Joseph Smith’s Wives

Joseph Smith Jr. was the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormon or LDS Church. Smith was born on December 23, 1805, in Sharon, Vermont, and grew up in upstate New York during a period of religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening. It was during this time of spiritual fervor that Smith claimed to have experienced a series of visions and revelations. One of these visitations was from an angel named Moroni, who directed Smith to ancient plates buried in a nearby hillside. Smith translated these plates into what would become the Book of Mormon, which is regarded as scripture by members of the Mormon Church.

Joseph Smith's teachings emphasized direct revelation from God, the restoration of ancient Christian practices, and the establishment of a literal kingdom of God on earth. He organized the Church of Christ (later renamed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) in 1830 and served as its first president and prophet until his martyrdom in 1844. Smith's leadership was marked by both remarkable growth and intense persecution. He and his followers were driven from New York to Ohio, Missouri, and eventually to Illinois, where he was killed by a mob in Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844. Despite his short life, Joseph Smith's legacy as a religious visionary and founder of one of America's most distinctive religious movements continues to shape the beliefs and practices of millions of Latter-day Saints around the world.

One of the more controversial aspects of Smith’s legacy was the practice of polygamy. Joseph Smith and his plural wives were married to him in a sealing, eternal relationship that Smith said was revealed to him by God. Joseph Smith’s wives’ ages ranged from 14-56. He married between 30-40 women, although the exact number is debated among historians. Not all of these polygamous relationships were sexual, particularly Smith’s sealings to younger women, married women, and others. These women, as well as their families, wrote about these marriages, characterizing them as only eternal in nature. DNA tests confirm that Smith only ever had children with his first wife, Emma Hale Smith. Many Mormons believe that polygamy was a part of the restoration of ancient practices.

Smith’s first plural wife was probably Fanny Alger, but the relationship didn’t last. Alger left Ohio with her parents and siblings and married another man, Solomon Custer.  While in Nauvoo, Joseph Smith shared the practice of polygamy with various leaders and women. The reaction of these people was often shock. However, Smith invited everyone to pray to God and ask if Smith was lying about God’s command to practice polygamy. There are numerous records of people praying about plural marriage and feeling that polygamy was sanctioned by God. Smith taught this principle to women and proposed to some of them and at least seven women rejected Smith. 

The practice of polygamy continued in the Mormon Church until 1890. Joseph Smith’s wives’ legacy, however, has continued to be a source of research and debate among Mormons and non-Mormons alike.