, History, Manuscript, ca. 1839; handwriting of ; nineteen pages (several additional leaves missing); CHL.
Historical Introduction
While incarcerated at , Missouri, in March 1839, JS addressed a letter to the Saints and to “ in particular” in which he called for the Saints to gather up “a knoledge of all the facts and sufferings and abuses put upon them” in that they might publish the records “to all the world” and “present them to the heads of the government.” (JS et al., Liberty, MO, to the church members and Edward Partridge, Quincy, IL, 20 Mar. 1839, in Revelations Collection, CHL [D&C 123:1, 6].) Apparently in response to this assignment, Edward Partridge wrote a history that became the first three installments of “A History, of the Persecution, of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints in Missouri,” an eleven-part series published in the church’s newspaper, Times and Seasons, between December 1839 and October 1840.
may have intended to tell the entire story himself, but he fell ill shortly after publication began and died 27 May 1840. Partridge’s manuscript, which he did not title, is provided here. The full text of “A History, of the Persecution,” which necessarily relied on other sources following Partridge’s demise, receives comprehensive treatment in volume 2 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers and is available on this website.
’s history begins with his account of the conflicts in the early 1830s. Partridge was a bishop of the church in Missouri, first in and then in following the Saints’ expulsion from Jackson County. He also served as bishop in after the Saints relocated there from Clay County in 1836. By the time he drafted his account of the Mormon experiences in Missouri, the Saints had been exiled from the state and had relocated to .
’s narrative is based on firsthand observations and may also have relied on other records he kept. It begins, “In presenting to our readers a history of the persecutions,” indicating that Partridge wrote it for publication purposes. However, there are occasionally significant differences between the manuscript version and “A History, of the Persecution” as published.
The early custodial history of the manuscript is somewhat uncertain. However, the manuscript was presumably among materials in the possession of church historian and recorder Joseph Fielding Smith, who held that office from 1921 to 1970 and who had worked in the Church Historian’s Office many years prior. The manuscript became part of the First Presidency’s papers when Smith became church president in 1970, and, with other records (including Revelation Book 1 and two drafts of JS’s history), was transferred from the First Presidency’s office to the Church History Library in 2005.
Page [6]
Noth <About this time> A few families moved into Van Buren Co. the Co. S. of but the <hostile spirit of the> inhabitants of that Co. and <manifested by> their threats induced them to move back <again> to Co. againThe petitioning <of> the and the employing of counsel by the Saints had a tendency no dout to Stir up the mob again. In Octr. they began to rage again <However> nothing very serious was done till towards the last of the month
The saints had as yet <had> made no resistance but taking the subject into consideration they found that they would be justified by the laws of both God and man in defending themselves their families and houses against all <who molested them> unlawfully. they therefore concluded that from that time forward they would defend themselves as well as they could against mobbers hoping that that <when it was understood> would dampen the <hostile> spirit of the mob<bers who> which was <were at that time> continually threatening them, but it had a contra effect
That together with the petitioning of the and the employing of counsel had a tendency to enrage the mob. In Oct. they began again to stone houses though nothing very serious was done till the last of it <last of it.> On the <thursday> night of the 31st a mob of 40 or 50 <armed and> collected armedthemselves and proceeded armed against a settlement of the Saints who lived about 10 miles S. West of there they began to destroy buildings again, they unroofed ten houses and partly threw down <the bodies of> some of them they then caught some three or four of the men whom they whipped and beat in a barbarous manner <notwithstanding the cries and entreaties of their wives & children> others evaded a beating by flight The saints made no resistance: nothaving been collected togetherhaving been<but being> <were> taken by surprise, they <and> were <not> collected together or in a situation to defend themselves against so large a body <consequently they made no resistance>. The mob threat After threatening to come again, in a rougher manner, the mob dispersed.
The news of this outrage soon spread through the different settlements of the saints and produced a feelings more easily felt than described for they <very well> knew that inasmuch as the mob had broken <by the threatenings of the mob and their breaking> the agreement or treaty <<which was> made but a few days before <as it were>> that <there was> trouble was ahead The<y> saints were in a scattered situation their settlements extending east & west 10 or 12 miles and what to do <for their safety> they knew not. To resist large bodies of the mob as in their scattered situation appeared useless and to gather together in one body immediatily was impracticable for they had not <in any one place> houses to dwell in or food for themselves and stock— A consultation was held by near by some of the p[r]incipal men <of the church> to see what was best to be done. It was concluded to obtain a peace warrant if possible against some of the <principal> leaders of the mob and also to advise their br[ethre]n to gather together in four or five bodies in their different neighborhoods [p. [6]]