical Society, Liberty, MO; Stevenson, Journal, 9 Feb. 1886.

    Hicks, Jacob T. Photograph Collection, [187-?]–[191-?]. Clay County Museum and Historical Society, Liberty, Mo.

    Stevenson, Edward. Journals, 1852–1896. Edward Stevenson, Collection, 1849–1922. CHL. MS 4806, boxes 1–4.

  2. [2]

    In 1875, E. C. Brand visited John Whitmer and saw “a facsimile of the characters of the plates.” In 1877, when interviewed by Edward Stevenson, David Whitmer did not mention this document. In 1878, P. Wilhelm Poulson claimed that he saw a characters document in John Whitmer’s possession. (E. C. Brand, Statement, 5 Mar. 1876, in Vogel, Early Mormon Documents, 5:250; Stevenson, Journal, 22–23 Dec. 1877, 9 Feb. 1886, and 2 Jan. 1887; P. Wilhelm Poulson, Letter to Editor, 13 Aug. 1878, Deseret Evening News, 16 Aug. 1878, [2]; “Death of John Whitmer,” Deseret News, 14 Aug. 1878, 434–435.)

    Vogel, Dan, ed. Early Mormon Documents. 5 vols. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1996–2003.

    Stevenson, Edward. Journals, 1852–1896. Edward Stevenson, Collection, 1849–1922. CHL. MS 4806, boxes 1–4.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

  3. [3]

    T. E. Lloyd, “The Carroll-Lloyd Exposé,” Zion’s Ensign, 15 July 1893, 6–7.

    Zion’s Ensign. Independence, MO. 1891–.

  4. [4]

    Riley, Founder of Mormonism, 80–81; “The Book of Mormon,” New York Times, 21 Sept. 1899, 9; George Schweich, Richmond, MO, to O. R. Beardsley, 17 Jan. 1900, Miscellanea, Marie Eccles-Caine Archives of Intermountain Americana, Utah State University Special Collections, Logan.

    Riley, I. Woodbridge. The Founder of Mormonism: A Psychological Study of Joseph Smith, Jr. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1902.

    New York Times. New York City. 1857–.

    Schweich, George. Letter, Richmond, MO, to O. R. Beardsley, 17 Jan. 1900. Miscellanea, Marie Eccles-Caine Archives of Intermountain Americana, Utah State University Special Collections, Logan.

  5. [5]

    The New York Times reprinted an article from the St. Louis Republic that indicated the document was “kept in a bank vault in this town.” On 17 January 1900, Schweich wrote to O. R. Beardsley, telling him that the document was with Benjamin in New York. (“The Book of Mormon,” New York Times, 21 Sept. 1899, 9; George Schweich, Richmond, MO, to O. R. Beardsley, 17 Jan. 1900, Miscellanea, Marie Eccles-Caine Archives of Intermountain Americana, Utah State University Special Collections, Logan; see also Riley, Founder of Mormonism, 80–81; Joseph F. Smith, Salt Lake City, UT, to Samuel Russell Jr., Bern, Switzerland, 19 Mar. 1901, Samuel Russell Sr. Family Papers, 1822–1954, BYU; and Dickinson, Dictionary of American Antiquarian Bookdealers, 13–14.)

    New York Times. New York City. 1857–.

    Schweich, George. Letter, Richmond, MO, to O. R. Beardsley, 17 Jan. 1900. Miscellanea, Marie Eccles-Caine Archives of Intermountain Americana, Utah State University Special Collections, Logan.

    Riley, I. Woodbridge. The Founder of Mormonism: A Psychological Study of Joseph Smith, Jr. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1902.

    Smith, Joseph F. Letter, Salt Lake City, UT, to Samuel Russell Jr., Bern, Switzerland, 19 Mar. 1901. Samuel Russell Sr. Family Papers, 1822–1954. BYU.

    Dickinson, Donald C. Dictionary of American Antiquarian Bookdealers. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1998.

  6. [6]

    “Minutes of First Presidency,” 24 Apr. 1902, CCLA.

    “Minutes of First Presidency, March 1898 to September 1907, Record No. 1.” CCLA.

