Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845

  • Source Note
  • Historical Introduction
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Book 1
no more of my brother untill the letter came 20 yea[rs] after—— thence to 2 <​years​> Dead wife dead one daugter alive
 
Having attained my 62 year, and being offlicted with a complication of disease and infirmities, many of which have been brought upon me by the cruelty of an ungodly and hard hearted world; and do many <​at​> <​often— times​> times threaten to put a period to my Earthly existence, I feel it <​a privilege as well as​> my duty <​to all can​> and my priveledge <​Candid inquirers after truth​> to give (as my last testimony to a world from whence I must soon take my departure) an account, not particularly <​exclusively​> of my own manne[r] of life from my youth up, but after saying somewhat concerning my ancestors, as well as myself, to trace carefully up, ev en from the cradle to the grave The footsteps of some <​the circumsttances​> the manner of whose life and <​death​> as <​have been such​> such as <​are calculated​> to excite in the minds intense of int cur<​iosity​> in the minds of all who ever knew them personally or shall hear of them hereafter. And inasmuch as none no one on earth <​is so thorougholy acquainted)​> do know as fully as myself <​with​> the entire history of those of whom I speak and all those intimately connected with them I have been induced by these and other considerations to assume the task of not only tracing them through during their own individual existences throug <​all the windings, and vicisstudes of​> a life checkered with many ills; but likewise to give a sketch of their forefathers <​progenitors​> and the dealing of God with <​them​> also.
I will firstly take up an old document which I have in my possession writen by my in the 80 year of his age and from which I shall perhaps make a n [p. [1], bk. [1]]
Book 1
no more of my brother untill the letter came 20 years after—— thence to years Dead wife dead one daugter alive
 
Having attained my 62 year, and being offlicted with a complication of disease and infirmities, many of which have been brought upon me by the cruelty of an ungodly and hard hearted world; and do at often— times threaten to put a period to my Earthly existence, I feel it a privilege as well as my duty to all and Candid inquirers after truth to give (as my last testimony to a world from whence I must soon take my departure) an account, not exclusively of my own manner of life from my youth up, but after saying somewhat concerning my ancestors, as well as myself, to trace carefully up, ev en from the cradle to the grave The footsteps of some whose life and death have been such as are calculated to excite intense curiosity in the minds of all who ever knew them personally or shall hear of them hereafter. And inasmuch as no one on earth is so thorougholy acquainted) as myself with the entire history of those of whom I speak I have been induced by these and other considerations to assume the task of only tracing them during the windings, and vicisstudes of a life checkered with many ills; likewise to give a sketch of their progenitors and the dealing of God with them .
I will firstly take up an old document which I have in my possession writen by my in the 80 year of his age and from which I shall perhaps make a n [p. [1], bk. [1]]
Page [1], bk. [1]