Imperial Zions: Mormons, Polygamy, and the Politics of Domesticity in the Nineteenth Century By Amanda Lee Hendrix-Komoto A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (History) in the University of Michigan 2015 Doctoral Committee: Professor Susan M. Juster, Co-Chair Associate Professor Damon I. Salesa, Co-Chair Professor Terryl L. Givens Associate Professor Kali A.K. Israel Professor Mary C. Kelley ii To my grandmother Naomi, my mother Linda, my sisters Laura and Jessica, and my daughter Eleanor iii Acknowledgements This is a dissertation about family and the relationships that people form with each other in order to support themselves during difficult times. It seems right, then, to begin by acknowledging the kinship network that has made this dissertation possible. Susan Juster was an extraordinary advisor. She read multiple drafts of the dissertation, provided advice on how to balance motherhood and academia, and, through it all, demonstrated how to be an excellent role model to future scholars. I will always be grateful for her support and mentorship. Likewise, Damon Salesa has been a wonderful co-chair. His comments on a seminar paper led me to my dissertation topic. Because of him, I think more critically about race. In my first years of graduate school, Kali Israel guided me through the politics of being a working-class woman at an elite academic institution. Even though my work took me far afield from her scholarship, she constantly sent me small snippets of information. Through her grace and generosity, Mary Kelley served as a model of what it means to be a female scholar. She used an invitation to visit a lady historians club as an opportunity to teach a group of graduate students the importance of female friendship in navigating sexism in the academy. And, finally, Terryl Givens offered insight into how to be simultaneously a person of faith and a scholar. His humility, deep engagement with his theological tradition, and willingness to mentor other scholars has inspired my approach to my own religious tradition. All errors, of course, are my own, and not those of my committee. At the University of Michigan, I was blessed with a community of students interested in the intersections of race and gender. The work of students like Rabia Belt, Marie Stango, Aston iv Gonzalez, and Katie Lennard continues to inspire me. Kara French’s work on the politics of sexual restraint informs how I understand sexuality, and Elspeth Martini has been a model of conscientious scholarship. Suzi Linsley, Becky Hill, Elizabeth Papp Kamali, Jacqueline Antonovich, and Lauren MacIvor Thompson provided fantastic models of academic motherhood. Saul Allen and Cassandra Grafström were a fantastic dissertation-writing group. And finally, Jesse Carr read the dissertation in its entirety and proofread every page. Of course, my support network was not limited to my colleagues at Michigan or the people who formally served on my dissertation committee. At the College of Idaho, Steve Maughan and Mee-Ae Kim taught me how to engage with the past. Their quizzes shamed me into doing the reading no matter how smart I thought I was. In the archives and at conferences, I met individuals who offered their support and advice. Quincy Newell always reached out to me to ask about my dissertation, as did Rachel Cope and Susanna Morrill. Connell O’Donovan was a constant source of hilarity. Liz Pinborough and Brittany Chapman offered sympathy and a reminder that academia wasn’t everything. The bloggers at the Juvenile Instructor helped me to refine my arguments and challenged my interpretation of Mormon theology. Together, we weathered storms in which we were accused of doing Satan’s work. Kris Wright, Benjamin Park, Matthew Bowman, Andrea Radke-Moss, Christopher Jones, Natalie Rose, Cristine Hutchinson- Jones, Saskia Tielens, and Joseph Stuart listened to my rants about the lack of feminist engagement in Mormon history. In addition to these scholars, I would like to thank the Newberry Seminar on Women and Gender, the Western History Dissertation Workshop, the American History Workshop, and the European History Workshop for providing me with the opportunity to workshop dissertation chapters. Richard White, Samuel Truett, and Catherine Brekus provided v feedback on early drafts. Finally, I would like to thank my dissertation-writing group. Saskia, Joseph, and Audrey Bastian read several drafts of chapters. Often, financial support can be just as important as emotional support. This dissertation was also supported by a variety of institutions. The Huntington Library, the Charles Redd Center at Brigham Young University, the Mormon Scholars Foundation, the Marriott Library at the University of Utah, and the Rackham Graduate at the University of Michigan provided funding at key moments. In addition to academic and financial support, I had tremendous support from family and friends. I would to thank the women who cared for my daughter so that I could teach and write my dissertation. May and Jun, you cared for my daughter when I could not be there. You told how smart she was, held her when she cried, and fed her. One of the saddest parts of finishing this dissertation and moving on is that my daughter will no longer be in your care. I would also like to thank Mike and Marcie Austerberry for providing extra childcare when I needed it and for all of the support they have provided me through the years. The First United Methodist Church provided meals after I gave birth and was a constant source of support. And, finally, thank you to my family. Aunt Nan and Grandma Aguilar, thank you for always telling me how proud you were of me. Aunt Anita and Uncle Roger, thank you for constant support. Mom and Blair, thank you for your encouragement throughout the years. Jordan, thank you for being willing to assume more than your share of childcare and household burdens. And, Eleanor, I know that sometimes I have been distant while I have been trying to finish this dissertation. Your baby book may not be as full as I would like, but this may have to be a substitute. vi Table of Contents Dedication........................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................iii Abstract..........................................................................................................................................vii Introduction......................................................................................................................................1 Chapter One: The Nucleus of Heaven: Missionary Work, the Family, and Indigenous People in Early Mormon Theology...........................................................................................................24 Chapter Two: Unto the Islands of the Sea: Sexual Scandal, Millennialism, and the Politics of Mormon Missionary Work in the Pacific......................................................................................65 Chapter Three: A White Mission to a White People: The Fieldings and the Mormon Mission to Great Britain.................................................................................................................................103 Chapter Four: A Missionary Widow: The Effects of Mormon Missionary Work on the Family..........................................................................................................................................141 Chapter Five: Polygamous Domesticities: Disciplining White and Native Bodies on the Mormon Frontier.........................................................................................................................................177 Chapter Six: Mormons, Polygamy, and Exile in the South Pacific.............................................223 Conclusion...................................................................................................................................263 Bibliography................................................................................................................................278 vii Abstract This dissertation addresses how discussions of Mormon domesticity intersected with the imperial and racial politics of the nineteenth century. Analyzing missionary correspondence, official LDS church records, church publications, and personal diaries, it tracks Mormon missionaries as they move through imperial spaces such as Great Britain, the United States, and the South Pacific. In identifying Great Britain and the United States as missionary spaces, it argues, Mormons challenged the expectation that the white, middle classes would be the bearers rather than the recipients of missionary work. This was not the only way in which Mormons challenged nineteenth-century conceptions of race. This dissertation argues that in willingly entering polygamy, Mormons advocated for a form of marriage many people believed was more suited to people of color. As a result, Mormon women and their husbands were frequently racialized and portrayed as existing somewhere between white and non-white. In turn, Mormons did not reject racialized or imperial thinking in their defenses of polygamy. Rather, this dissertation concludes that they drew upon civilizing discourses, arguing that polygamy provided a better system for domesticating sexuality than monogamy