Church History

Brian and Laura Hales have created a remarkably helpful source to sift fact from fiction about Joseph Smith’s polygamy in their new volume, based on years of research. The book’s insightful analysis will help anyone who has struggled with this issue.

To get your copy of Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: Toward a Better Understanding, click here. 

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Andrew Jenson, the researcher who did the most in cataloging the nineteenth century Latter-day Saint story, was an accidental historian. After completing the translation of the Book of Mormon into his native Danish language, he realized at age 30 he had finally found a satisfying career — writing.[i]

Upon returning to the states after a second mission to Denmark, he began publishing a periodical that chronicled the history of the Scandinavian Saints. In 1885, Jenson’s friend, Apostle Erastus Snow, and other general authorities met and decided that a similar publication in English would benefit the Saints.[ii]

In an article in the Deseret Evening News, Jenson outlined the intent of his new publication, The Historical Record:

No attempt will be made to use flowery language, as the main object is to present facts in truth and simplicity. Accuracy as to dates and figures will be a predominant feature, so that the entire work may be considered good authority in all matters upon which it treats.[iii]

Jenson concentrated on presenting the history of the early Church. In July 1887, during the height of federal prosecution of polygamists, he published the article “Plural Marriage.” In the introduction to the article, he explained the reasoning behind the timing of the publication of his research:

As a number of apostates and other opponents of the truth are continually attempting to deny certain facts connected with the introduction of plural marriage among the Latter-day Saints by Joseph Smith, the prophet.[iv]

It was a thinly veiled reference to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ attempts to attribute the introduction of the practice of plural marriage to Brigham Young.

He may have been surprised that his good intentions were met by a gentle rebuke by President Wilford Woodruff who wrote to Jenson:

The attention of the Twelve has been called to your number of the ‘Historical Record’ for July 1887, in which you publish a list of names of women who were sealed to the Prophet Joseph. We do not question your good desires in making these names public, but we are led to question the propriety of giving this publicity to them at the present time. … Advantage may be taken of their publication and, in some instances, to the injury, perhaps, of families or relatives of those whose names are mentioned.^[v]

Between the arrests of polygamists and failed attempts at statehood, the Prophet’s concern was likely warranted. As historians James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard noted: “Church leaders deemed it prudent to remain silent on the issue of plural marriage. Beginning in 1887, they rarely if ever discussed the principle in public discourse. They counseled Church publications to refrain from bringing it up at that particularly crucial time.”[vi]

A few authors wrote about the topic during the early decades of the 1900s, mostly filling in the documentary gaps with conjectures that portrayed Joseph Smith negatively. Latter-day Saint writers did not respond, instead choosing to generally ignore this controversial and sensitive subject. The last quarter of the twentieth century witnessed increased inquiry and scholarship, but still no volumes directly addressing the history were penned by believers.

This pattern persisted well into the twenty-first century, with exposés on the topic going largely unrebutted. Stories based on dubious evidences were promulgated without much response, even making it into the collective consciousness of Latter-day Saints, who didn’t necessarily read the texts themselves.

Telling the Story of Early Polygamy

We consider ourselves accidental historians as well. Neither of us chose history as a career path. Brian started studying modern polygamy in 1989 when a family member was excommunicated after joining a polygamy group. He was drawn to read everything he could on the topic, which turned out to be a rather limited number of documents.

After writing three books from his research on the modern-day practice of polygamy, Brian turned his attention to Joseph Smith’s practice of plural marriage. In 2013 Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: History and Theology was published. He had hired a research assistant and spent six years trying to accumulate every known document dealing with Nauvoo plural marriage. In the comprehensive volumes, he slogged through controversies and questions, but the final product was too detailed to interest most Latter-day Saints.

This book, Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: Toward a Better Understanding, is more than a condensation of those three volumes; it is an attempt to regain the story and redirect a narrative now dominated by sensational soundbites trumpeted in numerous media outlets with varying degrees of accuracy. Like Andrew Jenson, we hope to set the record straight — “not with flowery language” but by presenting facts in “truth and simplicity” and with “accuracy to dates.”

But sharing the history is not enough. Without laying a framework by presenting the theology Joseph taught, crucial context is lost. And ignoring the testimonies of the women who had the courage to accept Joseph’s plural marriage proposals leaves out important pieces in a fragmented historical puzzle.

For this reason, we set out to present the story of not only what happened but also introduce the why and who behind the story.

