Whitmer Returns To Far West
John Whitmer's parents and his brother David remained in Richmond for the rest of their lives, but John and his own family returned to Far West. Emptied of the Latter Day Saints, Far West became something of a ghost town. Many of its houses were moved off to other settlements, and Far West lost the county seat to nearby Kingston. Whitmer continued to live in Far West, buying up land (including the temple site) and eventually amassing a large farm. He occasionally gave visitors tours of the former settlement.
After Joseph Smith's assassination in 1844, several leaders asserted their claims to be his rightful successor. Among these was Whitmer's brother David. In 1847, Whitmer was briefly part of a renewed Church of Christ (Whitmerite).
Whitmer died on July 11, 1878 in Far West. He is buried in Kingston Cemetery in nearby Kingston.
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