- List of Brigham Young's wives
-
Mormonism and polygamy 
Members of Joseph F. Smith's family, including his sons and daughters, as well as their spouses and children, circa 1900.
Background Prominent practitioners - Joseph Smith, Jr.
- Brigham Young
- Brigham Young's wives
- List of Mormon polygamists
- FLDS Church
Related legislation - Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act
- Poland Act
- Edmunds Act
- Edmunds-Tucker Act
Related case law - Reynolds v. United States
- LDS Church v. United States
Related articles - Celestial marriage
- Spiritual wifery
- Polygamy in the United States
- History of civil marriage in the U.S.
- Freedom of religion in the U.S.
Brigham Young was perhaps the most famous polygamist of the early Latter Day Saint movement, marrying a total of 55 wives, 54 of them after becoming a Latter Day Saint.[1] He stated that upon being taught about plural marriage, "It was the first time in my life that I desired the grave."[2] By the time of his death, Young had 57 children by 16 of his wives; 46 of his children reached adulthood.[3]
Sources have varied on the number of Young's wives due to differences in what observers have considered to be a "wife".[1] There were 55 women that Young was sealed to during his lifetime. While the majority of the sealings were "for eternity" (i.e., in the afterlife), some were "for time only" (until death). However, it is suspected that not all of the 55 marriages were conjugal,[1] and Young did not live with a number of his wives or publicly hold them out as wives, which has led to confusion on numbering.[1]
Of his 55 wives, 21 had never been married before; 16 were widows; six were divorced; six had living husbands; and the marital status of six others are unknown.[1]
In 1856, Young built the Lion House to accommodate his sizable family. This building remains a Salt Lake City landmark, together with the Beehive House, another Brigham Young family home. A contemporary of Young wrote: "It was amusing to walk by Brigham Young's big house, a long rambling building with innumerable doors. Each wife has an establishment of her own, consisting of parlor, bedroom, and a front door, the key of which she keeps in her pocket".[4]
At the time of Young's death, 19 of his wives had predeceased him, he was divorced from ten, and 23 survived him, with the status of four unknown.[1] In his will, Young shared his estate with the 16 surviving wives who had lived with him; the six surviving non-conjugal wives were not mentioned in the will.[1]
Contents
Chart of wives [1]
No. Marriage date and Young's age at marriage Name, lifespan, and age at marriage Wife's status at marriage Notes 1 October 8, 1824 (aged 23) Miriam Angeline Works (1806–1832) (aged 18) first marriage 2 children; died prior to Young becoming a Latter Day Saint 2 February 10, 1834 (aged 32) Mary Ann Angell (1808–1882) (aged 27) first marriage This was not a plural marriage, as Young was a widower at the time; 6 children; mother of Brigham Young, Jr., John Willard Young and Joseph Angell Young. 3 June 14, 1842 (aged 41) Lucy Ann Decker (1822–1890) (aged 20) abandoned by non-Mormon husband William Seeley (not divorced) 7 children 4 November 2, 1843 (aged 42) Augusta Adams (1802–1886) (aged 41) married to non-Mormon Henry Cobb (divorced in 1847) Young later married her son's ex-wife, Mary Van Cott Cobb (No. 51 below) 5 November 2, 1843 (aged 42) Harriet Elizabeth Cook (1824–1898) (aged 19) first marriage 1 child 6 May 8, 1844 (aged 42) Clarissa Caroline Decker (1828–1889) (aged 15) first marriage 5 children 7 September 1844 (aged 43) Emily Dow Partridge (1824–1899) (aged 20). plural widow of Joseph Smith, Jr. Daughter of Edward Partridge; sealed to Joseph Smith, Jr. for eternity and Young for life; 7 children; mother of Don Carlos Young. 