Historical Introduction

, who eventually owned this document, claimed that it was the same one showed to scholars in in early 1828. However, , who inscribed the title “Caractors,” did not meet JS until 1829, more than a year after Harris’s journey to New York. The format of this document suggests that it was created all at one time, with the title inscribed first and the characters subsequently added, curving slightly around the existing title. Additionally, the number of characters per line increases while the size of each character decreases, suggesting that the scribe underestimated the space needed for the transcription.
The characters were initially copied onto a portion of a larger leaf of paper, which was folded horizontally into at least three or four parts and remained intact until at least early 1886. At that time, Jacob Hicks, a photographer from , Missouri, photographed the original. Fold marks visible in the photograph likely indicate that the original document was folded and in use before the characters were copied to the upper portion of the page. wrote another title (visible in the photograph) across the paper horizontally, near the middle, which reads “The Book of [obscured by folding] | Generation [obscured by folding] | Adam.” It appears that the paper was then wrapped around a larger manuscript to help identify and protect that document. The characters are confined to one of the small folded sections and are oriented parallel to the fold lines, suggesting that they were written after the full sheet was already in use as a wrapper. Sometime after the photograph was taken, the entire portion below the copied characters was torn, or possibly cut, from the original, and it is no longer extant.
The lower title, written perpendicular to the lines of characters, possibly links this document to ’s copy of JS’s Old Testament revision. Whitmer made a copy of the Old Testament manuscript in late 1830 or early 1831 to take with him to , where he helped lead the fledging church until JS and others moved to Ohio in February 1831. Whitmer labeled his copy of the Old Testament revision “The Book of the Generations of Adam,” a label that is nearly identical to the title found on the now missing lower portion of the document. This suggests that Whitmer originally wrapped his copy of the Old Testament manuscript with this page and then, before leaving to Ohio, copied the characters on the back of the wrapper to show to church members living there. , the editor of the Painesville Telegraph, sardonically reported Whitmer’s arrival along with “pretended” revelations, which contained “a more particular description of the creation of the world, and a history of Adam and his family, and othey [other] sketches of the antideluvian world, which Moses neglected to record.”
Although likely created the document just before he left for , no evidence exists to date this text definitively, and it is possible the creation date was earlier or later. The earliest John Whitmer could have produced this document was after he first met JS in June 1829, when his brother helped JS move into the home of their father, , in , New York. It was there that John Whitmer briefly assisted JS as a scribe in the translation of the Book of Mormon. Whitmer also may have created the document after he relocated to in 1831, or sometime during 1835 or 1836, when he returned for a time to Ohio. During that later time, members of the church had renewed interest in ancient records and in the characters. Between 1836, when Whitmer returned to Missouri, and his excommunication less than two years later, it is unlikely that he had access to copies of characters from which he could have created this document.
See also Appendix 2: Copies of Book of Mormon Characters, Introduction.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Cannon, Journal, 27 Feb. 1884; “Revelation Revisers,” Missouri Republican (St. Louis), 16 July 1884, 7; T. E. Lloyd, “The Carroll-Lloyd Exposé,” Zion’s Ensign, 15 July 1893, 6–7. Charles Anthon described a document completely different from the document featured here. (Charles Anthon, New York City, NY, to Eber D. Howe, Painesville, OH, 17 Feb. 1834, in Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 270–272; Charles Anthon, New York City, NY, to Thomas Winthrop Coit, New Rochelle, NY, 3 Apr. 1841, in Clark, Gleanings by the Way, 233–238.)

    Cannon, George Q. Journals, 1855–1864, 1872–1901. CHL. CR 850 1.

    Missouri Republican. St. Louis. 1822–1919.

    Zion’s Ensign. Independence, MO. 1891–.

    Howe, Eber D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time. With Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner in Which the Famous Golden Bible Was Brought before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquiries into the Probability That the Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written by One Solomon Spalding, More Than Twenty Years Ago, and by Him Intended to Have Been Published as a Romance. Painesville, OH: By the author, 1834.

    Clark, John A. Gleanings by the Way. New York: Robert Carter, 1842.

  2. [2]

    Stevenson, Journal, 9 Feb. 1886.

    Stevenson, Edward. Journals, 1852–1896. Edward Stevenson, Collection, 1849–1922. CHL. MS 4806, boxes 1–4.

  3. [3]

    See Old Testament Revision Manuscript, John Whitmer first copy, ca. 1830, CCLA.

    Old Testament Revision Manuscript, John Whitmer first copy, ca. 1830. CHL.

  4. [4]

    “Mormonism,” Painesville (OH) Telegraph, 18 Jan. 1831, [1].

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

  5. [5]

    See “Mormonism,” Kansas City Daily Journal, 5 June 1881, [1]; and JS History, vol. A-1, 21.

    Kansas City Daily Journal. Kansas City, MO. 1878–1891.

  6. [6]

    Whitmer may also have copied it in early 1831 before departing Ohio for Missouri. During the time Whitmer lived in Missouri, from late 1831 to 1835, those most likely to have copies of the characters, including JS and Martin Harris, both lived in Ohio. It is also possible that Oliver Cowdery had a copy of the characters in Missouri and that Whitmer copied characters from that document. (JS History, vol. A-1, 157; John Whitmer, “To the Patrons of the Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, June 1835, 1:135–137.)

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  7. [7]

    See Historical Introduction to Characters Copied by Oliver Cowdery, ca. 1835–1836.

  8. [8]

    Whitmer, History, 71; Minute Book 2, 25 July 1836 and 10 Mar. 1838.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Appendix 2, Document 1. Characters Copied by John Whitmer, circa 1829–1831
*Appendix 2, Document 2a. Characters Copied by Oliver Cowdery, circa 1835–1836 Appendix 2, Document 2b. Writings and Characters Copied by Frederick G. Williams, circa Early to Mid-1830s *Appendix 2, Document 3. Stick of Joseph, 1844

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Caractors
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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Appendix 2, Document 1. Characters Copied by John Whitmer, circa 1829–1831
ID #
4
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D1:353–361
Handwriting on This Page
  • John Whitmer

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