, “Brief History,” Manuscript, ca. 6 April 1838– ca. 26 January 1839; handwriting of and an unidentified scribe; seventy pages numbered 20–90, plus three unnumbered pages; John Fletcher Darby Papers, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
, a careful observer, had enjoyed a close association with Mormon leaders, and consequently his account provides valuable insights into the development and structure of the early church. He summarized many of the doctrines taught by JS and provided a detailed description of the conflict between the Latter-day Saints and other settlers. But his chronicle also related the story of a personal spiritual journey into and then out of the church as came to disapprove of the church’s course in 1838 in Missouri. Yet despite his estrangement from the church and his excommunication in 1839, he retained a degree of sympathy for the Saints and maintained some contact.
apparently began compiling portions of his account while serving as an officially appointed church historian in . He probably completed his narrative by 11 February 1839, when he secured a copyright with the district federal copyright office. He arranged for Thomas Watson & Son of to print A Brief History. The entire print run may have included up to twelve hundred copies.
The document presented here, ’s circa 1838–1839 rough draft of his history, is incomplete. It includes the title page, copyright notice, and preface but is missing twenty-one pages, including the nineteen pages that constitute chapters 1 through 6. The manuscript is almost entirely in Corrill’s handwriting, though some of the chapter summaries (added after he drafted the narrative) were written in a different hand, possibly that of the printer.
’s published version of A Brief History receives comprehensive treatment in volume 2 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers and is available on this website as part of the history series.
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killed, the man who killed him accused him of having abused his family and burned his house, but on returning home he found his house had not been burned not at all. Why he was not committed for triol I never knew. Many othrs were taken prisioners but generally were well treated and set free without injury. There was much corn, cattle, fodder &c used for the army, but the officers <said> the would pay for it. There were some instances of soldiers shooting cattle hogs and sheep merely for sport when they did not want them for food, but this I understood was contrary to the officers orders. There also were also several cases in which persons were plundered of horses and other proprety even clothing out of and furniture out of houses by the soldiers, but they alleged that they were looking after and getting their property back which had been taken from them. I have been told that the same has been practiced more or Less by companies passing through the since the troops have been withdrawn. Others to whom they were indebted have taken their property for debts untill they are litterally strip[p]ed and are at this time in a miserable destitute situation. The Legislature on hearing of their situations appropriated two thousand dollars for their relief as well <as> the for the relief of the destitute in . A number of the Mormons met and appointed a committe[e] who drew up a petition [p. 81]