Plates of Nephi - Caretakers

Caretakers

The Plates of Laban, Sword of Laban, the Plates of Nephi, Liahona, Plates of Ether, other records engraven on metal plates, and at least one record engraven upon stone were passed down from generation to generation. Each generation had one caretaker who was responsible for these items, mostly records; caretaker for more than their own record(s). Here is the list of caretakers, according to the Book of Mormon:

• Nephi, son of Lehi — The first caretaker of:
  • Small and Large Plates of Nephi
  • Plates and Sword of Laban — Retrieved by Nephi and his brothers in the First Book of Nephi chapters 3 & 4
  • Record of Lehi
• Jacob, son of Lehi — Nephi's brother
• Enos, son of Jacob
• Jarom, son of Enos
• Omni, son of Jarom
• Amaron, son of Omni
• Chemish, son of Omni — brother of Amaron
• Abinadom, son of Chemish
• Amaleki, son of Abinadom
  • Jaredite Record — During the time of Mosiah, the Nephites fled to the land of Zarahemla and discovered the Mulekites who had found a stone tablet with writing on it. Mosiah interpreted the writings by the power of God, and it turned out to be a record of the people of Jared, more fully recorded in the Book of Ether.
  • Amaleki was also the last to write on the Small Plates of Nephi.
• King Benjamin, son of King Mosiah — Amaleki wrote, "having no seed, and knowing king Benjamin to be a just man before the Lord, wherefore, I shall deliver up these plates unto him."
• King Mosiah, son of King Benjamin — Besides caretaking of the records, Mosiah added two sets of records returned by Ammon and the people of Zeniff:
  • The Record of Zeniff
  • Plates of Ether that had been recovered by the people of Zeniff.
• Alma son of Alma
• Helaman, son of Alma
• Shiblon, son of Alma — Helaman had died without naming a caretaker successor.
• Helaman, son of Helaman — nephew of Shiblon
• Nephi, son of Helaman — No record of when he became the caretaker.
• Nephi, son of Nephi
• Amos, son of Nephi
• Amos, son of Amos
• Ammaron, son of Amos — brother of Amos, son of Amos.
  • "Ammaron, being constrained by the Holy Ghost, did hide up the records which were sacred—yea, even all the sacred records which had been handed down from generation to generation, which were sacred."
• Mormon, son of Mormon
  • When Mormon was ten years old, Ammaron told him where to find the records that had been hidden.
  • Mormon waited until he was twenty-four years old (as instructed) to retrieve the records.
  • Plates of Mormon — Made his own plates where he abridged the previous records and that he later passed down to his son Moroni.
• Moroni, son of Mormon