Polygamy and Mormon Church Leaders 2

20 May

Brigham Young

1801-1877

We thought it might be of interest to those studying Mormonism to get a small glimpse of what the home life of Church leaders may have looked like in the infancy stages of  Mormonism.  I’ve written a lot about the polygamy issue throughout the years, but have never compiled a concise list of the early prophets of Mormonism and their godless way of life.

I’ve decided to embark upon a series of articles on this topic and to share a few insights along the way about my personal experience of living with the results of polygamy.

As my journey out of Mormonism widened with new experiences of learning the truth about Jesus, so did my understanding of Mormonism when I realized the importance of Joseph Smith’s role and the legacy he left behind.  In short, I made a resolute decision to picture him living in the twenty-first century and how I would react to him if he showed up at my front door.

The thought of Joe Smith as a prophet of anything but an evil charlatan is incomprehensible to me.  Why people believed him and what the early Mormons were thinking is beyond me because I can’t imagine allowing him into my home or him looking at one of my daughters.  Anyone who would tell people they can’t be with God unless the prophet has sex with your wife and daughter…I just don’t have any words…

I honestly believe Smith was tricked by Satan and led astray by parents who were less than forthright about teaching truth to their own kids.  He was a perfect target for the devil, being led down a fanciful path of self indulgence and pride that rivaled no one.  While part of me feels somewhat sad for him in that regard, on the whole I still see him as being the major instigator for the millions who’ve traded in the truth for a lie; the five generations of my family before me included.

We have a list of Joseph Smith’s wives on the site http://lifeafter.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Joseph-Smiths-Wives-PDF-2.pdf so this time around we’re posting the list of Brigham Young’s wives.  In the upcoming weeks we’ll be taking a look at the wives of John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Joseph F. Smith and Heber J. Grant; all who were presidents/prophets of the Church.

The information for marriages, children and age for each wife of Brigham Young came from the following sources:

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Brigham_Young’s_wives

Rethinking Mormonism

http://www.i4m.com/think/polygamy/polygamy_summary.htm

Utah Historical Society (who by the way claims Young only had 27 wives)

