Joseph Smith's Polygamy, Vol. 2: History Rating :
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Joseph Smith's Polygamy
By Colby Townsend
The topic of polygamy has always been a center place of heated debate
between scholars and laymen alike. The scholar disagrees with the
scholar, the layman disagrees with the laymen, and the laymen disagree
with the scholars. What do we do with the narratives in the Hebrew Bible
that betray the fact that polygamy was commonplace in ancient Israelite
culture? Do we throw the Patriarchal fathers under the bus and say that
they were not living the commands of God when they practiced polygamy or
do we say that there must have been some religious rationale behind
their social norms? Whatever we say about polygamy the fact remains that
it is there, and very much alive in ancient Israel. The same can be said
about Mormon polygamy.
Mormon polygamy is very much alive in historical discussions, whether
about the different groups in America's history that have practiced
polygamy, settling the American West, the character of Brigham Young,
the history of the Mormon church, or Mormon polygamy's early rise with
Joseph Smith in the 1830's and when and where it actually began. For
many it is a very controversial topic, for some it is a topic never to
be discussed, and for others it is simply a part of history and needs to
be discussed. Whatever we say about polygamy in the history of the LDS church,
as with the above discussion of ancient Israelite practices, the fact remains
that it is there.
With the above in mind, Brian C. Hales has done a superb job in bringing
all of the relevant history together in one place. No matter what one's
opinions are, for the coming decades this set will prove to be the
standard to turn to in researching Mormon polygamy. Hales wants to
answer literally every question that has ever been raised about the
origins of Mormon polygamy with Joseph Smith and respond to every
negative answer that he feels has no historical grounds to hold it.
Hales commits himself at the beginning to give "equal consideration and
scrutiny" to "antagonistic, apologetic, and neutral documents."(1) He is
upfront with his apologetic views and recognizes how these views flavor
his approach to the historical texts. He recognizes that there are other
scholars with differing views than his, and sought their opinions of his
manuscript. He points out that he and they "do not always agree about
the interpretation of a particular document, but [that] the manuscript
is much stronger for their candid discussions and interpretations."(2)
Hales begins his work in the first two volumes by studying the "History"
of Joseph Smith's polygamy. He follows a chronological pattern, taking
up each topic as it fits into the chronology. Important subjects such as
"Joseph Smith's Morality, 1820s to 1835," "Fanny Alger and the
Beginnings of Mormon Polygamy," "Oliver Cowdery's Articles on
`Marriage,'" "The Puzzle of `Polyandry,'" and "Sealings for `Time and
Eternity' and for `Eternity Only,'" are only a few examples of the
material Hales covers. Volume 2 includes the bibliography and index for
the first volumes, so the reader does have to have both volumes 1 and 2
to make sense of all of the sources he cites. He writes in a very fluid
manner that is accessible to both the scholar and the layperson. He
makes what would be unapproachable topics for some approachable topics
for all.
In the third volume Hales finishes his work with an important discussion
of the theology behind Joseph Smith's practice of polygamy. This is
important because this is usually assumed to not be important. While
many will not agree with Hales' treatment in this volume, it is
important to remember that Joseph Smith's theology has not usually been
taken seriously in historical studies of Mormon polygamy.
In the opinion of this reviewer Hales has stayed true to his
"commitment"(3) to not reject any source due to its apologetic or
antagonistic claims, but rather to take every source for its worth and
use it in constructing what he thinks is the most plausible explanation
of what happened in Joseph Smith's polygamy.
Although it is not about polygamy directly, note 75 on page 207 in the
first volume is a great example of Hales' use of his sources. Hales
discusses the seemingly thorny history behind Elijah visiting the
Kirtland temple and bestowing certain priesthood keys, and the fact that
this part of the history was not published or really talked about until
years after the experience. Hales references an 1838 pamphlet by David
Patten entitled "To the Saints Scattered Abroad," where in the text
Patten says, "And these are they, who make the fulness of times complete
with us...And also Elijah, who holds the keys of committing the power, to
turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the
children to the fathers, that the whole earth may not be smitten with a
curse." Hales points out that this could be considered a "direct
reference to the visit of Elijah in the Kirtland temple" but that
"Patten is apparently simply quoting and paraphrasing D&C 27:5-13."(4)
This would be a very important point for an apologetic approach to the
history and I would not be surprised to find this quotation used in that
manner elsewhere. Hales shows his ability to use source criticism to
locate the origin and meaning of Patten's words. This is most likely
referencing D&C 27:5-13, and not the visit of Elijah in Kirtland. There
are many instances similar to this in the set, and Hales needs to be
commended for his commitment to interpreting history responsibly.
