Plural Marriage Troubles (part 1): John C. Bennett, Hyrum Sm

Title

Plural Marriage Troubles (part 1): John C. Bennett, Hyrum Smith, & Emma

Publication Type

Podcast

Publication Date

June 6, 2023

Authors

Griffiths, Casey Paul (Primary), and Woodward, Scott (Primary)

URL

https://churchhistorymatters.podbean.com/e/plural-marriage-troubles-in-nauvoo-part-1/

Terms of use

Items in the BMC Archive are made publicly available for non-commercial, private use. Inclusion within the BMC Archive does not imply endorsement. Items do not represent the official views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or of Book of Mormon Central.

Bibliographic Citation

Abstract

As Joseph Smith quietly practiced plural marriage in Nauvoo in 1842 and ’43, all was not well. Three people in particular complicated things for Joseph. The first was John C. Bennett, a highly gifted convert whose meteoric rise to civic and church leadership in Nauvoo abruptly ended when he was exposed for his secret practice of “spiritual wifery,” which was nothing more or less than illicit serial adultery. Following his excommunication, Bennett’s defamatory opposition was fierce and directly impacted Joseph’s own private practice of plural marriage. And surprisingly, Joseph’s own brother and member of the first presidency, Hyrum Smith, was openly opposed to polygamy during this time and sought to use his influence to put down any hint of it in Nauvoo, all the while suspecting that his brother and others of the apostles may be living it. Yet amidst his opposition, in one key moment everything changed for Hyrum. And Joseph’s wife Emma Smith was the third and most important person in his life to complicate his practice of plural marriage. Although she sought for a time to embrace it, Emma struggled mightily with this practice on many levels to the point that it almost ended their marriage. In this episode of Church History Matters, we discuss each of these three individuals, John C. Bennett, Hyrum, and Emma Smith, and how each factored into the complexities and troubles of living plural marriage in Nauvoo.

Plural Marriage Troubles (part 1): John C. Bennett, Hyrum Smith, & Emma​

Title