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Historiographical Essay
Rather than provide a definitive historiographical essay to so large a body of writings on the Mormon exodus, the purpose of this short review is to highlight those works, published and otherwise, that were most helpful in the writing of the present study.
Primary Sources
As the reader has by now discovered, this work is founded on primary documentation and archival materials, many of which have not been published previously. Of all such manuscript material, by far the most beneficial were the papers and correspondence of Brigham Young, housed in the Church Historical Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. This remarkable archive consists primarily of his incoming and outgoing letters, sermons, minutes of quorum meetings, hearings, financial records, and related items. No accurate account of this period in Church history is possible without utilizing this resource.
An extension of the Brigham Young papers are the General Church Minutes, a collection of minutes of meetings of senior quorums within the Church and of other discussions, sermons, and presentations during the period between the death of Joseph Smith in June 1844 and the reorganization of the First Presidency in December 1847. A remarkable resource, these detailed accounts give clarity and understanding of a difficult formative period.
The individual writings and journals of several other prominent leaders have likewise been highly useful. Although some of these have been published in one form or another, I have relied on my study of the originals wherever possible. Especially helpful and noteworthy are such model journals as those written by William Clayton, Wilford Woodruff, Thomas Bullock, Horace K. Whitney, Erastus Snow, Willard Richards, Howard Egan, Patty Sessions, Eliza R. Snow, and Hosea Stout. The diaries and journals of other, lower-level leaders also proved of worth, including those of Charles R. Dana, William Appleby, and Norton Jacob. The letters of Irene Hascall are a proven resource.
Other unpublished Church sources used in the work include the minutes of the Winter Quarters High Council from 1846 to 1848, of the Pottawattamie High Council from 1847 to 1852, and of the Salt Lake High Council from 1847 to 1848. Likewise, the records of clerks of various traveling companies were a valuable resource.
Surprisingly beneficial was the vast scrapbook-like vertical file of diary entries, minutes, excerpts from correspondence, articles, editorials, and more that make up the Journal History, likewise found in the LDS Church Historical Department. Compiled by Andrew Jenson and his staff many years ago, this resource is unequalled for its breadth of coverage and scope of content. Though lacking in the letters of senior Church leaders, it is nonetheless an indisputable resource, an essential first stop on the road to serious study of nineteenth-century Mormon history.
In addition to Mormon sources, a great many other archival records of contemporaries have been utilized to give balance and perspective. Among those most heavily relied upon were the journals and diaries of such other overlanders as Joseph W. Wood, Isaac Pettijohn, Joel Palmer, Charles Peabody, Silas Newcombe, William A. Hockett, Lansfield B. Hastings, and James Clyman. The locations of these journals are identified in the bibliography.