, “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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become its violent enemies and tried to destroy it but generally without success. If Smith and others of the leaders had managed wisely and prudently in all things, and manifested truly a Christian spirit, it would have been very difficult to put them down. But their imprudence and miscalculation and manifest desire for power and proprty have opened the eyes of many, and did more to destroy <them> than could possibly have been done otherwise. My opinion is that if they <church> had been let alone by the citizens they would have divided and subdivided so as to have completely destroyed themselves and their power as a people in a short time. I will now proceed to mention some points of doctrine and faith peculiar to the church which I have not before mentioned.
It is beleived <by them> that the church ought to act in concert and feel one general interest in building up the “great cause” and that every man ought to consider his property as consecrated to the Lord for that purpose, yet their law gives every man the privilege of managing his own concerns and provides against taking each others property without paying for it, and if a man gives for the benefit of the church it is considered a voluntary offering. Yet the law requir[e]s or enjoins a consecration of the overplus after reserving for himself and family and to carry on his business. thenthe overflowthe law Much has been said and great [p. 84]