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The Doctrine and Decline of Mormon Plural Marriage, 1841-1890

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The Doctrine and Decline of Mormon Plural Marriage, 1841-1890 University of Massachusetts Boston ScholarWorks at UMass Boston Graduate Masters Theses Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses 12-2020 A Dogged Resolve: The Doctrine and Decline of Mormon Plural Marriage, 1841-1890 Jaclyn Thornock Gadd Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/masters_theses Part of the United States History Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons “A DOGGED RESOLVE”: THE DOCTRINE AND DECLINE OF MORMON PLURAL MARRIAGE, 1841-1890 A Thesis Presented by JACLYN THORNOCK GADD Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS December 2020 History Program ©2020 by Jaclyn Thornock Gadd All rights reserved “A DOGGED RESOLVE”: THE DOCTRINE AND DECLINE OF MORMON PLURAL MARRIAGE, 1841-1890 A Thesis Presented by JACLYN THORNOCK GADD Approved as to style and content by _________________________________________________ Roberta L. Wollons, Professor Chairperson of Committee _________________________________________________ Julie P. Winch, Professor Member _________________________________________________ Benjamin D. Johnson, Associate Professor Member _______________________________________ Elizabeth McCahill, Program Director History Program _______________________________________ Timothy Hacsi, Chairperson History Department ABSTRACT A DOGGED RESOLVE: THE DOCTRINE AND DECLINE OF MORMON PLURAL MARRIAGE, 1841-1890 December 2020 Jaclyn Thornock Gadd, B.A., Utah State University M.A., University of Massachusetts Boston Directed by Professor Roberta L. Wollons A Dogged Resolve is an analytical micro-history of the theology and marital practices among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1841 to 1890. In the spring of 1841, Joseph Smith, Church founder and leader, took another wife; an act which launched a long and controversial practice of polygamy by a small minority within the community. After the Latter-day Saints migrated west, the isolation of the Rocky Mountains fostered a period where plural families could thrive and the first generation endeavored to establish marital norms. However, with advancements in technology and transportation, the younger generations adopted nineteenth century attitudes toward marriage and the practice of plural marriage did not achieve a lasting acceptance. Polygamy disturbed a general public locked in Christian monogamy, and its presence on American shores galvanized opponents to challenge every petition by the territory of Utah for statehood and the citizenship of every person who not only practiced polygamy, but believed in or supported the idea. By the 1880s iv and with the affirmation of United States Supreme Court rulings and Congressional legislation, the federal government relentlessly prosecuted and convicted hundreds of polygamists while successfully stripping the community of voting and other constitutional rights. For members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, an attack on one principle was an attack on all. The external opposition actually prodded the Saints to staunchly defend plural marriage even though they were already content to let the practice fade on its own. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe a debt of gratitude to many individuals and institutions for their kind assistance with this thesis. First, to my supportive husband Jake who has made our monogamous marriage a true source of comfort and joy that I cannot imagine having to share him with another. To my irreplaceable advisor, Dr. Roberta Wollons, whose generous collaboration and insights were indispensable to the success of this entire project. Before I even applied to the University of Massachusetts Boston I had hoped to be able to work with Dr. Wollons and feel extremely fortunate to have been placed under her tutelage. I thank the members of my committee, Dr. Julie Winch and Dr. Benjamin Johnson, whose helpful suggestions and edits to my drafts went above and beyond to push me as a writer and a scholar. To the Bennion Family Association, thank you for entrusting me to share a small portion of Samuel and John Bennion’s story. They were remarkable men and I am honored to have any sort of association with the Bennion lineage. Special thanks must be given to the archival institutions who offered generous assistance to my research; namely, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, the Church History Library from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Digital Collections at the Harold B. Lee Library of Brigham Young University. For assistance in shaping my topic and argument, I turned to Dr. Kathleen Flake of the University of Virginia, who helped me to refine my idea and tighten my argument. I also thank Dr. Anthony Sweat of Brigham Young University for permission to use his painting of Joseph and Emma Smith and for his kind encouragement. vi Several individuals were patient and supportive during the long transformation of this thesis. I could never have attempted such a task had it not been for their tireless encouragement. To my mother, my siblings, my children and to the Gadd family, I love you and I thank you. Last but not least, to my father, who passed before this project’s completion and to who I owe my love of history, you are always in my heart. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... x PREFACE .................................................................................................................. xi INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER Page 1. AN OVERVIEW OF POLYGAMY ....................................................... 1 A New Revelation ................................................................................... 3 Plural Marriage After Joseph Smith ........................................................ 6 The Public Announcement ...................................................................... 8 A Church Court System ........................................................................... 9 Anti-Polygamy Legislation ..................................................................... 11 The United States Supreme Court Ruling ............................................... 17 Federal Pressure Intensifies ..................................................................... 19 The 1890 Manifesto ................................................................................. 21 2. A HIGHER PRINCIPLE ........................................................................... 25 Continuing Revelation and Eternal Marriage .......................................... 26 Restorative Practices and Preparing for the Return of Jesus Christ ........ 28 The Man Behind the Principle ................................................................. 31 The Initial Response ................................................................................ 32 The Country’s Reaction ........................................................................... 36 Plural Marriage Behaviors ....................................................................... 37 The Latter-day Saint Marriage System .................................................... 40 Courtship and Marital Expectations ........................................................ 45 A Threat to American Institutions ........................................................... 46 Polygamy’s Defense ................................................................................ 49 The Experience of the Plural Wives ........................................................ 51 3. A DOGGED RESOLVE ........................................................................... 56 Modernization and Marriage for Love ................................................... 57 Rejection, Heartache and Financial Expectations .................................. 60 Quantitative Evidence ............................................................................ 68 The Doctrinal Evolution ......................................................................... 69 A Shift in the Defense ............................................................................ 78 Opposition in All Things ........................................................................ 83 viii CHAPTER Page 4. CONCLUSION & EPILOGUE ................................................................. 89 Epilogue ................................................................................................ 92 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................... 98 ix LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure Page 1. Joseph Smith, W. B. Carson, 1879 .................................................... 3 2. The Balls are Rolling – Clear the Track, Nathaniel Currier, 1856 ... 12 3. Portrait of Wilford Woodruff, Fox and Symons, 1898 ...................... 22 4. Purgatory: Joseph, Emma, and the Revelation on Plural Marriage, Anthony Sweat, 2019 ........................... 34 5. John Bennion and Samuel Bennion, Daniel Weggeland .................. 44 6. Orson Pratt, Frederick Piercy, 1855 ................................................. 72 7. Portrait of Emmeline B. Wells, C. M. Bell, 1879 .............................. 86 Table 1. Samuel Bennion Marriages ....................................................................
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