http://historytogo.utah.gov/salt_lake_tribune/in_another_time/073095.html

The Dark Side of Salt Lake City

http://www.thedarksideofsaltlakecity.org/index.htm

Wife# Marriage date & Young’s age at date of marriage Wife’s name & age atmarriage Wife’s maritalstatus at time of marriage to Young Number of kids & additional info
1 Oct. 8, 1824 (23) Miriam AngelineWorks (18) 1stmarriage 2 kids; died prior to Young becoming LDS
2 Feb. 10, 1834 (32) Mary Ann Angell (27) 1st marriage 6 kids
3 June 14, 1842 (41) Lucy Ann Decker (20) Abandoned by husband Wm. Seeley 7 kids
4 Nov. 2, 1843 (42) Augusta Adams (41) Married to non-LDS Henry Cobb (div. 1847) Young later married her son’s ex-wife, Mary Van Cott Cobb (#51)
5 Nov. 2, 1843 (42) Harriet Elizabeth Cook (19) 1st marriage 1 kid
6 May 8, 1844 (42) Clarissa Caroline Decker (15) 1st marriage 5 kids
7 Sept. 1844 (43 Emily Dow Partridge (20) Plural widow of Joseph Smith Daughter of Ed. Partridge, sealed to JS for eternity & Young for life, 7 kids, mom of Don Carlos Young
8 Sept. 10, 1844 Clarissa Ross (30) 1st marriage 4 kids
9 Sept. 19, 1844 (43) Louisa Beaman (29) Plural widow of JS Sealed to JS for eternity & Young for life, 5 kids
10 Oct. 3, 1844 (43) Eliza R. Snow (40) Plural widow of JS Sealed to JS for eternity & Young for life
11 Oct. 3, 1844 (43) Elizabeth Fairchild (16) 1st marriage Divorced 1855
12 Oct. 8, 1844 Clarissa Blake (48) Widow of Morse; married to LDS Lyman Homiston
13 October 9, 1844 (43) Rebecca Holman (20) 1st marriage
14 October 10, 1844 (43) Diana Chase (17) 1st marriage Divorced prior to 1849
15 Oct. 31, 1844 (43) Susanne Snively (29) 1st marriage
16 Nov. 7. 1844 (43) Olive Grey Frost (28) Plural widow of JS Sealed to JS for eternity & Young for life
17 Jan. 15, 1845 (43) Mary Ann Clark (28) Prev. married to Powers (not known if widowed, div. or separated) Divorced June 1851
18 Jan. 16, 1845 Margaret Pierce (25) Widow of Morris Whitesides Sealed to Whitesides for eternity & Young for time; 1 kid
19 January 16, 1845 (43) Mary Pierce (25) 1st marriage
20 Apr. 30, 1845 Emmeline Free (18) 1st marriage 10 kids
21 May 22, 1845 (43) Mary Elizabeth Rollins (26) Married to non-LDS Adam Lightner & plural widow of JS Sealed to JS for eternity & Young for time, remained living w/ Lightner
22 Jan. 14, 1846 (44) Margaret Alley (20) 1st marriage 2 kids
23 Jan. 15, 1846 (44) Olive Andrews (27) Posthumous plural wife of JS Sealed to JS for eternity & Young for time
24 Jan. 15, 1846 (44) Emily Haws (22) Widow of Wm. Whitmarsh
25 Jan. 21,       1846 (44) Martha Bowker (23) 1st marriage
26 Jan. 21, 1846 (44) Ellen Rockwood (16) 1st marriage
27 Jan. 28, 1846 (44) Jemima Angel (42) Divorced from Valentine Young (no relation)
28 Jan. 28, 1846 (44) Abigail Marks (69) Widow of Asa Works Sealed to Works for eternity & Young for time; mom of Young’s 1st wife, Miriam Works
29 Jan. 28, 1846 (44) Phebe Morton (59) Widow of James W. Angel Sealed to Angel for eternity & Young for time
30 Jan. 28, 1846 (44) Cynthia Porter (62) Married to Wm. Weston (unknown if widowed, divorced or separated)
31 Jan. 31, 1846 (44) Mary Eliza Nelson (33) Widow of John P. Greene Sealed to Greene for eternity & Young for time; divorced by 1850
32 Jan. 31, 1846 (44) Rhoda Richards (61) Plural widow of JS Sealed to Smith for eternity & Young for time
33 Feb. 2, 1846 (44) Zina Diantha Huntington (25) Married to LDS Henry Bailey Jacobs; plural widow of JS Sealed to JS for eternity & Young for time; not sealed to Jacobs; lived w/ Young, 1 kid
34 Feb. 3, 1846 (44) Amy Cecilia Cooper (41) Married to non-LDS Joseph Aldrich; separated later & he remarried
35 Feb. 3, 1846 (44) Mary Ellen de la Montaigne (42) Divorced from James Boyd Woodward Div. from Young 12/13/1846 and remarried Woodward; both Woodward & de la Montaigne adopted by Young @ Nauvoo
36 Feb. 3, 1846 (44) Julia Foster (36) Widow of LDS Jonathan Hampton who died in Nauvoo 1844 Stayed in Ill. When Young emigrated to Utah.  Young sent for her in 1855.  She and kids went to Utah where she managed the Lion House)
37 Feb. 3, 1846 (44) Abigail Harback (55) Prev. married to John Calvin Hall (unknown if widowed, divorced or separated)
38 Feb. 3, 1846 (44) Mary Ann Turley (18) 1st marriage Divorced 1851
39 Feb. 6, 1846 (44) Naamah Carter (24) Divorced John S. Twiss
40 Feb. 6, 1846 (44) Nancy Cressy (65) Widow of Oliver Walker
41 Feb. 10, 1846 (44) Jane Terry (26) Widow of George W. Young (no relation) Requested on deathbed to be sealed to Young, died 4 days after marriage
42 Mar. 20, 1847 (45) Lucy Bigelow (16) 1st marriage 3 kids
43 Mar. 20, 1846 (44) Mary Jane Bigelow (19) 1st marriage Divorced 1851
44 Apr. 18, 1848 (46) Sarah Malin (43) 1st marriage Later divorced
45 Oct. 3, 1852 (51) Eliza Burgess (25) 1st marriage 1 kid
46 Dec. 16, 1852 (51) Mary Oldfield (59) Widow of Eli Kelsey
47 Before 1853 (aged 51 before 1.1.1853) Eliza Babcock (24) 1st marriage Divorced 1853
48 June 10, 1855 (54) Catherine Reese (51) Widow of Zephaniah Clawson
49 March 14, 1856 (54) Harriet Barney (25) Divorced W.H. H. Sagers 1 kid
50 Jan. 24, 1863 (61) Amelia Folsom (24) 1st marriage “Considered to be Brigham’s favorite wife.  They would sit by themselves @ dinner, while the rest of his wives and children would eat together.” (Wikipedia)
51 Jan. 8, 1868 (66) Mary Van Cott (23) Divorced James Thornton Cobb (son of wife #4) 1 kid
52 Apr. 7, 1868 (66) Ann Eliza Webb (24) Divorced James L. Dee Divorced 1875; later became critic of polygamy
53 July 3, 1869 (68) Elizabeth Jones (55) Widow of David T. Lewis & Dan Jones
54 May 8, 1870 (68) Lydia Farnsworth (61) Married to Elijah Mayhew Sealed to Young for eternity, remained living w/ Mayhew
55 Dec. 8, 1872 (71) Hannah Tapfield (65) Married to non-LDS Thomas O. King Sealed to Young for eternity, remained living w/ King

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