Three Witnesses Monument Richmond, Missouri, United States of America Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and David Whitmer were appointed to be three special witnesses of the Book of Mormon in June 1829. Every copy of the Book of Mormon includes their testimony of their experience in which the angel Moroni appeared unto them and showed them the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. Their testimony is as follows: Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower of which hath been spoken. And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these things are true. And it is marvelous in our eyes. Nevertheless, the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment-seat of Christ, and shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens. And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen. The Three Witnesses Monument at the Oliver Cowdery Gravesite Photo courtesy of Steve Mortensen Although each left the Church, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris eventually returning, they never denied this testimony. Oliver Cowdery returned to the Church in 1848 after having been absent from membership for ten years. He visited the Saints in Kanesville, where he was rebaptized. He hoped to travel west with the Saints, but his health failed him and he died in 1850 in Richmond, Missouri. The monument is located over his gravesite. The monument was erected in 1911 under the direction of Junius F. Wells. A metal casket within a concrete base was placed under the monument which contained copies of the History of the Church, Volume 1, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, the Cowdery Family Genealogy, the Contributor, Volume 5 containing George Reynolds History of the Book of Mormon, and engraved portraits of Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, & David Whitmer. The dedication of the monument occurred on November 22, 1911 and was performed by Elder Heber J. Grant.1
2 Three Witnesses Monument, Richmond, Missouri, United States of America The monument remains a symbol of the truth of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith. SOURCES 1 Junius F. Wells, The Oliver Cowdery Monument at Richmond, Missouri, Improvement Era, Vol. 15, No. 3, January 1912. Various Accounts of the Experience of the Three Witnesses Account of the Three Witnesses as recorded in History of the Church 1 Not many days after... we four, viz., Martin Harris, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and myself, agreed to retire into the woods, and try to obtain, by fervent and humble prayer, the fulfilment of the promises given in the above revelation-that they should have a view of the plates. We accordingly made choice of a piece of woods convenient to Mr. Whitmer s house, to which we retired, and having knelt down, we began to pray in much faith to Almighty God to bestow upon us a realization of these promises. According to previous arrangement, I commenced prayer to our Heavenly Father, and was followed by each of the others in succession. We did not at the first trial, however, obtain any answer or manifestation of divine favor in our behalf. We again observed the same order of prayer, each calling on and praying fervently to God in rotation, but with the same result as before. Upon this, our second failure, Martin Harris proposed that he should withdraw himself from us, believing, as he expressed himself, that his presence was the cause of our not obtaining what we wished for. He accordingly with drew from us, and we knelt down again, and had not been many minutes engaged in prayer, when presently we beheld a light above us in the air, of exceeding brightness; and behold, an angel stood before us. In his hands he held the plates which we had been praying for these to have a view of. He turned over the leaves one by one, so that we could see them, and discern the engravings theron distinctly. He then addressed himself to David Whitmer, and said, David, blessed is the Lord, and he that keeps His commandments; when, immediately afterwards, we heard a voice from out of the bright light above us, saying, These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been translated by the power of God. The translation of them which you have seen is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now see and hear. I now left David and Oliver, and went in pursuit of Martin Harris, whom I found at a considerable distance, fervently engaged in prayer. He soon told me, however, that he had not yet prevailed with the Lord, and earnestly requested me to join him in prayer, that he also might realize the same blessings which we had just received. We accordingly joined in prayer, and ultimately obtained our desires, for before we had yet finished, the same vision was opened to our view, at least it was again opened to me, and I once more beheld and heard the same things; whilst at the same moment, Martin Harris cried out, apparently in an ecstasy of joy, Tis enough; tis enough; mine eyes have beheld; mine eyes have beheld; and jumping up, he shouted, Hosanna, blessing God, and otherwise rejoiced exceedingly. Account of the Three Witnesses by Lucy Mack Smith 2 The next morning after breakfast, we repaired to the sitting room, and after attending the morning service, namely reading, singing, and praying, Joseph arose from his knees and approached Martin with a solemnity which thrills through my veins to this day, whenever it comes to my recollection. Martin Harris, he said, you have got to humble yourself before your God this day and obtain, if possible, a forgiveness of your
