, “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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excitement on both sides. Some of the citizens threatened threatened those Mormons that had distinguished themselves in the battle, and the Mormons kept a look out that night. The next morning news of the battle came to , and it was stated and believed that they were gathering on both sides in ,— that two Mormons had been killed, and that the citizens would not let the Mormons bury them. called for volunteers, and raised about one hundred and fifty men, who went out to under arms. Smith and went with them. When they got to they did not meet with any gathering of the mob, though <it was said> there was a collection at . They also found that none had been killed. Instead of returning home again as they ought to have done they took a notion to make the citizens agree to live in peace and not come out in mobs. They went to the house of , a justice of the peace, and compelled him to sign a writing to that effe[c]t. After staying a day or two, and trying to make some two or three othrs sign the paper they went home. But the citizens of were not satisfied. went to and entered complaint. Others went to other parts and made general complaint against the Mormons. Smith, and othe[r]s, they said had broken the law by going onto into armed amd making sign the paper. It was said that and J Smith would not be taken but would die first. Some one or two meetings were [p. 61]