8 September 10, 1844 (aged 43) Clarissa Ross (1814–1857) (aged 30) first marriage 4 children; mother of Maria Young Dougall and Willard Young 9 September 19, 1844 (aged 43) Louisa Beaman (1815–1850) (aged 29) plural widow of Joseph Smith, Jr. sealed to Joseph Smith, Jr. for eternity and Young for life; 5 children 10 October 3, 1844 (aged 43) Eliza R. Snow (1804–1887) (aged 40) plural widow of Joseph Smith, Jr. sealed to Joseph Smith, Jr. for eternity and Young for life 11 October 3, 1844 (aged 43) Elizabeth Fairchild (1828–1910) (aged 16) first marriage divorced 1855 12 October 8, 1844 (aged 43) Clarissa Blake (1796–?) (aged 48) widow of -- Morse; married to Mormon husband Lyman Homiston 13 October 9, 1844 (aged 43) Rebecca Holman (1824–1849) (aged 20) first marriage 14 October 10, 1844 (aged 43) Diana Chase (1827–1886) (aged 17) first marriage divorced prior to 1849 15 October 31, 1844 (aged 43) Susanne Snively (1815–1892) (aged 29) first marriage 16 November 7, 1844 (aged 43) Olive Grey Frost (1816–1845) (aged 28) plural widow of Joseph Smith, Jr. sealed to Joseph Smith, Jr. for eternity and Young for life 17 January 15, 1845 (aged 43) Mary Ann Clark (1816–?) (aged 28) previously married to —— Powers (unknown if she was widowed, divorced, or separated) divorced June 1851 18 January 16, 1845 (aged 43) Margaret Pierce (1823–1907) (aged 22) widow of Morris Whitesides sealed to Morris Whitesides for eternity and Young for time; 1 child 19 January 16, 1845 (aged 43) Mary Pierce (1821–1847) (aged 25) first marriage 20 April 30, 1845 (aged 43) Emmeline Free (1826–1875) (aged 18) first marriage 10 children 21 May 22, 1845 (aged 43) Mary Elizabeth Rollins (1818–1910) (aged 26) married to non-Mormon Adam Lightner and plural widow of Joseph Smith, Jr. sealed to Joseph Smith, Jr. for eternity and Young for time; remained living with Lightner 22 January 14, 1846 (aged 44) Margaret Alley (1825–1852) (aged 20) first marriage 2 children 23 January 15, 1846 (aged 44) Olive Andrews (1818–?) (aged 27) posthumous plural wife of Joseph Smith, Jr. sealed to Joseph Smith, Jr. for eternity and Young for time 24 January 15, 1846 (aged 44) Emily Haws (1823–?) (aged 22) widow of William Whitmarsh 25 January 21, 1846 (aged 44) Martha Bowker (1822–1890) (aged 23) first marriage 26 January 21, 1846 (aged 44) Ellen Rockwood (1829–1866) (aged 16) first marriage 27 January 28, 1846 (aged 44) Jemima Angel (1803–1869) (aged 42) divorced from Valentine Young (no relation) 28 January 28, 1846 (aged 44) Abigail Marks (1781–1846) (aged 69) widow of Asa Works sealed to Works for eternity and Young for time; Abigail Marks was the mother of Young's first wife, Miriam Works 29 January 28, 1846 (aged 44) Phebe Morton (1776–1854) (aged 59) widow of James W. Angel sealed to Angel for eternity and Young for time 30 January 28, 1846 (aged 44) Cynthia Porter (1783–1861) (aged 62) married to William Weston (unknown if she was widowed, divorced, or separated) 31 January 31, 1846 (aged 44) Mary Eliza Nelson (1812–1885) (aged 33) widow of John P. Greene sealed to John P. Greene for eternity and Young for time; divorced by 1850 32 January 31, 1846 (aged 44) Rhoda Richards (1784–1879) (aged 61) plural widow of Joseph Smith, Jr. sealed to Joseph Smith, Jr. for eternity and Young for time 33 February 2, 1846 (aged 44) Zina Diantha Huntington (1821–1901) (aged 25) married to Mormon Henry Bailey Jacobs; plural widow of Joseph Smith, Jr. sealed to Joseph Smith, Jr. for eternity and Young for time; not sealed to Jacobs; lived with Young; 1 child 34 February 3, 1846 (aged 44) Amy Cecilia Cooper (1804–1852) (aged 41) married to (non-Mormon?) Joseph Aldrich; separated later and he remarried 35 February 3, 1846 (aged 44) Mary Ellen de la Montaigne (1803–1894) (aged 42) divorced from James Boyd Woodward divorced 1846-12-13 and re-married Woodward; both Woodward and de la Montaigne were adopted to Brigham Young at Nauvoo 36 February 3, 1846 (aged 44) Julia Foster (1811–1891) (aged 36) widow of Mormon Jonathan Hampton, who died in Nauvoo in 1844. Stayed in Illinois when Brigham Young emigrated to Utah in 1847. Young sent for her in 1855, and she came with her children and managed the Lion House. 