Three Witnesses Monument, Richmond, Missouri, United States of America 3 sins. If you will do this, it is God s will that you and Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer should look upon the plates. Soon after this, these four left and went into a grove a short distance from the house, where they continued in earnest supplication to God, until he permitted an angel from his presence to bear to them a message, declaring to them that all which Joseph had testified of concerning the plates was true, and showing them the same. When they returned to the house, it was between three and four o clock. Mrs. Whitmer, Mr. Smith, and myself were sitting in a bedroom, myself on a bedside. When Joseph came in, he threw himself down beside me and exclaimed, Father! Mother! You do not know how happy I am. The Lord has caused the plates to be shown to three more besides me. They have also seen an angel and will have to testify to the truth of what I have said, for they know for themselves that I do not go about to deceive the people. I do feel as though I was relieved of a dreadful burden which was almost too much for me to endure. But they will now have to bear a part, and it does rejoice my soul that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the world. Martin Harris then came in. He seemed almost overcome with an excess of joy. He then testified to what he had seen and heard, as did also the others, Oliver and David, who added that no tongue could express the joy of their hearts and the greatness of the things which they had both seen and heard. Their testimony was the same in substance as that in the Book of Mormon. Account of David Whitmer given in an interview to Elder Orson Pratt and Elder Joseph F. Smith on September 7, 1878 3 Elder Orson Pratt: Do you remember what time you saw the plates? David Whitmer: It was in June, 1829, the latter part of the month, and the eight witnesses saw them, I think, the next day or the day after (i. e. one or two days after). Joseph showed them the plates himself but the angel showed us (the three witnesses) the plates, as I suppose to fulfill the words of the book itself. Martin Harris was not with us at this time; he obtained a view of them afterwards (the same day). Joseph, Oliver and myself were together when I saw them. We not only saw the plates of the Book of Mormon, but also the brass plates, [a jewish record carried by Lehi s colony from Jerusalem and frequently referred to in the Book of Mormon] the plates of the Book of Ether, the plates containing the record of the wickedness and secret combinations of the people of the world down to the time of their being engraved, and many other plates. The fact is, it was just as though Joseph, Oliver and I were sitting just here on a log, when we were overshadowed by a light. It was not like the light of the sun nor like that of a fire, but more glorious and beautiful. It extended away round us, I cannot tell how far, but in the midst of this light about as far off as he sits (pointing to John C. Whitmer, sitting a few feet from him), there appeared, as it were, a table with many records or plates upon it, besides the plates of the Book of Mormon, also the sword of Laban, the directors, [i. e. the ball with spindles which Lehi had, and the interpreters]. I saw them just as plain as I see this bed (striking the bed beside him with his hand), and I heard the voice of the Lord, as distinctly as I ever heard anything in my life, declaring that the records of the plates of the Book of Mormon were translated by the gift and power of God. Elder Orson Pratt: Did you see the angel this time? David Whitmer: Yes, he stood before us. Our testimony as recorded in the Book of Mormon is strictly and absolutely true, just as it is there written. Before I knew Joseph, I had heard about
4 Three Witnesses Monument, Richmond, Missouri, United States of America him and the plates from persons who declared they knew he had them, and swore they would get them from him. When Oliver Cowdery went to Pennsylvania, he promised to write me what he should learn about these matters, which he did. He wrote me that Joseph had told him his (Oliver s) secret thoughts, and all he had meditated about going to see him, which no man on earth knew, as he supposed, but himself, and so he stopped to write for Joseph. Soon after this, Joseph sent for me (D. W.) to come to Harmony to get him and Oliver and bring them to my father s house. I did not know what to do, I was pressed with my work. I had some twenty acres to plow, so I concluded I would finish plowing and then go. I got up one morning to go to work as usual, and on going to the field, found between five and seven acres of my ground had been plowed during the night. I don t know who did it; but it was done just as I would have done it myself, and the plow was left standing in the furrow. This enabled me to start sooner. When I arrived at Harmony, Joseph and Oliver were coming toward me, and met me some distance from the house. Oliver told me that Joseph had informed him when I started from home, where I had stopped the first night, how I read the sign at the tavern, where I stopped the next night, etc., and that I would be there that day before dinner, and this was why they had come out to meet