In 1829 when Joseph Smith was living in Harmony, Pennsylvania, and was in the middle of translating the Book of Mormon, he began to have difficulty with some of the residents of that area. He made arrangements to leave Harmony and live with the Whitmer family in Fayette, New York while he finished translating the Book of Mormon.
Joseph says, “Shortly after commencing to translate, I became acquainted with Mr. Peter Whitmer, of Fayette, Seneca county, New York, and also with some of his family. In the beginning of the month of June, his son, David Whitmer, came to the place where we were residing, and brought with him a two-horse wagon, for the purpose of having us accompany him to his father’s place, and there remain until we should finish the work . . .”
David Whitmer tells the story of arriving to pick up Joseph and Oliver Cowdery after a 3-day journey: “When I arrived at Harmony,” says David, “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 had 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.”
HC I, pp. 48-49; 272 (David Whitmer’s Statement to Orson Pratt and Joseph F Smith, “Millennial Star,” vol. XI, nos. 49, 50); Saints: The Standard of Truth, Vol. 1, p. 68.