JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. A-1, created 11 June 1839–24 Aug. 1843; handwriting of , , , and ; 553 pages, plus 16 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the first volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This first volume covers the period from 23 December 1805 to 30 August 1834; the remaining five volumes, labeled B-1 through F-1, continue through 8 August 1844.
Historical Introduction
This document, “History, 1838–1856, volume A-1, [23 December 1805–30 August 1834],” is the first of the six volumes of the “Manuscript History of the Church” (in The Joseph Smith Papers it bears the editorial title “History, 1838-1856”). The completed six-volume collection covers the period from 23 December 1805–8 August 1844. Volume A-1 encompasses the period from JS’s birth in 1805 to 30 August 1834, just after the return of the Camp of Israel (later known as Zion’s Camp) from to , Ohio. For a fuller discussion of the entire six-volume work, see the general introduction to the history.
In April 1838, with the aid of his counselor , JS renewed his efforts to draft a “history”. served as scribe. JS’s journal for late April and early May 1838 notes six days on which JS, Rigdon, and Robinson were engaged in “writing history.” Though not completed and no longer extant, that draft laid the foundation for what became the six-volume manuscript eventually published as the “History of Joseph Smith,” and at least a portion of its contents are assumed to have been included in the manuscript presented here.
On 11 June 1839 in , Illinois, JS once again began dictating his “history.” now served as scribe. Apparently the narrative commenced where the earlier 1838 draft left off. When work was interrupted in July 1839, Mulholland inscribed the draft material, including at least some of ’s earlier material, into a large record book already containing the text of an incomplete history previously produced over a span of two years, 1834–1836. For the new history, Mulholland simply turned the ledger over and began at the back of the book. The volume was later labeled A-1 on its spine, identifying it as the first of multiple volumes of the manuscript history.
Prior to his untimely death on 3 November 1839, recorded the first fifty-nine pages in the volume. Subsequently, his successor, , contributed about sixteen more pages before his death in August 1841. then added a little over seventy-five pages. However, substantial progress on the history was not made until December 1842 when assumed responsibility for the compilation and was appointed JS’s “private secretary and historian.” Richards would contribute the remainder of the text inscribed in the 553-page first volume. The narrative recorded in A-1 was completed in August 1843. and subsequently added sixteen pages of “Addenda” material, which provided notes, extensive revisions, or additional text to be inserted in the original manuscript where indicated. For instance, several of the addenda expanded on the account of the Camp of Israel as initially recorded.
JS dictated or supplied information for much of A-1, and he personally corrected the first forty-two pages before his death. As planned, his historian-scribes maintained the first-person, chronological narrative format initially established in the volume. When various third-person accounts were drawn upon, they were generally converted to the first person, as if JS were directly relating the account. After JS’s death, , , , and others modified and corrected the manuscript as they reviewed material before its eventual publication.
Beginning in March 1842 the church’s Nauvoo periodical, the Times and Seasons, began publishing the narrative as the “History of Joseph Smith.” At the time of JS’s death only the history through December 1831 had been published. When the final issue of the Times and Seasons, dated 15 February 1846 appeared, the account had been carried forward through August 1834—the end of the material recorded in A-1. The “History of Joseph Smith” was also published in in the church periodical the Millennial Star beginning in June 1842. Once a press was established in Utah and the Deseret News began publication, the “History of Joseph Smith” once more appeared in print in serialized form. Beginning with the November 1851 issue, the narrative picked up where the Times and Seasons had left off over five years earlier.
Aside from the material dictated or supplied by JS prior to his death, the texts for A-1 and for the history’s subsequent volumes were drawn from a variety of primary and secondary sources including JS’s diaries and letters, minutes of meetings, the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, church and other periodicals, reports of JS’s discourses, and the reminiscences and recollections of church members. The narrative in A-1 provides JS’s personal account of the foundational events of his life as a prophet and the early progress of the church. It also encompasses contentions and disputations that erupted between the Latter-day Saints and their neighbors in , , , and . While it remains difficult to distinguish JS’s own contributions from composition of his historian-scribes, the narrative trenchantly captures the poignancy and intensity of his life while offering an enlightening account of the birth of the church he labored to establish.
to see if they could find out who the leader of the was. the Doctor replied, we have no one in particular. They asked if we had not a general to take the lead of the Company? The reply was, no one in particular. But said they, is not there some one among you, who you call your Captain, or leader, or superior to the rest? He answered sometimes one and sometimes another takes charge of the company so as not to throw the burthen upon any one in particular. These were spies who had come from the West passed us <several times> that same day & the next. (see page 480)+
<No. 4> we would pass the place <Indianapolis> without the people knowing it, when near the place we all <many> got into our <the> Waggons, & separating some little distance, passed through Indianapolis, <the City, while others walked down different streets> leaving the Inhabitants wondering “when that <big> company would come along,” no one having discovered us.
Thursday 22 we encamped on a small stream of water, in a Grove near Belle ville.
Friday 23 we encamped about four miles from Greencastle after a hard drive.
Saturday 24 we crossed the Wabash River at Clinton <in Ferry boats.> in quick time, pushed on to the State line; where we arrived late in the evening and encamped in an oak opening— <in Edgar county, Illinois.> (see page 481)*
<No. 5> Some time this day a man in disguise, having on an old seal skin cap, came into our Camp, he swore we “were going up to , and that we should never get there <over the Mississippi alive> alive &c&c it was evident he was a spy, and I recollected having seen him in , Missouri
Monday 26 <Very hot day.> we travelled <thro’ Paris and> across a sixteen mile prairie, at noon we stopt to bait at a slough, about six miles from the timber, having no water to drink, but such as was filled with living animals commonly called Wiglers, and as we did not like to swallow them we strained the water through our teeth, which saved the life of many a poor animal, this was the first prairie of any magnitude that we had come to on our journey, and was a great curiosity to many of the brethren, it was so very level that the deer miles off appeared but a short distance; some of the brethren started in pursuit before they were apprised of their mistake, in the distance— we continued our march pulling our waggons thro’ a small creek with ropes, and came to the house of a Mr. Wayne the only settler <in the vicinity> in that immediate neighborhood where we found a well of water, which was one of the greatest comforts that we could have received, as we were almost famished, and it was a long time before we could, or dared to satisfy our thirst: we crossed the Embarros River and encamped on a small branch of the same about one mile West— in pitching my tent we found three Massasaugers or Prairie Rattle Snakes which the brethren were about to kill, but I said let them alone, don’t hurt them, how will the serpent ever lose its venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition, and continue to make war upon them, men must become harmless before the brute creation, and when men lose their vicious dispositions and cease to destroy the animal race, the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the sucking child play with the serpent with safety; the brethren took the serpents carefully on sticks, and carried them across the creek— I exhorted the brethren not to kill a serpent, bird, or and any animal of any kind, during our journey unless it— were necessary to preserve ourselves from hunger— I had frequently spoken on this subject, when on a certain occasion I came up to the brethren who were watching a squirrel on a tree, and to prove them and know if they would heed my Counsel— I took one of their guns, shot the squirrel and passed on, leaving the Squirrel on the ground— brother who was just behind, came up, picked up the Squirrel, and said we will Cook this, that nothing may be lost— I perceived that the brethren understood what I did it for, and in their practice gave more heed to my precept than my example, which was right. This Evening brothers and returned from the Branch, Indiana (where I had sent them) with a company of about a dozen men— The reports of mobs which were continually saluting our ears, caused the brethren to be constantly alive to the subject, and about eleven o’clock this evening our picket guards reported that [p. 8 [addenda]]