The Papers
Reference
About
Historian’s Office, Martyrdom Account, Draft
Source Note
Source Note
Historian’s Office, martyrdom account, draft; handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw, , and ; 57 pages plus several inserted pages; CHL.
For more information on the History Drafts, see Introduction to History Drafts, 1844–1856.
Historical Introduction
Historical Introduction
The “Historian’s Office, Martyrdom Account, Draft,” and the “Historian’s Office, Martyrdom Account” are the two complete, extant iterations of efforts by later church historians to record the murder of JS and , including the events leading up to their deaths and the immediate aftermath. As stated at the beginning of both accounts, the information was compiled from a number of different sources, including other journals, letters, and various other documents. It was put into a cohesive narrative during the 1850s by Church Historian’s Office clerks , Jonathan Grimshaw, and , presumably under the direction of the church historian, .
was the initial scribe for approximately the first half of “Historian’s Office, Martyrdom Account, Draft,” and Grimshaw was the primary scribe for the remainder. Sometimes slips of paper were attached to pages of the draft with additional or alternative text to be included with a specific page. Page 12 of the draft has a notation by Grimshaw indicating that previously drafted text was to be added to the draft; instead of copying the text, he simply inserted a whole leaf into the draft. This leaf, in ’s handwriting, contains various numbered vignettes. It appears to be part of a larger collection of vignettes, as it is paginated “5” and “6,” and is likely the surviving portion of an earlier iteration of the martyrdom account by Thomas Bullock. The remainder of Bullock’s effort is not extant.
“Historian’s Office, Martyrdom Account,” which is a more final copy written primarily by Grimshaw in the mid-1850s, similarly has slips of papers attached. It also includes several leaves that were physically removed from “Martyrdom Account, Draft”; these leaves were renumbered to match the pagination of the copy: pages 7–10 in the draft became pages 11–14 in the more final copy; pages 13–14 became 19–20; most extensively, pages 19–52 became 27–60; and finally, page 57, the last page of the draft, became page 73 in the new version. Although these leaves are cataloged with the more final copy, this website presents the pages both in the draft, as originally paginated, and in the more final copy, with the new pagination. Two additional items were added at the end of the more final copy. A bifolium paginated as “75” and “2” and written on the back of a printed Utah Territory legal form gives an account of the arrival of the bodies of JS and Hyrum Smith in Nauvoo as well as the funeral and burial. It was written by Grimshaw and edited by from information given by . On the final leaf, which is torn and is paginated “76,” Bullock drafted an introduction to a passage from ’s History of Illinois, with instructions to include the passage from Ford’s history in the martyrdom account.
Both the draft and the more final copy were edited by , Grimshaw, and . It is not clear when the edits were made. The more final copy of the account appears to be what was used in 1856 when the final version was copied into the last volume of the Joseph Smith’s multivolume manuscript history (JS History, vol. F-1, 147, 151–204).
instantly. This is as I believe it.
The Citizens here are afraid of the Mormons attaking them; I promise them No.
.”
“N. B. The citizens promise us protection; alarm guns have been fired.
”
Addressed to , , ,
While the <In the meantime the> was speaking <making> to the Saints in , one of the most infamous and insulting speeches that ever fell from the lips of an Executive; <among other things> he said, “a great crime had been done by <destroying the Expositer press and> placing the under martial law, and a severe atonement must be made, so prepare your minds for the emergency,” <Another cause of excitement is the fact of having so many fire arms; the public are afraid that you are going to use that them against government. I know there is great prejudice against you on account of your peculiar religion, but You ought to be praying saints, not military saints. Depend upon it> and “a little more misbahavior from the citizens, and the torch which is now already lighted will be applied, and the may be reduced to ashes.<and it gave me great pain to think that there was danger of so many innocent women & children being extirminated and extirmination would inevitably follow><” and intimating that if anything of a serious character should befal the lives or property of the prime movers of the public to the Mormons would <persons who are prosecuting your leaders you will> be held responsible” -[insert 55a]-> The as well as <The <was solicited to stay until morning but he> left <about 6½ pm> and in passing up Main Street his escort performed the sword exercise giving all the posse guards, <cuts and threats taking up the entire width of the street and making as imposing a show as they could> and [illegible] until they passed Lyon’s store near the ; this was apparently done to intimidate the people as he had remarked in his speech that they need not expect to set themselves up against <such> well disciplined troops <soon after Captn. Singleton & his Co. left for home.> On their way to <When about three miles from> <> they <he> met the messengers hastening with the sad news to . the ordered <took> them back to with him & kept them in custody to prevent their carrying the news <until they had moved the County records <and public documents> and most of the inhabitants had left —> “12 o’clock at night” -[see T. & S. 560–1]- > The citizens of , fled. <in all directions and the <& his posse> fled towards <towards > & did not consider themselves safe until they had got 18 miles beyond reached 18 miles distant from > [p. 55]
Source Note
Source Note
Document Transcript
Document Information
Document Information
Footnotes
Footnotes
Jonathan Grimshaw handwriting ends; Leo Hawkins begins.
Cancellation and insertion in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw.
Cancellation and insertion in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw.
Insertion in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw.
Insertion in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw.
Insertion in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw.
Insertion in the handwriting of Thomas Bullock.
Insertion in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw. The notation in brackets indicates that the text on the inserted leaf labeled “55a” should be inserted here.
Insertion in the handwriting of Thomas Bullock.
Cancellation and insertions in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw.
Insertions and cancellations in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw.