John Corrill: He Joined the Church After Witnessing Miraculous Speaking in Tongues — Wrote the Most Valuable Early History

John Corrill (1794–1842) was baptized on January 10, 1831, in Kirtland, Ohio. His conversion was precipitated by witnessing a powerful and miraculous spiritual manifestation — the gift of speaking in tongues among the early Saints in Kirtland.

Corrill recorded in his own history: 'During the fall and winter of 1830 and 1831, Kirtland was continually excited with reports of miracles, healings, and supernatural gifts.' He went to investigate, and what he witnessed convinced him the work was real.

He was soon ordained an elder and served a mission. He became one of the most trusted leaders in Missouri, serving as a bishop's counselor, keeper of the Lord's storehouse, and an elected representative to the Missouri state legislature.

In 1839, even after leaving the Church, Corrill wrote what historians consider one of the most valuable primary source accounts of the early Church: 'A Brief History of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints.' Even as a critical observer by that point, his account preserves eyewitness detail of miracles, manifestations, and spiritual events that no other document captures so vividly.

BYU Studies described his work: 'John Corrill's History is considered one of the most valuable firsthand accounts of the Church in the Missouri era.' His account of Kirtland Temple manifestations corroborates even the most extraordinary claims of the Pentecostal period.

Corrill's witness is remarkable precisely because he eventually became a critic — yet his earlier record affirms what he himself had seen.