1 Introduction to the Study
Statement of This Study
This study is an attempt to broaden the historical base of knowledge concerning the activities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri from 1836 to 1839. Consistent with this objective, the study will endeavor to do five things: (1) extend the depth of present understanding regarding the colonization efforts of the Latter-day Saints; (2) examine the unique teachings and practices of the Church in order to assess the peculiar social problems stemming therefrom; (3) determine the facts in relation to the rise of “Danites” and “Dissenters” within the ranks of the Church; (4) set forth the facts connected with the waging of the so-called “Mormon War;” (5) and probe the evidence dealing with the expulsion of the Latter-day Saints from Missouri in 1839.
Limitations of This Study and Definitions of Terms Used
As indicated above, this study is limited to a consideration of the events occurring in the lives of Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri from 1836 to 1839. The paper is not concerned, therefore, with simultaneous happenings elsewhere within the Church nor with co-terminous occurrences among the non-Mormon population in the area, except as those events relate to the study.
No attempt is made in this work to place Mormonism in its complete historical and social setting. Nor are the unique religious views of the Latter-day Saints examined in full. It is recognized, however, that any attempt to treat the history of the Church which fails to consider these matters in sufficient depth is seriously wanting in many ways. The usual doctrines which the Saints espoused exerted a powerful influence upon their lives. The same beliefs created fear and resentment in the minds of those who did not share the Saints’ religious zeal. Consequently, the events connected with this study are significant only when viewed against this backdrop.
Much of Mormon thought is couched in the language of revelation. This study recognizes the impossibility of proving by the historical method the divine origin of any religious pronouncement. For convenience of expression, however, and to avoid the necessity of repeatedly referring to the “alleged revelations” of Joseph Smith, this work treats these writings of the Mormon Prophet as if they were from God as claimed. Likewise, non-Mormon writings, though not purportedly divine, have been reproduced in the exact language in which they were found. In this manner, it is hoped that much of the flavor of the historical period has been preserved. [1]
Throughout the study, the term “Prophet” will be applied as a synonym for Joseph Smith. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be referred to as “Latter-day Saints,” “Saints,” or “Mormons.” These terms are intended to distinguish Joseph Smith’s followers from the “non-Mormons,” “Gentiles,” or “old-time settlers” of Missouri. None of these designations is intended as a term of reproach or dishonor. The word “Mormon” is an acceptable nickname for a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; the term “Gentile” as used in this study refers to one who is not a “Mormon.” Hereafter, none of these appellations will appear within quotation marks.
Outline of This Study
The main body of this work is divided into four sections. This first chapter is basically introductory in nature. Chapter two contains a brief consideration of the ideological and historical backgrounds of Mormonism. Chapters three through seven treat the colonization efforts of the Saints in Northern Missouri and also discuss the appearance within the Church of a group of “Dissenters.” Chapters eight through twelve comprise section three. This portion of the study deals with events leading up to and culminating in the so-called “Mormon War” of 1838. Also included is a chapter dealing with the “Danites,” a secret oath-bound society within the Church. Chapters thirteen through sixteen complete the study. They are concerned with the enforced exodus of the Saints from Missouri and with significant events related thereto. Chapter sixteen summarizes the study and sets forth conclusions connected thereto.
Review of the Literature
From the Mormon point of view, Brigham H. Roberts’ Comprehensive History of the Church represents the most complete analysis of Latter-day Saint history available. Chapters thirty-two through thirty-nine of volume one, consisting of approximately 150 pages, cover the period treated in this study. The principal limitations of Roberts’ work are its brevity and its lack of historical depth. The writer also fails to present the non-Mormon point of view to any appreciable extent and thus, in some measure, obscures the true historical picture. The same criticism may be made of volumes seven and eight of Andrew Jenson’s Historical Record. In addition, however, Jenson’s work is rambling, diffuse, and without proper documentation.
