, “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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was at at the time, and moreover and other officers had full power to act when necessary without an order from him. called upon for more militia, but before they arrived the Mormons concluded to give up the ground and leave the place and the citizens of Carol agreed to pay them for their improvements. I never heard of any accusations that the people of Carol had against the Mormons but still they were determined they should not settle in that county; so they came to about fifty waggons in number. I have since understood that the people of Carol did not mean to pay them as they had agreed, but I know not whether this be true or not. When they came from I discovered that the feelings of many were much exasperated at the treatment they had received at , and especially at having been obliged to leave the place. News also followed them that the citizens were coming from to with the cannon for the purpose of driving the Mormons from they took two Mormons prisoners on their way and told them that they meant to drive the Mormons from to and from to h—l. Smith and others appeared much excited in feeling. “They (the church) had been driven from place to place; their property destroyed; their rights as citizens taken from them; abuse upon abuse practised upon them from time to time; they had sought for redress through the medium of the Law, but never could get it, the state of refused to protect them in their rights; the [p. 65]