, “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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had been petitioned many times but never would do any thing for them.” This in substance had been their talk for months. “And the ” they said “while they were at refused to do any thing for them but said that they must take care of themselves. Now they meant to do it, for they found that they must take care of themselves as <they> could get help from no other qua[r]ter. Moreover they said that they had found out that the several members of the church had dissenting dissented in feeling, and were operating against them by carrying evil reports to their neighbors enemies thereby increasing the excitement and endangering their lives, and now they were determined to clear them out or spill their blood in the streets, moreover they meant to make clean work now and expel the mob from and then from . I asked Smith whether he thought they could hold out in the course and prosper in carrying it into effect. He said answered they would or die in the attempt. I answered that they would have the whole upon them. answered replied, no; they they would not have the whole state on them but only that party which was governed by a mob spirit and they were not very numerous: and they, when they found they would have to fight, would not be so fond of gathring together against them. I plainly saw that their feelings were much irritated and they determined on their course; I therefore said no more. I had highly disapproved of their course for months past, and had taken no part in their warfare. I knew that they were jealous of me as a dissenter, and that it was of no use for me to say any thing more. In fact I felt that it was necessary [p. 66]