Christian Whitmer was the eldest son of Peter Whitmer, Sr.

Peter Whitmer, Sr.

Peter Whitmer, Sr. was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement, and father of the movement's second founding family.Peter Whitmer, Sr. was born April 14, 1773 in Pennsylvania and married Mary Elsa Musselman. The Whitmers had eight children together: Christian, Jacob, John, David,...

 and Mary Musselman. He is primarily remembered as one of the Eight Witnesses

Eight Witnesses

The Eight Witnesses were one of the two groups of witnesses who signed a statement stating that they had seen the golden plates which Joseph Smith, Jr. said was his source material for the book...

 of the Book of Mormon

Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...

's Golden Plates

Golden Plates

According to Latter Day Saint belief, the golden plates are the source from which Joseph Smith, Jr. translated the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the faith...

.

Biography

Born January 18, 1798 in Dauphin, Pennsylvania

Dauphin, Pennsylvania

Dauphin is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 791 at the 2010 census. Dauphin's ZIP code is 17018. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Dauphin is located at...

, USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Whitmer moved with his parents' family to New York in 1809. On February 22, 1825, he married Ann Schott (1801–1866) in Fayette, New York

Fayette, New York

Fayette is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 3,643 at the 2000 census.The Town of Fayette is on the western border of the county and is southeast of Geneva, New York.- History :...

. In June 1829, Christian Whitmer, along with several of his brothers became a special witness of the Book of Mormon. On April 11, 1830, he and Ann were baptized into the newly organized "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." They subsequently moved to Jackson County, Missouri

Jackson County, Missouri

Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 674,158 in the 2010 census, Jackson County is the second most populous of Missouri's counties, after St. Louis County. Kansas City, the state's most populous city and focus city of the Kansas City Metropolitan...

, where Whitmer was appointed a leading elder of the church.

By 1835, Whitmer and his family had relocated to the new Latter Day Saint settlement of Far West, Missouri

Far West, Missouri

Far West, Missouri, was a Latter Day Saint settlement in Caldwell County, Missouri.-Foundation and early history:The town was founded by Missouri Mormon leaders, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer in August 1836 shortly before the county's creation. The town was platted originally as a square area,...

, where Whitmer sat on the "High Council

High council (Mormonism)

In Mormonism, a high council is one of several different governing bodies that have existed in the church hierarchy on many Latter-day Saint denominations...

." He died there in 1835, leaving no children. His widow Ann eventually returned to Fayette.