Difference between revisions of "Mary Whitmer"

[[Mary Whitmer|Mary Musselman Whitmer]] (August 27, 1778 - January 1856) was the wife of [[Peter Whitmer, Sr.]] Through her son [[David Whitmer]], she and her family became acquainted with [[Joseph Smith, Jr.]] around 1828.  In 1829, probably during June, she was caring for three boarders (Joseph Smith, [[Emma Hale Smith]], and [[Oliver Cowdery]]) in addition to her large household while the Book of Mormon was being translated.  She said 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.  She always called the stranger Brother [[Nephi]].