, “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.
<Public meeting. Resolution passed. Volunteers raised. Reflections. Expedition to . Doings there. New order of consecration. Enthusiastic notions. Plunderings. Piece of Ordnance taken.>
<X> This conversation was sunday morning after they returned from . Smith preached that day pretty much from the same spirit and requested a general meeting of all the male members on the next day. They accordingly met and passed resolutions to the following effect. All members of the church should take hold and help; those who had been backward in carrying on the warfare should now come forward, and their property should be consecrated so far as might be necessary for the use of the army. If any man undertook to leave the place and go to the enemy he should be stop[p]ed and brought back or loose his life. As soon as their meeting was over, they collected upon the public square and called for volunteers. About two hundred were raised to go to . Others were raised to guard . A company called the Fur company was raised for the purpose of procuring provisions for, pressing teams and even men sometimes into the army in . I now saw plainly that they had become desperate and their career would soon end; for I knew that their doings would soon bring the people upon them and I dreaded the consequences. I would have been glad to have been out of that with my family, but I could not get away. The decree was passed and there was no the other chance for me and the other dissenters but to affect <pretend> to take hold with the rest. I now understood that they meant to fall upon and scatter the mob wherever they could find them collected. The next day which was tusday, they mar [p. 67]