See also source note for JS History, circa 1841, draft.
Historical Introduction
was a recent convert to Mormonism when he visited in 1840. There he was immediately engaged by JS as a clerk at his office. Coray later reminisced in his autobiography that after he completed his initial assignment, JS requested that he “undertake, in connection with , the compilation of the Church History.”
At the time received his charge, JS’s and the church’s “history” had been an ongoing project for a decade. Several early attempts had apparently fallen short and been abandoned. However, JS and ’s 1838 effort initiated with , and JS’s ensuing collaboration with , had begun to bear fruit. Unfortunately, Mulholland had died 3 November 1839 after inscribing fifty-nine pages of text in a large record book subsequently designated as volume “A-1” of the manuscript history of the church. was appointed “general church clerk” in October 1840 and succeeded Mulholland as scribe for A-1.
Meanwhile, JS assigned and to draft additional historical material, using sources JS provided. Woolley eventually withdrew from the project and was replaced by a “Dr. Miller,” who remains unidentified. Their work evidently resulted in two different kinds of drafts. According to Coray’s later reminiscences, the first grew out of instructions “not only to combine, and arrange in cronological order, but to spread out or amplify not a little, in as good historical style as may be.” No manuscript matching this description has survived, but their work may have provided the basis for material subsequently copied into the history by other scribes.
did, however, produce an edited version of the narrative inscribed in the large history volume (A-1). According to Coray’s later account, JS was directly involved in this reworking of the history, reading aloud and dictating revisions from the large volume. Two drafts of this work have survived. However, the main history endeavor continued in the large history volume, and there is no indication that either draft was used in subsequent compiling or in publication of the history. Though a short-lived effort, Coray’s manuscript represents the intention to revise the history, suggesting that JS had not yet settled on a final historical product even after he had directed scribes to begin inscribing the history in the large, more permanent volume in 1839.
’s history draft includes departures from the material recorded in A-1 which, though minor, show an intention to refine the story. Coray deleted passages that seemed to be defensive, to plead the cause of the Saints, or to play on the reader’s sympathies—a list of grievances, for example, or complaints against individuals. The draft often softened wording about the persecution of JS and employed more moderate language in describing opposition, avoiding the word “mob” and glossing over accounts of violence.
’s work on JS’s history was not located until 2005, when two manuscripts in Coray’s hand were identified among documents in the possession of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These two manuscripts consisted of a lightly edited draft of the material and had written in the large history volume, and a fair or clean copy of that material that incorporated the revisions Coray made in his earlier draft. The first draft was published in volume 1 of the Histories series of the The Joseph Smith Papers. (See History Drafts, 1838—ca. 1841.) The second or “fair copy” of the two drafts is the document herein featured. An inscription in Coray’s handwriting at the bottom of the first page of this document identifies it as the second copy. In 1869 Coray signed a statement that was later attached to the paper wrapper that enclosed the two drafts: “These hundred pages of History were written by me, under Joseph the Prophet’s dictation. Dr Miller helped me a little in writing the same.”
of transgression if thou art not cautious thou wilt fall, but remember God is merciful. Therefore repent of that which thou hast done which is contrarary to the commandment which I gave and thou art still chosen and art again called to do the work.
Except thou do this thou shalt be delivered up and become as other men and having no gift having no gift And when thou deliveredst up that which God gave thee sight and power to translate thou deliverdst up that which was sacred into the hands of <a> wicked man who has set at nought the counsels of God and depended upon his and broken the most sacred promises which were made before God and depended upon his own Judgement and boasted in his own wisdom. And this is the reason why thou hast lost thy privelige for a season for thou hast suffered the counsel of thy direction to be trampled upon from the beginning Nevertheless my work shall go forth forth inasmuchforth for inasmuch as the knowledge of the a Saviour has come into the world through the testimony of the Jews even so shall a <the> knowledge of a Saviour come unto my people and to the Nephites and to the Jacobites and the Jos[e]phites and the Zoramites through the testimony of their fathers and this testimony shall come to the knowledge of the Lamanites and the Lemuelites and the Ishmaelites who dwindled in unbelief because of the <iniquities> unbelief of their of fathers whom the Lord has suffered to destroy their bretheren, the nephites because of their iniquities and abominatio abominations and for this very purpose are the plates preserved containing these records that the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled which he made to his people and that the Lamanites might come to a knowledge of their fathers and that they might know the promises of the Lord and that they might believe the Gospel and rely on the merits of Jesus Christ and be glorified through faith in his name and that through their repentance they might be saved [p. 16]