Jacob Whitmer’s Seer Stone

Jacob Whitmer’s Seer Stone

Seer stones were used by many of the early Mormons. Jacob Whitmer, one of the 8 witnesses of the Book of Mormon, owned the stone pictured above. Jacob likely obtained this stone from a Native American burial site in western New York, as this stone is a Native American trapezoidal gorget — a rock worn around the neck as a decorative and functional piece of armor. This stone was used both by Jacob Whitmer in the 1830s and his son John C. Whitmer in the 1880s for the Whitmer church (The Church of Christ). The stone stayed in the Whitmer family for a time, but is now owned by a private collector.

jacob-whitmer-stone-ruler

Photo by Alvin R. Dyer, 1955

gorget

This is a similar gorget (but not a seer stone) currently for sale at Ripley Auctions

native-american-gorget

Wee-tá-ra-shá-ro, Head Chief of the Wichita Tribe, 1834. Image copyright George Caitlan, now held at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. (note the gorget)

 

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Featured Image Copyright- 1984 – Rick Grunder Books