June 7, 2019

Episode 158 – The Very Walls Had Ears

On this episode, we dive into the ubiquity of Nauvoo polygamy. Much has been made about Joseph Smith having multiple wives, but he wasn’t the only Nauvoo elite with more than one. Just how prevalent was the practice? How many participated? How many knew about the doctrine? How many plural marriages were formed prior to D&C 132 being committed to paper? What conclusions can we draw from the available data? Gary James Bergera’s article is a masterpiece in helping to understand the complexity of the tangled web of Nauvoo Polygamy.

Identifying the Earliest Mormon Polygamists by Gary Bergera
https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V38N03_13.pdf

James Adams
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/person/james-adams

Ezra T. Benson
https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/overlandtravel/companies/65/ezra-t-benson-company

Reynolds Cahoon
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/person/reynolds-cahoon

Joseph Coolidge
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/person/joseph-wellington-coolidge?l=papers

Howard Egan
https://majorhowardegan.com/howard-egan/overview-of-major-howard-egans-life/

William Felshaw
https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/overlandtravel/pioneers/7955/william-felshaw

Deed to William Felshaw
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/deed-to-william-felshaw-30-june-1836/1

William Huntington biography by Andrew Jensen
https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/logout?targetUrl=/collection/BYUIBooks/id/3154

Joseph Kelting
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/person/joseph-andrew-kelting

Isaac Morley
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/person/isaac-morley

Joseph Bates Noble
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/person/joseph-bates-noble
https://keeperoftheprophetssword.net/