Albert Brown: The Connecticut Convert Who Witnessed the Martyrdom and Wrote the First Nauvoo Eyewitness Letter

Albert Brown (November 13, 1807 – 1902) was born in Windsor, Connecticut, and baptized on December 31, 1832 — within three years of the Church's founding. He served a mission to the Eastern States in 1837 and eventually gathered with the Saints to Nauvoo, Illinois.

On November 11, 1844 — just months after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith — Albert Brown wrote a letter from Nauvoo to his New York relatives describing what had happened. BYU Studies published a study of this letter, titled 'Will the Murderers Be Hung? Albert Brown's 1844 Letter and the Martyrdom of Joseph Smith,' noting that it 'adds significantly to the historical record of Joseph Smith's martyrdom.'

Brown was present in Nauvoo during the explosive and chaotic period immediately following the martyrdom. His letter captures the grief, shock, and faith of the Saints in that immediate aftermath — before the accounts had been polished by time or ecclesiastical editing. It is a raw, firsthand snapshot of how ordinary members experienced that devastating event.

He also appears in Nauvoo land records, demonstrating his physical presence and investment in the city of the Saints. His obituary speaks of his involvement in the expulsion of the Mormons from Nauvoo.

Albert Brown lived to age 94–95, making him one of the longest-lived witnesses of the Restoration's foundational period. A man baptized in 1832 who lived into the early 1900s — his life spanned the entire formative century of the Church.