Joseph Smith’s Documentary History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, volumes two and three, also deals with the period embraced by this study. The Mormon Prophet’s work has the advantage of having been written from the point of view of a “front-line” observer-participant. The material recorded by Joseph Smith was either written at the time of its occurrence or soon enough thereafter to make it a significant primary source on early Mormonism. Its principal disadvantage, however, is that it does not confine itself to a particular locale at a given time. Happenings of the period under consideration in this work, for example, are found interspersed with unrelated events occurring simultaneously throughout the Church. Moreover, Joseph Smith’s work cannot be said to represent a thorough analysis of the periods it covers; nor does it purport to be an historical study at all. Rather, it is an outline of historical facts in the writer’s possession at the time he wrote as well as a recounting of the personal experiences of a man who headed the Church. [2]
James H. Hunt’s Mormonism, Origin and Rise and William A. Linn’s Story of the Mormons are representative examples of non-Mormon accounts of this era. The former, published just after the death of Joseph Smith in 1844, begins with the assumption that Mormonism and all super-natural events connected therewith are gross delusion. This is typical of non-Mormon reports in general. Most of them betray an inability or an unwillingness to understand the unique Latter-day Saint concept of divine revelation. Hunt’s work deals in part with the period of this study but loses itself almost immediately in a maze of bitter invective and anti-Mormon diatribe. This fact alone greatly reduces its historical value. Linn’s account, written around 1900, attempts to bring together the gleanings of all former historical studies dealing with the Church. Like his predecessors, Linn fails to appreciate the unusual theological tenets of the Church which he essays to study. In attempting to explain Mormonism on a purely natural basis, Linn, who undoubtedly considered his work fair and impartial, succeeds only in distorting his subject.
One of the most recent attempts to deal with Mormon history is that of Fawn Brodie. Her book, No Man Knows My History, handles the knotty problems of the Church in Northern Missouri in a most non-historical fashion. For example, the writer pieces together reports (not stenographic accounts) of Joseph Smith’s speeches in such a way as to place words in the mouth of the Mormon Prophet which cannot be found in her footnote citations. Moreover, her spicy and somewhat flippant attitude toward the events of this period reveals an elaborate attempt to portray Joseph Smith as simply a product of his historical age. Her method of treatment consists in freeing her subject from his traditional role of Prophet long enough to make of him a recognizable human being. The result is a complete distortion of Joseph Smith as well as of the historical period under consideration. Claiming as it does to be a continuous revelation from God, Mormonism can never be accounted for solely in terms of the general spirit of its age. Writers who have attempted to do so have merely succeeded in twisting awry the true images of their subjects.
Justification and Importance of This Study
A new study seems justified on at least three counts. First, none of the above-mentioned accounts, their alleged deficiencies aside, deals solely with the period and location proposed by this paper. Neither has the writer been able to locate any historical writing, published or unpublished, that does.
Second, a host of hitherto unpublished material bearing directly on the period covered by this study has recently come to light. The Documents and Testimony growing out of the trial of Joseph Smith and other leading Mormons for treason against the State of Missouri, together with the vast array of Correspondence and Orders which passed between Governor Lilburn W. Boggs and his generals during the Mormon War, add much to the historical picture of the time. This is particularly true of the non-Mormon point of view. Various journals, diaries, and autobiographical sketches have lately appeared to shed greater illumination upon the Mormon side of the story. In addition, Missouri newspapers of the period reflect the attitudes of an interested but non-participating Missouri public. Reed Peck’s “Manuscript History” and John Corrill’s History of the Church are important sources which show the point of view held by those who, while members of the Church, dissented from the strict orthodoxy of their [3] brethren. One of the most vital sources of all is the “Far West Record,” an unpublished manuscript housed in the Latter-day Saint Historian’s Office in Salt Lake City. Many new and hitherto unresearched facts are brought to light in its pages.
Finally, no study exists which has attempted to bring together the various and oft-conflicting points of view concerning this era. The common picture one gets of the Latter-day Saints from a reading of the literature connected with this period is either that of an arrogant and designing people entirely to blame for their own misfortunes or else that of an abused and much-maligned people who were entirely blameless of any ill which befell them. The view one gets of Lilburn W. Boggs is either that of a dedicated state executive dealing with a difficult problem or else that of a determined and self-appointed persecutor of the Mormon people. This study is an attempt to clarify the historical picture in these and related areas. If this objective alone is achieved, this work will have justified itself on at least one important count. [4]
