Anytime you’re angry or disgusted with 21st century press distortions of your faith and your people, take a deep breath and think sympathetically of your 19th century brothers and sisters. At least responsible people today recognize Bill Maher and Lawrence O’Donnell for the panderers they are; in the 19th century, even the most respectable journals routinely maligned us in every way – and bizarrely expected us to endorse their lies!

In 1860, the British publisher Richard Griffin & Co. was preparing a volume of contemporary biography – one- or two-page biographies of some of the most prominent men and women of the day – “a handbook of the peerage of rank, worth, and intellect.” They included Brigham Young among their worthies. Early in 1860, the company mailed a draft of their proposed biography (they called it a “memoir”) of Brigham Young to Salt Lake, asking him to revise the draft because, they assured him, they wished to publish a history of the “highest degree of accuracy.”

I have not seen the draft biography sent to Brigham Young … but I have seen Brigham Young’s response to it.

Whoever wrote the “memoir” must have been very ignorant of the subject, or given but little heed to your “desire to give facts rather than offer opinions”. This is apparent from the writer’s using “Joe” instead of Joseph, and terming our faith “heresy”, and branding us with the epithet “heretics”, and asserting that I rule “despotically”.

The memoir was so bad, he wrote, that he could not simply revise it, but instead had written an entirely new article, carefully observing the length of the original and keeping his own proposed draft to the same space. This, he told them, “you are at liberty to publish, with a perfect reliance upon the correctness of the facts and statements therein contained.”

If they declined to print his version, Brigham told them, “I respectfully request you not to print anything concerning me in your contemplated ‘Contemporary Biography.’”

The biography drafted by Brigham Young reads as follows:

Brigham Young, Sen., President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was born in Whitingham, Windham County, Vermont, U.S., June 1, 1801; lived with his father, who was a farmer, until he was sixteen years old, then learned a trade and followed mechanical business, until he was baptised into said Church on the 14th of April, 1832. He was ordained into the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, February 1835.

Upon the assassination of the Prophet and Patriarch Joseph and Hyrum Smith in Carthage jail, Illinois, June 27, 1844, and in accordance with previous appointment by the Prophet Joseph and ordination under his hands, Brigham Young, then President of the Twelve, succeeded to the Presidency of the Church.

Mobocracy, on account of differences in religious belief, increased in Illinois that in February, 1846, President Young left Nauvoo with a large company of Saints to seek a locality where they could worship Israel’s God in peace. A prompt compliance with a requisition by the Government of the United States for 500 ‘Mormons’ to serve in the war with Mexico, connected with other circumstances, caused the company to halt on the right bank of the Missouri River, at a point since called Florence, N.T., where they passed the winter of 1846-7.

In the spring of 1847 President Young, with a pioneer company of 143 men, left Winter Quarters (Florence) in quest of the desired locality, and arrived in Great Salt Lake valley on the 24th of the following July.

After selecting and having surveyed the site for Great Salt Lake City, and locating temporary forts for the safety of the companies following that season, he returned to Winter Quarters for his family with whom, and large additional numbers of Saints, he arrived in G.S.L. City in the Fall of 1848, where he has since resided.

President Brigham Young is endowed with great firmness and energy of character, is possessed of unswerving integrity and rectitude of conduct, and is blessed with a remarkable degree of sound, practical sense and good judgement, which, with his unusual kindliness and benevolence of disposition, admirably qualify him for the arduous and responsible position he occupies, giving him great administrative ability in the conduct of important affairs, and measurably accounting for the influence he enjoys with those who are striving for the true interests of the human family.

So, did Richard Griffin & Co., print their original “memoir,” the history submitted by Brigham himself, or nothing at all?

The book, A Dictionary of Contemporary Biography, was published in 1861. You can read it on Google Books here on page 402-03 (I couldn’t figure out how to link directly to those pages – if someone knows how and can send me a link, I’ll revise this for simplicity).

Or, you can make the comparison here (paragraph breaks added for ease of comparison):

YOUNG, Brigham, the present leader of the Mormons, or Latter-day Saints, was born in Whitingham, Windham county, in the state of Vermont (U.S.), on the 1st June, 1801. He lived with his father, who was a farmer at Whitingham, until he was sixteen. He then learned a mechanical trade, and on the 14th April 1832, joined the Mormons, or to use a phrase of these sectaries, “was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” In 1835, thanks to his superior ability and education, he became a member of the Governing Council, or “Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.”

He suffered all the tribulations of the Mormons during their stay at Nauvoo, when Joseph Smith was put to death by the riotous inhabitants of Illinois. In June, 1844, Brigham Young, “in accordance with a previous appointment by the prophet, and ordination under his hands,” succeeded to the presidency of the Church.

Nauvoo had no sooner become a prosperous settlement, than the Mormons were forced to abandon it, in consequence of the strong popular feeling against their creed and morals in Illinois. In 1846 the President set out from this settlement with a large company of his followers, in search of a locality where they would not be interfered with, either by the mob or the legislature. A prompt compliance, however, with a requisition by the Government of the Union to furnish 500 “Saints”’ to serve in the war with Mexico, connected with other circumstances, enabled the emigrants to halt on the right bank of the Missouri at a point since called Florence, where they passed the winter of 1846-47, under tents or on transport waggons, exposed to the ravages of disease and the depredations of the wild Indian tribes of the country.

In the spring of 1847, President Young, with a pioneer company of 143 men, left the winter quarters at Florence in quest of the promised land; and crossing the Rocky Mountains, arrived at the Great Salt Lake Valley, between California and Oregon, on the 24th July in the same year.

After surveying the site for a city afterwards built and named the Great Salt Lake City, and erecting temporary forts for the reception of companies who were to emigrate that season, the President returned to winter quarters at Florence, With his family, and large additional numbers of the Saints he returned to the new city in the autumn of 1848.

The city rapidly grew in importance. In 1850 it contained 8,000 inhabitants. The colony was shortly afterwards recognized as a territory by the Federal Government, Brigham Young being appointed Governor, with a salary fixed for him at Washington. In 1856, when the population of Utah had increased to 30,000, which, under ordinary circumstances, would have entitled it to be received as a state of the Union, President Pierce refused to acknowledge its claims to admission, on account of the recognition of polygamy, and its prevalence among the Saints. Brigham Young protested against interference, and defied the Government authorities to prove to him by the Bible, that a man is not entitled to take as many wives as he thinks proper. By the laws of the community, six wives are allowed to each Saint, the President only being permitted an unlimited number, a privilege of which he has taken ample advantage he having some years ago taken unto himself no less than seventy ladies from his flock. According to his disciples, Brigham Young is endowed with great firmness and energy of character, wit, sound practical sense, and good judgment, which, with his natural kindliness and benevolence, admirably fit him to control and influence his followers, and to maintain peace among them.

I’ve seen no record of his response to the published article. I can imagine his bellow when he saw what nonsense they added. Sigh.