A number of faithful LDS historians agree that Joseph Smith had sexual relations with a number of his plural wives. After reading the firsthand accounts from some of these women, the pattern becomes very alarming as we see:
- Joseph approaching these women when no one else is around. It’s the two of them and he privately teachings these young women about polygamy, very much in a grooming fashion.
- Joseph secretly marries these young women, thus deceiving Emma.
- Joseph sleeps with many of these young women.
- He repeats this pattern with others.
Faithful LDS Historians
- Brian C Hales: “I have documented sexual relations in twelve of his non-polyandrous plural marriages.” (https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/dialogues/hales-quinn/“
- Todd Compton: “In a significant number of marriages, there is evidence for sexual relations.” (In Sacred Loneliness, p. 15)
- Todd Compton: “Fanny Alger’s marriage to Joseph in Kirtland, Ohio, established a pattern that was repeated in Nauvoo, Illinois, which is: Smith secretly marries a teenage servant or family friend living in his home,” (In Sacred Loneliness, p. 25)
- Brian C Hales: “It appears that only two or perhaps three children were born through those unions.” (https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/testimonies/scholars/brian-c-hales)
Statements From Plural Wives About Their Sexual Relationship with Joseph Smith
- Keep in mind that Joseph Smith was 37 years old when he was sleeping with these teenagers. One of the six was 22 years old, but he married all 6 of them in the span of one year in 1843.
- Emily Partridge (19 years old when married Smith): She was asked under oath in the Temple Lot case, “Do you make the declaration that you ever slept with him (Joseph Smith) in the same bed?” to which she answered, “Yes sir.” (https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/common-questions/plural-marriages-sexual/emily-dow-partridge-evidence-of-sexuality/)
- Malissa Lott (19 years old): Joseph Smith III (president of RLDS Church) asked Malissa Lott if she was the Joseph Smith’s “wife in very deed,” to which she answered, “Yes.” Q: Did you ever room with Joseph as a wife? A: Yes sir. Q: Was it more than once? A: Yes sir, and more than twice.” (https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/plural-wives-overview/malissa-lott/)
- Lucy Walker (17 years old): Joseph Smith Jr III asked Lucy if she lived with the prophet as his wife, to which she answered: “He was my husband sir.” Theodocia Davis (Lucy’s niece) reported that, “Lucy Walker told her that she lived with Joseph Smith as a wife.” D. H. Morris (acquaintance of Lucy) also reported Lucy saying that she “married Joseph Smith as a plural wife and lived and cohabited with him as such.” (https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/common-questions/plural-marriages-sexual/lucy-walker-evidence-of-sexuality/)
- Eliza Partridge (22 years old): Benjamin F. Johnson was a faithful LDS member and secretary of Joseph Smith. He wrote that: “The first plural wife brought to my house with whom the Prophet stayed, was Eliza Partridge.” (https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/common-questions/plural-marriages-sexual/eliza-maria-partridge-evidence-of-sexuality/)
- Sarah Lawrence (17 years old): Lucy Walker stated that: “I know that [Emma] gave her consent to the marriage of at least four women to her husband as plural wives, and she was well aware that he associated and cohabited with them as wives.” Sarah Lawrence was one of the four wives. (https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/common-questions/plural-marriages-sexual/sarah-lawrence-evidence-of-sexuality/)
- Maria Lawrence (19 years old): Maria was one of the 4 wives that Lucy referenced in the last statement above.
Other Wives Joseph Had Sexual Relations With - Almera Woodard Johnson (30 years old): She admitted that “On a certain occasion in the spring of the year 1843…I was sealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith…After this time, I lived with the Prophet Joseph as his wife, and he visited me at the home of my brother Benjamin F. at Macedonia.” We also have a number of testimonies from Almera’s brother, confirming this as well in a number of different quotes:
- “He [Joseph Smith] remained two days, lodging at my house with my sister as man and wife and to my certain knowledge he occupied the same bed with her.”
- “He [Joseph Smith] was at my house … where he occupied my sister Almira’s room and bed.”
- “I saw her (Almera) married to him in the summer of 1843, and I further know that they roomed together as husband and wife at various times in my home at Macedonia, where he associated with other of his plural wives and various times as he had occasion.” – This one was more disturbing as Benjamin states that Joseph simply would make his rounds and sleep a number of his other plural wives.
- “The Prophet again Came and at my house occupied the same room & bed with my Sister.”
- “The Prophet stayed … there [at my house] with my sister Almira as his wife.