What Really Happened?

Though this is a short volume, it does not shy away from any of the controversies associated with Joseph Smith’s practice of polygamy. A complete read will provide a basic understanding of the underlying plural marriage theology, which is probably better understood today than it was within the secretive environment in which it unfolded, and a timeline for the emerging practice of plural marriage among the early Saints.

One thing we don’t do is make plural marriage go away or necessarily help members feel good about the practice. Polygamy on earth will probably always seem unfair. Our object is merely to move readers toward a better understanding. This is an uncomfortable part of our history with aspects that may always defy full explanation. Some may struggle to make peace with uncomfortable realities, but it is important to remember that the details we don’t know probably outnumber the details we do. Everything else is speculation.

Through our research, we have learned that sloppy scholarship has the ability to turn historical nonfiction into fanciful fiction that can have an enduring shelf life as it is passed along from one publication to the next. In the literary equivalent of the Telephone Game, each retelling seems to expand on the previous.

To determine what really happened, a careful researcher needs to look at primary documents and occasionally do some sleuthing that involves dissecting various accounts and determining if they harmonize with other relevant information.

One story that has wiggled itself into the collective consciousness of members and critics alike is that of a supposed incident involving a violent act against Eliza Snow by an enraged and jealous Emma Smith. Though accepted as fact by many for nearly a century, upon critical examination, it is hard to imagine how the yarn could be true. Like a line of dominos, when one detail falls, the others soon follow.

Most probably the story will continue to be told, but after considering our analysis, we are hopeful that readers will approach similar stories, which often overstate and embellish the manuscript evidences, with a more critical eye.

Book Excerpt: A Confrontation with Eliza R. Snow?

An alleged but improbable confrontation between Emma and Eliza R. Snow is unfortunately well known. Different narratives of varying credibility are sometimes amalgamated to create a flowing storyline of questionable accuracy. The most detailed account comes from Leroi Snow quoting W. Aird McDonald quoting Ben Rich quoting Charles C. Rich:

Charles C. Rich called at the Mansion House, Nauvoo, to go with the Prophet on some appointment they had together. As he waited in the main lobby or parlor, he saw the Prophet and Emma come out of a room upstairs and walk together toward the stairway which apparently came down center. Almost at the same time, a door opposite opened and dainty, little, dark-haired Eliza R. Snow (she was “heavy with child”) came out and walked toward the center stairway. When Joseph saw her, he turned and kissed Eliza, and then came on down stairs toward Brother Rich. Just as he reached the bottom step, there was a commotion on the stairway, and both Joseph and Brother Rich turned quickly to see Eliza come tumbling down the stairs. Emma had pushed her, in a fit of rage and jealousy; she stood at the top of the stairs, glowering, her countenance a picture of hell. Joseph quickly picked up the little lad [lass], and with her in his arms, he turned and looked up at Emma, who then burst into tears and ran to her room. Joseph carried the hurt and bruised Eliza up the stairs and to her room. “Her hip was injured and that is why she always afterward favored that leg,” said Charles C. Rich. “She lost the unborn babe.”^[vii]

Photos of the interior of the Homestead. Views of the stairwell demonstrate that visualization of the activities transpiring at the top of the twelve stairs is impossible. (Courtesy Community of Christ Archives.)

At least five other accounts have been associated with this alleged interaction, with one reporting it resulted in Eliza’s subsequent sterility.^[viii] However, together or separately, they do not seem to tell a believable story, and they all manifest important weaknesses:

1. The historical sources are all at least secondhand with the longest and most detailed (quoted above) being fourth-hand and the result of over one hundred years of storytelling.

2. There is no evidence Eliza was ever pregnant.

3. There is no evidence Eliza ever lived in or stayed overnight in the Nauvoo Mansion.

4. The account above describes a scene witnessed by Charles C. Rich. However, Rich signed an affidavit on July 12, 1869, stating that in May of 1844 he was told of plural marriage as he was “starting on a mission to the State of Michigan.”^[ix] In other words, Rich did not become a polygamy insider until that date, so it seems unlikely he could have viewed such a scene in the months or years previous because he would have had no context for understanding Eliza’s described pregnancy as an unmarried woman, the reported conflict with Emma, or Joseph’s tender concern for Eliza.

5. The described configuration of the stairs in the narratives conflicts with the actual architecture of the stairways at both the Homestead and the Mansion.

