Hal Robert Boyd and Dr. Susan E. Black, Church History Department

In 1844 Robert Andrew Hope McCorkle (R.A.H McCorkle) journeyed to Nauvoo to familiarize himself with Mormonism and meet the Prophet Joseph Smith. In Nauvoo, McCorkle found many Latter-day Saints. Yet, he left Nauvoo disappointed, without having approached the Prophet Joseph Smith. He wanted to ask the Prophet some heartfelt questions regarding Mormonism. After McCorkle returned from his visit to the Mormon capital, he composed a letter to Joseph Smith with his questions written in poetic form. The letter was received by Joseph Smith’s secretary, but it is unclear if Joseph read the letter before he was martyred soon thereafter—no known response by the Prophet exists. Also, in spite of his interest in Mormonism, McCorkle never joined the LDS Church. While the names of his two sons—Joseph Smith McCorkle and Parley P. McCorkle—display his affinity for Mormon leaders, in 1847 he was a founding member of the Lemalsamac Church in Tennessee, near where he was later buried.

I discovered McCorkle’s poem and accompanying letter while doing archival research on documents related to Joseph Smith. Quickly, I saw that the poem and letter offered interesting insights into McCorkle’s involvement with Mormonism, and additionally, they presented a very positive view of Nauvoo in 1844. Also, I thought McCorkle’s poem was a historical gem worthy of a broader audience. I went to work with Dr. Susan Easton Black, and together we drafted an edition of the document for publication. The document is now published in BYU Studies (Volume 49:4). The work on this document is part of a larger book project on early Mormon poetry.

I would like to thank Dr. Susan E. Black for her constant help with this project and the staff at BYU Studies. Of course, this project could not have been possible without the generous support of BYU’s Office of Research and Creative Activities.