- Louisa Beaman: Joseph Noble was the man who sealed Louisa and the prophet. Noble was asked: Question: Do you know whether Joseph Smith ever lived any with Louisa Beaman as his wife? Answer (from Noble): I know it for I saw him in bed with her. Q: How do you know he did A: Well, I was there. Q: And you saw them go to bed together. A: I gave him counsel. (https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/common-questions/plural-marriages-sexual/louisa-beaman-evidence-of-sexuality/)
Joseph Married Many Women Behind Emma’s Back
- ChurchofJesusChrist.org – “Emma likely did not know about all of Joseph’s sealings.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng)
- MormonR.org – “Did Joseph marry women without the consent or knowledge of Emma? Yes…there is evidence that Emma was unaware of some plural marriages.” (https://mormonr.org/qnas/VvSJBb/joseph_smith_and_polygamy)
- BYU in regard to Fanny Alger: “While the historical record is incomplete, it seems that Joseph entered his first plural marriage without informing his legal wife, Emma Hale Smith.” (https://rsc.byu.edu/reason-faith/joseph-smiths-practice-plural-marriage)
- Fanny Alger: Oliver Cowdery accused Joseph Smith of having a dirty, nasty, filthy affair with Fanny Alger. LDS historian Todd Compton states that this first plural marriage established a pattern of Joseph secretly marrying a teenage servants behind Emma’s back. (https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/common-questions/plural-marriages-sexual/fanny-alger-evidence-of-sexuality/) (Faithful LDS Historian, Todd Compton – In Sacred Loneliness, p. 25)
- Lucy Walker – Temple Lot Disposition: “She [Emma] did not consent to my marriage… she did not know anything about it at all.” (https://maydaymagazine.com/freeing-lucy-by-alyssa-witbeck/)
- Emily Partridge: “I and my sister Eliza received it and were married to br. Joseph about the same time, but neither of us knew about the other at the time, everything was so secret.” – To clarify: Joseph married Emily first, and then married Eliza just four days later…but neither of the sisters (who lived in the same house!) were aware that the other was also married to the prophet. After this point, Emma decided to try and support polygamy by selecting 4 wives for Joseph to marry. And two of the women she chose were Emily and Eliza, which Joseph was already sealed to and he didn’t want to tell Emma about it. So in order to further deceive Emma, they performed a second “sham” wedding to make Emma believe that it was their first time being sealed. I feel so bad for Emma. (https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/plural-wives-overview/emily-dow-partridge/)
Firsthand Account From Plural Wives
- Emily Partridge: “He came into the room where I was one day, when I was in the room alone, and asked me if I could keep a secret. I was about eighteen years of age then I think, — at any rate, I was quite young. He asked me if I could keep a secret, and I told him I thought I could, and then he told me that he would sometime, if he had an opportunity, — he would tell me something that would be for my benefit, if I would not betray him, and I told him I wouldn’t.
Well it run along for a good while, — I don’t know just how long, and there was no opportunity of saying anything to me more than he had, and one day he sat in the room alone, and I passed through it and he called to me or spoke to me, and called me to him, and then he said that he had intended to tell me something, but he had no opportunity to do so, and so he would write me a letter, if I would agree to burn it as soon as I read it, and with that I looked frightened, for I thought there was something about it that was not just right, and so I told him that I would rather that he would not write to me, — that he would not write me any letter, and then he asked me if I wanted him to [not] say any more, and I said yes, that I did not want to hear anything more about it at all, for I had got a little frightened about it.” (https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/plural-wives-overview/emily-dow-partridge/) - Lucy Walker: “In the year 1842, President Joseph Smith sought an interview with me, and said: “I have a message for you. I have been commanded of God to take another wife, and you are the woman.” My astonishment knew no bounds. This announcement was indeed a thunderbolt to me. He asked me if I believed him to be a prophet of God. “Most assuredly I do,” I replied. He fully explained to me the principle of plural or celestial marriage. He said this principle was again to be restored for the benefit of the human family, that it would prove an everlasting blessing to my father’s house, and form a chain that could never be broken, worlds without end. “What have you to say?” he asked. “Nothing.” How could I speak, or what could I say? He said, “If you will pray sincerely for light and understanding in relation thereto, you shall receive a testimony of the correctness of this principle. I thought I prayed sincerely, but was so unwilling to consider the matter favorably that I fear I did not ask in faith for light. Gross darkness instead of light took possession of my mind. I was tempted and tortured beyond endurance until life was not desirable. Oh that the grave would kindly receive me, that I might find rest on the bosom of my dear mother. Why should I be chosen from among thy daughters, Father, I am only a child in years and experience, no mother to counsel [she died in January, 1842]; no father near to tell me what to do in this trying hour [he was on a mission to a warmer climate to help his health]. Oh, let this bitter cup pass. And thus I prayed in the agony of my soul.
The Prophet discerned my sorrow. He saw how unhappy I was, and sought an opportunity of again speaking to me on this subject, and said: “Although I cannot, under existing circumstances, acknowledge you as my wife, the time is near when we will go beyond the Rocky Mountains and then you will be acknowledged and honored as my wife.” He also said, “This principle will yet be believed in and practiced by the righteous. I have no flattering words to offer. It is a command of God to you. I will give you until tomorrow to decide this matter. If you reject this message the gate will be closed forever against you.” (https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/plural-wives-overview/lucy-walker/)
Joseph was an unrepentant sexual predator who ought to be quickly dismissed as a prophet of God. Even though Joseph Smith was a false prophet, Christ is still king and the rock that cannot be moved. I invite you to read through the 4 Biblical gospels and reconstruct your faith so that it is built on the direct teachings of Jesus and his apostles as found in the New Testament.
Thank you for reading, God bless, and remember to never stop chasing after Jesus!
JLLDS Ministries 