me; all of which was exactly as Joseph had told Oliver, at which I was greatly astonished. When I was returning to Fayette, with Joseph and Oliver, all of us riding in the wagon, Oliver and I on an oldfashioned wooden spring seat and Joseph behind us; while traveling along in a clear open place, a very pleasant, nice-looking old man suddenly appeared by the side of our wagon and saluted us with good morning, it is very warm, at the same time wiping his face or forehead with his hand. We returned the salutation, and, by a sign from Joseph, I invited him to ride if he was going our way. But he said very pleasantly, No, I am going to Cumorah. This name was something new to me, I did not know what Cumorah meant. We all gazed at him and at each other, and as I looked around enquiringly of Joseph, the old man instantly disappeared, so that I did not see him again. Elder Joseph F. Smith: Did you notice his appearance? David Whitmer: I should think I did. He was, I should think, about five feet eight or nine inches tall and heavy set, about such a man as James Vancleave there, but heavier; his face was as large, he was dressed in a suit of brown woolen clothes, his hair and beard were white, like Brother Pratt s, but his beard was not so heavy. I also remember that he had on his back a sort of knapsack with something in, shaped like a book. It was the messenger who had the plates, who had taken them from Joseph just prior to our starting from Harmony. SOURCES 1 Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 vols., introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-1951], 1: 54-55. 2 Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced,, edited by Scot Facer Proctor and Maurine Jensen Proctor [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996]. 3 Contributor,, vol. 5 (October 1883-September 1884), Vol. V. August, 1884. No. 11. 404. Dedicatory Prayer of the Three Witnesses Monument 1 O God, our Heavenly and Eternal Father, we
Three Witnesses Monument, Richmond, Missouri, United States of America 5 approach thee at this time in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, and we pray thee that thy Spirit may be attendant with us. We pray thee, Father, to accept, as an offering from our hearts, the monument that has been erected to the memory of the late Oliver Cowdery, in the cemetery of this city. We pray thee that in the ravages of the elements, in the future, that this monument may never be disturbed, but remain firm and steadfast, that those who visit the same may read the testimony this man bore to all the world: That he was called of God, and that the claim made by him concerning the Book of Mormon is correct. We thank thee that the angel did descend from heaven and restore the sacred record, the Book of Mormon, and the message of love and salvation that thy servants are declaring unto the world. We thank thee not only, Heavenly Father, for this spot of ground where the remains of Oliver Cowdery lie, but we thank thee, also, because of Father Peter Whitmer, and his wife, and those who were loyal and true to the cause of truth, whose remains lie in this cemetery. We thank thee for the feeling of good will and fellowship that has been manifested by the inhabitants of this city, during the erection of this monument, and we pray thee that it may continue, and that the bond of love and sympathy between the believers in the Book of Mormon and the people of Richmond, and those who read the message of this monument, may grow and increase in strength every year. We thank thee for the gospel of thy Son, Jesus Christ, and for those who have received a testimony of the same. We thank thee for the knowledge we have received that Jesus is the Christ; for the testimony we have that Joseph Smith was and is, in very deed, a prophet of the true and living God, and for Oliver and David and Martin, and for all those who bore these testimonies; and we ask thee that, as we grow in years and understanding, we may grow in knowledge, that we may grow in power to live, that our light may so shine that men may glorify thee, and may be led to investigate the gospel. Guide us always, and may thy Spirit be with us during the remainder of this meeting, and finally bring us back in thy presence, we ask it all, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. SOURCES 1 Junius F. Wells, The Oliver Cowdery Monument at Richmond, Missouri, Improvement Era, Vol. 15, No. 3, January 1912. Visitor Information Address: N. Thornton and Crispin Street Richmond, MO, 64085 GPS Coordinates: N39 17.123 W93 58.589 Hours of Operation: Daylight to dark Admission: Free Further Reading The Three Witnesses, Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, October 1927-October 1929, Vol. 18-20, 5-part series. Richard Lloyd Anderson, Testimonies of the Three Witnesses, (Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1994). Richard Lloyd Anderson, Did Oliver Cowdery, One of the Three Special Book of Mormon
6 Three Witnesses Monument, Richmond, Missouri, United States of America Witnesses, Express Doubt About His Testimony? Ensign, April 1987, 23-25. Richard Lloyd Anderson, The Most Interviewed Witness, Improvement Era, May 1969, Vol. 72, 76-83. Preston Nibley, Joseph Smith and the Three Witnesses, (Provo, UT: Adult Education Center, Office of Special Courses and Conferences, BYU, 1962), 15-21. Janne M. Sjodahl, Credibility of the Witnesses, Improvement Era, September 1923, Vol. 26, 969-79.