, “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.
Page 87
parents to teach & instruct them up to that age and then have them baptised into the church. and then
It also was a rule in the church to have one in each stake (most generally the oldest if suitable) appointed and ordained and a Patriarch whose duty it was to be a sort of father to the church and bless such children as had no natural father to bless them.
For a general rule they excluded the use of Ardent spirits, Tobacco, Tea and Coffe[e] in accordance with a revelation called the words of wisdom in which the abstinence from these things were reccommended but not commanded. <Also wasting of flesh or taking of life of animals unnecessarily, or for sport, was forbidden>
The Sacrament was administered on every first day (sabbath) by a High prieest or an elder, bread and wine are used as emblems but for wine they prefer the pure juice of the grape when they can get it, and they administer in the name of remembrance of the body and blood of the Saviour as the scripture commands
They believe that in the Resurrection there are different glories to which persons will be raised and enjoy. The first is compared to the sun, and is called the Celestial; the second is compared to the Moon and is called the Terrestrial; the third is compared to the stars and called the Telestial. The last has in itself many different glories and differing from each other as do the stars 1 Cor. 15. 40–42. They also believe that every man will be raised in his own order and will enjoy that glory for which he has been prepared according to his works [p. 87]