David Whitmer recalls each of the witnesses signing their name to the original statement, then Oliver Cowdery copying it.

Date
Sep 17, 1878
Type
Letter
Source
Joseph F. Smith
LDS
Hearsay
Holograph
2nd Hand
Reference

Joseph F. Smith, Letter to John Taylor, September 17, 1878, MS 1325, Church History Library

Scribe/Publisher
Joseph F. Smith
People
Emma Hale Smith, Orson Pratt, Christian Whitmer, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, Joseph F. Smith, John Whitmer
Audience
John Taylor
Transcription

On the morning of Saturday Sep. 7th we met David Whitmer, the last remaining one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon. He is a good solid man, some 73 years of age and well preserved. (He was born Jan. 7. 1805.) he is clean shaven, and his hair perfectly white and rather thin. He has a large head and a very pleasant manly face countenance, that one would readily acknowledge to be an index to a conscientious, honest heart;

He seemed wonderfully pleased as well as surprised at seeing Elder Orson Pratt, said he would not have known him, he had grown so fat and stout. He could remembored him as a slender, bashful timid boy. After a few moments conversation he left, us, saying he would come back again to see us. Soon after which he called again at the hotel with Col. Childs <a youngish man> a resident of the place.

. . .

David Whitmer brought out the manuscript of the Book of Mormon We examined it closely, and those who knew the hand writing pronounced the the whole of it, excepting a few comparativley a few pages to be in the hand writing of Oliver Cowdery. It was thought that these few pages were in the hand writings of Emma Smith and John <&> Christian Whitmer. We found that the names of the eleven witnesses were however subscribed in the hand writing of Oliver Cowdery. When the question was asked Mr. Whitmer, if he and the other witnesses did or didn't sign the testimonies themselves, Mr. Whitmer replied "They" each signed his own name" "Then where are the original documents"? "D. Whitmer "I don't know, I suppose Oliver copied them, but this <I know> is an exact copy."

Citations in Mormonr Qnas
Copyright © B. H. Roberts Foundation
The B. H. Roberts Foundation is not owned by, operated by, or affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.