The Homestead stairwell landing prevents any visualization of things happening at the top. The details in all the accounts show the alleged altercation did not occur in the Homestead. 

Photos of the interior of the Nauvoo Mansion. The configuration of the staircase does not appear to correlate to the stairs mentioned in the various accounts. (Used by permission Community of Christ Archives.)

Similarly, the stairway at the Mansion does not correspond to the descriptions in any of the accounts

6. The evidence of a sexual relationship between Joseph and Eliza is contradictory. In a 1905 interview with Joseph Smith III, Angus Cannon quoted Heber C. Kimball: “He [Joseph Smith III] said, “I am informed that Eliza Snow was a virgin at the time of her death.” I in turn said, “Brother Heber C. Kimball, I am informed, asked her the question if she was not a virgin although married to Joseph Smith and afterwards to Brigham Young, when she replied in a private gathering, ‘I thought you knew Joseph Smith better than that.’”^[x]

Eliza’s reported response seems to imply that she was sexually involved with the Prophet. However, when asked in an 1877 letter by RLDS missionary, Daniel Munns, if she had been a spiritual wife, of Joseph Smith, Eliza penned:

You ask (referring to Pres. Smith), ‘Did he authorize or practice spiritual wifery? Were you a spiritual wife?’ I certainly shall not acknowledge myself of having been a carnal one.’. . . I am personally and intimately acquainted with several ladies now living in Utah who accepted the pure and sacred doctrine of plural marriage, and were the bona fide wives of Pres. Joseph Smith.^[xi]

This statement seems to indicate that either she was not sexually involved with the Prophet or she was carefully trying to avoid admitting to it, even though she freely implied its occurrence with some of Joseph’s other plural wives.

7. A fall down a flight of stairs causing a miscarriage that resulted in Eliza’s permanent sterility is unlikely. According to obstetrician-gynecologist Steven L. Johnson, “The most likely cause of permanent sterility would have been a secondary infection called endometritis, which would likely have prostrated her for days or weeks with great pain, fever, and other symptoms.”^[xii] Eliza’s documented activity level in Nauvoo is inconsistent with pregnancy or any identifiable prolonged illness.

While certainly intriguing and perhaps scandalous, the narratives of Emma pushing a pregnant Eliza down the stairs all appear to have undergone at least one retelling, if not several over the span of many years. Given the irreconcilable chronology and other inconsistencies, this tantalizing story between Emma and Eliza is likely one where folklore has supplanted actual history.

To get your copy of Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: Toward a Better Understanding, click here. 

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[i] Keith W. Perkins, “A Study of the Contributions of Andrew Jenson to the Writing and Preservation of LDS Church History” (master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1971), 24.
[ii] Ibid., 35.
[iii] “Prospectus,” The Deseret News, November 14, 1885, 1.
[iv] Andrew Jenson, “Plural Marriage,” Historical Record 6 (July 1887): 219.
[v] Wilford Woodruff, letter to Andrew Jenson, August 6, 1887, Wilford Woodruff’s Letter Books, LDS Church History Library; quoted in Perkins, “A Study of the Contributions of Andrew Jenson,” 40.
[vi] James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard, The Story of the Latter-day Saints, 2d ed., rev. and enl. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992), 413.
[vii] Leroi C. Snow, “Notes,” in possession of Cynthia Snow Banner. Quoted in Beecher, Newell, and Valeen Avery, “Emma and Eliza and the Stairs,” BYU Studies 22 (Winter 1982): 90. Unable to verify original notes.
[viii] Wilhelm Wyl, Mormon Portraits, or the Truth about Mormon Leaders from 1830 to 1886, Joseph Smith the Prophet, His Family and His Friends: A Study Based on Fact and Documents (Salt Lake City: Tribune Printing and Publishing Co., 1886), 58.
[ix] Joseph F. Smith Affidavit Books, 1:54, LDS Church History Library.
[x] Angus Munn Cannon, “Statement of an Interview with Joseph Smith, III, 1905,” MS 3166, p. 23, LDS Church History Library.
[xi] Eliza R. Snow, letter to Daniel Munns dated May 30, 1877, Community of Christ Archives; emphasis in original.
[xii] Steven L. Johnson, M.D., “An Analysis of Eliza R. Snow’s Obstetrical Experience as Reflected in ‘Emma and the Stairs’ Literature,” June 9, 2008. Copy in possession of the authors.