Keeper of the Record: D&C 47 and the Calling of John Whitmer
I was cleaning out my shop notebook last week and found a project log from four years ago. It is a spiral-bound thing I picked up at a hardware store, filled with sketches and measurements and notes on what went wrong, with small diagrams I had completely forgotten about. I sat on the stool for a long time reading through it.
There is something about a written record that changes how you remember the work. The notebook does not let me romanticize the build. It tells me exactly where I cut too short, where I had to order more walnut, and where I sat staring at a joint for forty minutes before I figured out the fix. It is an honest document, not a proud one.
The Lord asked the early Church for a similar kind of record. Honest, not polished.
Meaning of D&C 47: John Whitmer Called as Church Historian
D&C 47 is short, just four verses, received in March 1831 in Kirtland, Ohio. It covers a task that sounds simple on the surface: keeping a record.
The Lord tells Joseph Smith that it is expedient that a regular history be kept. John Whitmer, who had already been serving as a clerk, is called to the role. He replaces Oliver Cowdery, who had moved on to other work.
John Whitmer did not want the job at first. He said he would rather not do it. Most of us have been asked to do something we did not feel equipped for, and most of us have looked for a way out. Whitmer asked for a clear sign from the Lord before accepting. Section 47 is that sign.
Behold, it is expedient in me that my servant John should write and keep a regular history, and assist you, my servant Joseph, in transcribing all things which shall be given you, until he is called to further duties.
(D&C 47:1)
The Lord does not scold him for hesitating. He gives him the confirmation he asked for without making him feel small about it.
Why Is Record Keeping Important in the Doctrine and Covenants
There is a practical reason for keeping records. The Church was growing fast in 1831 with revelations coming rapidly and people joining from different places, so without someone writing it down the details would scatter and then disappear.
But there is a spiritual reason too. Verse 4 says the Comforter will guide John Whitmer in his writing. The record is not supposed to be a list of dates and names. It is supposed to carry the truth of what God was doing among the people, which requires more than a good memory. It requires the same Spirit that gave the revelations in the first place.
I think about this when I write anything. The difference between a list of events and a record that carries weight is usually the presence of something careful and honest in the telling. The Comforter does not just help with remembering. He helps with seeing what mattered.
This connects to what I wrote about in D&C 45 regarding the Lord's pattern of gathering and recording. The history is part of the gathering. You cannot gather what you have lost track of.
The Quiet Work of Keeping a Record
John Whitmer took on a role that did not come with much visibility. He was not the preacher or the prophet. He was the one writing down what happened. In a Church that was seeing healings and baptisms and the first stirrings of a movement that would grow worldwide, the historian's work must have felt like the least exciting job in the room.
But it is the work that lasts while the sermons fade and the missionary journeys end. If nobody writes it down, the next generation does not have anything to build on.
I have a friend who keeps a small journal of what his kids say that makes him laugh. He has been doing it for years. It is not for publication. He just wants to remember the way his daughter said "helicopter" when she was three. That is a record too. The Comforter guides that kind of work just as much as a Church history.
What Was John Whitmer's Role in the Early Church
Whitmer's job included keeping a regular history of the Church and assisting Joseph Smith with transcribing and organizing revelations. He was one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon and served in several missions.
Later in his life, Whitmer left the Church. That makes the story more complicated. The man called to preserve the history ended up walking away from it. But the records he kept during those early years remained. They did not stop being useful because he stopped believing.
The work you do in faithfulness has value even if you do not finish the race. The records Whitmer kept in Kirtland are still read today. His hesitation and his confirmation, his service and his later departure are all part of the same human story. The Lord used what he offered even if it was not the whole of his life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the first Church historian of the LDS Church?
John Whitmer was called as the first official Church historian in March 1831 through a revelation now recorded in D&C 47. Oliver Cowdery had been serving in a similar capacity before this but was appointed to other work.
Why did the Lord appoint a specific person to keep the history of the Church?
Accurate records preserve the sequence of events and revelations for future generations, so without a designated historian critical details get lost and the witness of God's hand becomes harder to trace.
How did John Whitmer feel about being called as historian?
He was hesitant at first and said he would rather not do it. He asked for a clear manifestation from the Lord before accepting, and D&C 47 served as that confirmation. The Lord did not rebuke him for his hesitation.
What is the significance of the Comforter in recording history?
The Comforter, or Holy Ghost, helps the recorder identify what matters and ensures the record carries spiritual accuracy. It moves the work beyond a chronological list into a record that communicates truth.
I closed the notebook and put it back on the shelf. There are pencil marks in it that I cannot read anymore, and measurements I took before I learned to measure more carefully. But I am glad I kept it. The record does not have to be perfect to be useful. It just has to be true.
— D.