37 February 3, 1846 (aged 44) Abigail Harback (1790–1849) (aged 55) previously married to John Calvin Hall (unknown if she was widowed, divorced, or separated) 38 February 3, 1846 (aged 44) Mary Ann Turley (1827–1904) (aged 18) first marriage divorced 1851 39 February 6, 1846 (aged 44) Naamah Carter (1821–1909) (aged 24) divorced from John S. Twiss 40 February 6, 1846 (aged 44) Nancy Cressy (1780–1872) (aged 65) widow of Oliver Walker 41 February 10, 1846 (aged 44) Jane Terry (1819–1847) (aged 26) widow of George W. Young (no relation) requested on deathbed to be sealed to Brigham Young; died four days after marriage 42 March 20, 1847 (aged 45) Lucy Bigelow (1830–1905) (aged 16) first marriage 3 children 43 March 20, 1846 (aged 44) Mary Jane Bigelow (1827–1868) (aged 19) first marriage divorced 1851 44 April 18, 1848 (aged 46) Sarah Malin (1804–1858) (aged 43) first marriage later divorced 45 October 3, 1852 (aged 51) Eliza Burgess (1827–1915) (aged 25) first marriage 1 child 46 December 16, 1852 (aged 51) Mary Oldfield (1793–1875) (aged 59) widow of Eli Kelsey 47 before 1853 (aged 51 on 1853-01-01) Eliza Babcock (1828–1868) (aged 24 on 1853-01-01) first marriage divorced 1853 48 June 10, 1855 (aged 54) Catherine Reese (1804–1860) (aged 51) widow of Zephaniah Clawson 49 March 14, 1856 (aged 54) Harriet Barney (1830–1911) (aged 25) divorced from W. H. H. Sagers 1 child 50 January 24, 1863 (aged 61) Amelia Folsom (1838–1910) (aged 24) first marriage Considered to be Brigham's favorite wife. They would sit by themselves at dinner, while the rest of his wives and children would eat together.[5] 51 January 8, 1868 (aged 66) [6][7] Mary Van Cott (1844–1884) (aged 23) divorced from James Thornton Cobb (son of wife no. 4) [6] 1 child 52 April 7, 1868 (aged 66) Ann Eliza Webb (1844–c. 1908) (aged 24) divorced from James L. Dee divorced 1875; later became an outspoken critic of polygamy 53 July 3, 1869 (aged 68) Elizabeth Jones (1814–1895) (aged 55) widow of David T. Lewis and Dan Jones 54 May 8, 1870 (aged 68) Lydia Farnsworth (1808–1897) (aged 61) married to Elijah Mayhew Sealed to Brigham Young for eternity but remained living with husband Mayhew 55 December 8, 1872 (aged 71) Hannah Tapfield (1807–1886) (aged 65) married to non-Mormon Thomas O. King Sealed to Brigham Young for eternity but remained living with husband King See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Jeffrey Odgen Johnson, “Determining and Defining ‘Wife’ — The Brigham Young Households”, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, vol. 20, no. 3 (Fall 1987) pp. 57-70.
- ^ "Polygamy and the Church: A History". The Mormons: People & Events. WGBH Educational Foundation. 2007-04-30. http://www.pbs.org/mormons/peopleevents/e_polygamy.html. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
- ^ "Brigham Young Biography". Brigham Young University. http://unicomm.byu.edu/about/brigham.aspx?content=brigham7. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
- ^ DeHegermann-Lindencrone, Lillie. "The Sunny Side of Diplomatic Life, 1875-1912". Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13955/13955-h/13955-h.htm. Retrieved 2006-07-18.
- ^ Hal Schindler, "Brigham Young's Favorite Wife", Salt Lake Tribune, 1995-07-30, p. J1.
- ^ a b The marriage year of 1868 is according to her obituary and Broadhurst, Dale R.. "James Thornton Cobb: the Don Quixote of Deseret; A Spalding Saga Episode". The Spalding Research Project. http://solomonspalding.com/SRP/saga/saga10a.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-29.; "Family Group Sheet". Brigham Young Family Ancestors. http://brighamyoungfamily.org/ancestry/f260.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
- ^ Other sources suggest a marriage on this day in 1865. See Jeffrey O. Johnson and Susa Young Gates and Mabel Young Sanborn (July 1920). "Brigham Young Genealogy". The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine 11 (3): 133. http://books.google.com/books?id=u78UAAAAYAAJ&dq=mary%20van%20cott%201884&pg=RA1-PA133#v=onepage&q=mary%20van%20cott%201884&f=false. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
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