The “Historian’s Office, Martyrdom Account, Draft,” and the “Historian’s Office, Martyrdom Account” are the two complete, extant iterations of efforts by later church historians to record the murder of JS and , including the events leading up to their deaths and the immediate aftermath. As stated at the beginning of both accounts, the information was compiled from a number of different sources, including other journals, letters, and various other documents. It was put into a cohesive narrative during the 1850s by Church Historian’s Office clerks , Jonathan Grimshaw, and , presumably under the direction of the church historian, .
was the initial scribe for approximately the first half of “Historian’s Office, Martyrdom Account, Draft,” and Grimshaw was the primary scribe for the remainder. Sometimes slips of paper were attached to pages of the draft with additional or alternative text to be included with a specific page. Page 12 of the draft has a notation by Grimshaw indicating that previously drafted text was to be added to the draft; instead of copying the text, he simply inserted a whole leaf into the draft. This leaf, in ’s handwriting, contains various numbered vignettes. It appears to be part of a larger collection of vignettes, as it is paginated “5” and “6,” and is likely the surviving portion of an earlier iteration of the martyrdom account by Thomas Bullock. The remainder of Bullock’s effort is not extant.
“Historian’s Office, Martyrdom Account,” which is a more final copy written primarily by Grimshaw in the mid-1850s, similarly has slips of papers attached. It also includes several leaves that were physically removed from “Martyrdom Account, Draft”; these leaves were renumbered to match the pagination of the copy: pages 7–10 in the draft became pages 11–14 in the more final copy; pages 13–14 became 19–20; most extensively, pages 19–52 became 27–60; and finally, page 57, the last page of the draft, became page 73 in the new version. Although these leaves are cataloged with the more final copy, this website presents the pages both in the draft, as originally paginated, and in the more final copy, with the new pagination. Two additional items were added at the end of the more final copy. A bifolium paginated as “75” and “2” and written on the back of a printed Utah Territory legal form gives an account of the arrival of the bodies of JS and Hyrum Smith in Nauvoo as well as the funeral and burial. It was written by Grimshaw and edited by from information given by . On the final leaf, which is torn and is paginated “76,” Bullock drafted an introduction to a passage from ’s History of Illinois, with instructions to include the passage from Ford’s history in the martyrdom account.
Both the draft and the more final copy were edited by , Grimshaw, and . It is not clear when the edits were made. The more final copy of the account appears to be what was used in 1856 when the final version was copied into the last volume of the Joseph Smith’s multivolume manuscript history (JS History, vol. F-1, 147, 151–204).
Page 26
-[copy]- expenses [blank] <made> copied <copies> <of> the orders of <Gen. <Joseph> Smith as Mayor to Marshal , and as Lieut General to Major Genl > the Mayor and Lieutenant General, to the Marshal and Major General.
Joseph said <remarked,> I have had a good deal of anxiety about my safety <since I left >, which I never did <had> before <when I was under arrest>. I could not help <these feelings which <and they> have depressed me.>
<-[Insert T&S page 2]-> Most of the forenoon was spent by , and Col. in hewing with a penknife, a warped door to get it on the latch; thus preparing to fortify <the place> against <any> night attack. The prophet and , and all <their friends> took turns preaching to the guards; several of whom were relieved before their time was out; because they admitted they were proselyted to the belief <convinced> of the innocence of the prisoners which rendered them incompetent of guarding. They frequently admitted they had been imposed upon, and more than once it was heard “Let us go home, boys, for I will not fight <any longer> against these men.” <-[Insert No 8. page 2.]-> <During the day encouraged Joseph to think that the Lord for his ’s sake would release him from prison. Joseph replied, “could my brother but be liberated it would not matter so much about me; poor , I am glad he is gone to out of the way; were he to preside he would lead the Church to destruction in less than five years.” was busily engaged writing as dictated by the prophet, and amused him by singing. -[Insert No 15]->
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<Joseph related his dream about & ; also his dream about trying to save a steamboat in a storm.>
<(T&S)> Some one of the Counsel for the prosecution, expressed a wish to , that the prisoners should be brought out of jail for examination <on the charge of treason>; they were <he was> answered that the [p. 26]
Insertion in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw.
Insertion in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw.
Insertion written vertically over the preceding paragraph in the center of the page, apparently indicating that this information came from Dan Jones; handwriting of Leo Hawkins.
Insertion in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw.
Insertion in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw.
Insertion in the handwriting of Jonathan Grimshaw.