While in many points Hales' work is to be commended, there are a few
points of critique that I would like to add. First, there is a glaring
error in Hales' number of men and women who practiced polygamy during
Joseph Smith's lifetime. Hales states that at the time of Joseph's death
twenty-nine men and fifty women had entered polygamy, and then cites
George D. Smith's identification of thirty-two plural husbands and
fifty-four plural wives. Hales then states that "data for three of the
marriages appear inconclusive."(5) If you subtract three marriages you
would end with fifty-one wives, not fifty as he states. Hales must be
mistaken here in either (1) his identification of three marriages being
inconclusive should be four, or (2) his identification of fifty women
should be fifty-one. Either way, the text as it stands makes little
sense and requires revision.
Another point of critique is found on page 123 in volume 1. Hales
discusses how Fanny Alger married a non-Mormon, Solomon Custer, after
only a few weeks of courtship. They married on November 16, 1836. Hales
notes at the bottom of the page that an Alger family tradition states,
"Brigham Young, accompanied by Fanny's brother, John Alger, did come to
Indiana, "before Fanny married Solomon Custer" [sic; this would have
been after the martyrdom], to ask her to marry him."(6) If Brigham went
with John before Fanny married Solomon in 1836, how could this have been
after the martyrdom? Hales simply adds this note with no explanation or
reason behind his statement. It appears that he was not aware of the
contradiction here and added this note for an unknown reason.
My final and last critique concerns Hales' statement on page 217 in
volume 2. He says, "Some authors writing about the Nauvoo period have
downplayed Joseph Smith's establishment of the practice of plural
marriage...it seems nearly impossible to adequately portray the last three
years of the Prophet's life without dealing with the subject-if for no
other reason than the fact that plural marriage was perhaps the most
prominent driving force leading to his murder." I do see his reasoning
and think that Hales makes a good argument for at least including
Joseph's practice of polygamy as a reason among many for why Joseph was
martyred, but I do not agree that it was the "most prominent" force
leading to Joseph Smith's murder. I follow along the studies that have
shown Joseph's politics to be the more likely prominent reason for his
martyrdom, like those of LeGrand Baker and Robert S. Wicks and Fred R.
Foister.(7) I do not think that enough people knew about polygamy for
this to be a leading cause of Joseph's death and therefore I lean more
toward U.S. politics for explaining Joseph's demise.
In the end, this is the best work I have read on the history of Joseph
Smith's polygamy. Hales has done a great service to the student of early
Mormon history and his work will be hailed and used for decades as one
of the best works on the subject to this point. He did a great job
indeed in choosing Don Bradley as a research assistant, and I believe we
will continue to see a lot of good studies in Mormon history from his
writings. I recommend this set to everyone interested in Mormon studies
in any way, shape or form.
Footnotes
------------
1. Hales, "Joseph Smith's Polygamy," 1:xi.
2. Hales, op. cit., 1:xii.
3. Hales, op. cit., 1:xi.
4. Hales, op. cit., 1:207, nt. 75.
5. Hales, op. cit., 1:2, nt. 4.
6. Hales, op. cit., 1:123, nt. 60. Emphasis mine.
7. LeGrand Baker, "Murder of the Mormon Prophet" (Salt Lake City: Eborn
Books, 2006); Robert S. Wicks and Fred R. Read more >
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful.The best resource for Early Mormon Polygamy
By C. Larsen
It is interesting how few Mormons are actually aware or accept that it was Joseph Smith that introduced polygamy. It may be because they don't know what happened, or it may be because they don't know why, or they find it too uncomfortable to address. Here finally are answers to those questions.
Volumes 1&2 contain the most comprehensive history of polygamy under Joseph Smith every written. Volumes 1&2 are literally one continuous history split in half (I'm sure for length, each is over 600 pgs) so if you get Vol 1 you must get Vol 2, but thats ok, because the history is so thorough, well done, and engrossing that its a treat to read. Volume 3 is the answer to why as it addresses the theological reasons Joseph Smith had for introducing polygamy.
There are several other great books on the subject out there, but from now on Brian Hales's "Joseph Smith's Polygamy" will be the go-to resources for early Mormon polygamy.
Product Description
Volume 2 contains chapters 23-33 of Joseph Smith's Polygamy: History. It also contains the appendices, index, and bibliography for both volumes 1 and 2.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #89731 in Books
- Published on: 2013-02-26
- Original language:English
- Binding: Hardcover
- 602 pages
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