Primary Sources, Court Testimony, and Church Admissions

For generations, many members of the LDS Church were taught that Joseph Smith did not practice polygamy—or that if he did, it was rare, non-sexual, and limited to unmarried women. Today, that narrative no longer holds. The historical record—drawn from women’s own testimonies, sworn court affidavits, contemporary documents, and official Church statements—shows that Joseph Smith practiced plural marriage, including polyandry (marriage to women already married to other men).

What follows is a clean, reference-heavy presentation of the evidence.

1. The Church’s Official Admission

The modern LDS Church now publicly acknowledges that Joseph Smith practiced plural marriage, including marriages to women who already had living husbands.

“Joseph Smith married women who were already married to other men.”

— Gospel Topics Essay: “Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo” (LDS Church)

This statement alone overturns a century of official denial.

2. Polyandry: Women Already Married

Zina Diantha Huntington Jacobs

  • Legally married to Henry Bailey Jacobs
  • Later sealed to Joseph Smith
  • Never divorced her legal husband

Primary evidence

  • Temple Lot case affidavits (1892–1894)
  • Zina’s own later statements identifying herself as Joseph Smith’s wife

Zina lived publicly as Brigham Young’s wife after Joseph’s death, but testified under oath that she had first been married to Joseph Smith while still legally married to Jacobs.

Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner

  • Married to Adam Lightner
  • Sealed to Joseph Smith without civil divorce

Primary evidence

  • Her signed affidavit
  • Multiple later reminiscences describing the marriage and its secrecy

3. Underage Plural Marriage

Helen Mar Kimball

  • Age 14 at sealing
  • Daughter of Apostle Heber C. Kimball

Primary evidence

  • Helen’s own autobiographical writings
  • Temple Lot affidavits

Helen later defended plural marriage publicly, acknowledging the marriage was real and that it cost her normal teenage experiences.

4. Coercion Narratives in Women’s Own Words

Lucy Walker

Lucy Walker recorded that Joseph Smith told her an angel with a drawn sword would destroy him if she refused the marriage.

Primary evidence

  • Lucy Walker autobiography
  • Later affidavits

This “angel with a sword” narrative appears in multiple women’s accounts, suggesting a repeated pattern rather than a single anecdote.

5. Contemporary Public Accusations

Nauvoo Expositor

Published by believing Latter-day Saints, including William Law, a former member of the First Presidency.

The paper accused Joseph Smith of:

  • Practicing secret plural marriage
  • Engaging in polyandry
  • Abusing ecclesiastical authority

Joseph Smith ordered the printing press destroyed—an act that directly led to his arrest and death.

6. Sworn Court Testimony (Temple Lot Case)

During the Temple Lot litigation (1892–1894):

  • Multiple women testified under oath that they were Joseph Smith’s plural wives
  • Several affirmed sexual relations
  • Testimony was subject to cross-examination

These statements carry unusual legal weight because false testimony would have constituted perjury.

7. Secrecy and Denial During Joseph’s Lifetime

  • Plural marriages were conducted without public disclosure
  • Emma Smith was unaware of many of the marriages
  • Joseph publicly denied practicing polygamy while privately performing sealings

This dual record—private practice, public denial—is documented in both friendly and hostile sources.

8. Why Many Members Still Don’t Know

For over 100 years, Church manuals and lesson materials taught that:

  • Polygamy began with Brigham Young
  • Accusations against Joseph Smith were false
  • Polyandry did not exist

The evidence was not absent—it was suppressed, reframed, or restricted.

Conclusion

The historical record is not ambiguous. Joseph Smith:

  • Practiced plural marriage
  • Married women already legally married
  • Married at least one underage girl
  • Did so secretly, while publicly denying it

These facts are established by:

  • Women’s own testimonies
  • Sworn court affidavits
  • Contemporary publications
  • And the LDS Church’s own admissions

The question is no longer whether this happened—but why it was denied for so long.

References & Sources (Selected)

  • LDS Church, Gospel Topics Essays: “Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo”
  • Temple Lot Case transcripts and affidavits (1892–1894)
  • Helen Mar Kimball Whitney, Autobiography
  • Lucy Walker Smith, autobiographical writings
  • Zina D. H. Jacobs Young affidavits
  • Nauvoo Expositor (June 7, 1844)
  • Brian C. Hales, Joseph Smith’s Polygamy
  • Todd Compton, In Sacred Loneliness