, “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 88
The Celestial Kingdom they think is a kingdom of perfect order and he that will not submit to the laws and ordinances and established order of God in the church can never enter the Celestial Glory. And they believe that the spirits of the just enter Paradise, after death, and remain there untill the resurrection when they are reunited with the body and entr into a perfect state of Glory. They also believe that the wicked will be raised according to the scriptures
They believe that matter is eternal, and that nothing of all God’s works will ever be destroyed or wasted <lost> but in the end all things will be restored to its <their> proper place.
And the sons of perdition alone will endure the lowest hell or lake of fire and brimstone.
In matters of war they hold it <a> duty to strive for peace and not resent an injury but bear patiently the first second and third time, but they are not bound to receive <or bear> the fourth, but may resist to the uttermost in their own defence and in putting down their enemies
They esteem the law of God as given through their prophet to be vastly superior to any other law and if they could have the privilege <they> would p[r]efer to be governed by that alone, and this I believe is the grand cause of difficulty jealousy and difficulty between them and their neighbors, who prefer to be governed by other laws
<The abolition question is discarded by them as being inconsistent with the decrees of Heaven and detrimental to the peace and welfare of community.>
<Thus I have g In a council some three of four years ago it was agreed the that the church should bear the name of “the church of Christ of Latter day Saints”>
<Thus I have given a brief sketch of the church and now with a few> [p. 88]