Inasmuch as it may be interesting to future generations
of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to learn
something of the first teachings of the principle of plural marriage by
President Joseph Smith, the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator and Translator of said
Church, I will give a short relation of facts which occurred within my personal
knowledge, and also matters related to me by President Joseph Smith.
I was employed as a clerk in President Joseph Smith's
office, under Elder Willard Richards, and commenced to labor in the office on
the 10th day of February, 1842. I continued to labor with Elder Richards until
he went east to fetch his wife to Nauvoo.
After Elder Richards started East I was necessarily
thrown constantly into the company of President Smith, having to attend to his
public and private business, receiving and recording tithings and donations,
attending to land and other matters of business. During this period I
necessarily became well acquainted with Emma Smith, the wife of the Prophet
Joseph, and also with the children—Julia M. (an adopted daughter), Joseph,
Frederick and Alexander, very much of the business being transacted at the residence
of the Prophet.
On the 7th of October, 1842, in the presence of Bishop
Newel K. Whitney and his wife Elizabeth Ann, President Joseph Smith appointed
me Temple Recorder, and also his private clerk, placing all records, books,
papers, etc., in my care, and requiring me to take charge of and preserve them
his closing words being, "When I have any Revelations to write, you are
the one to write them."
During this "period the Prophet Joseph frequently
visited my house in my company, and became well acquainted with my wife Ruth,
to whom I had been married five years. One day in the month of February, 1843,
date not remembered, the Prophet invited me to walk with him. During our walk,
he said he had learned that there was a sister in England, to whom I was very
much attached. I replied, there was nothing further than an attachment, such as
a brother and sister in the Church might rightfully entertain for each other.
He then said: "Why don't you send for her?" I replied, "In the
first place, I have no authority to send for her, and if I had, I have not the
means to pay expenses." To this he answered, "I give you authority to
send for her, and I will furnish you the means," which he did. This was
the first time the Prophet Joseph talked with me on the subject of plural
marriage. He informed me that the doctrine and principle was right in the sight
of our Heavenly Father, and that it was a doctrine which pertained to Celestial
order and glory. After giving me lengthy instructions and information
concerning the doctrine of celestial or plural marriage, he concluded his
remarks by the words, "It is your privilege to have all the wives you
want." After this introduction, our conversations on the subject of plural
marriage were very frequent, and he appeared to take particular pains to inform
and instruct me in respect to the principle. He also informed me that he had
other wives living besides his wife Emma, and in particular, gave me to
understand that Eliza R. Snow, Louisa Beman, Desdamona C. Fullmer and others,
were his lawful wives in the sight of Heaven.
On the 27th of April, 1843, the Prophet Joseph Smith
married to me Margaret Moon, for time and eternity, at the residence of Elder
Heber C> Kimball; and on the 22d of July, 1843, he married to me, according
to the other of the Church, my first wife Ruth.
On the 1st day of May, 1843, I officiated in the office
of an Elder by marrying Lucy Walker to the Prophet Joseph Smith, at his own
residence. During this period the Prophet Joseph took several other wives.
Amongst the number I well remember Sarah Ann Whitney, Helen Kimball and Flora
Woodworth. These all, he acknowledged to me, were his lawful, wedded wives,
according to the celestial order. His wife Emma was cognizant of the fact of
some, if not all of these being his wives, and she generally treated them very
kindly.
On the morning of the 12th of July, 1832, Joseph and
Hyrum Smith came into the office in the upper story of the "brick
store," in the bank of the Mississippi river. They were talking on the
subject of plural marriage. Hyrum said to Joseph, "If you will write the
revelation on Celestial Marriage, I will take and read it to Emma, and I
believe I can convince her of its truth, and you will hereafter have
peace." Joseph smiled and remarked, "You do not know Emma as well as
I do." Hyrum repeated his opinion and further remarked, "The doctrine
is so plain, I can convince any reasonable man or woman of its truth, purity
and heavenly origin," or words to their effect. Joseph then said,
"Well, I will write the revelation and we will see." He then
requested me to get paper and prepare to write. Hyrum very urgently requested
Joseph to write the revelation by means of the Urim and Thummim, but Joseph, in
reply, said he did not need to, for he knew the revelation perfectly from
beginning to end.
Joseph and Hyrum then sat down and Joseph commenced to
dictate the revelation on Celestial Marriage and I wrote it, sentence by
sentence, as he dictated. After the whole was written, Joseph asked me to read
it through, slowly and carefully, which I did, and he pronounced it correct. HE
then remarked that there was much more that he could write, on the same
subject, but what was written was sufficient for the present.
Hyrum then took the Revelation to read to Emma. Joseph
remained with me in the office until Hyrum returned. When he came back, Joseph
asked him how he had succeeded. Hyrum replied that he had never received a more
severe talking to in his life, that Emma was very bitter and full of resentment
and anger.
Joseph quietly remarked, "I told you you did not
know Emma as well as I did." Joseph then put the revelation in his pocket,
and they both left the office.
The revelation was read to several of the authorities
during the day. Towards evening Bishop Newel K. Whitney asked Joseph if he had
any objection to taking a copy of the Revelation; Joseph replied that he had
not, and handed it to him. It was carefully copied the following day by Joseph
C. Kingsbury. Two or three days after the Revelation was written Joseph related
to me and several others that Emma had so teased, and urgently entreated him
for the privilege of destroying it, that he became so weary of her teasing, and
to get rid of her annoyance, he told her she might destroy it and she had done
so, but he had consented to her with in this matter to pacify her, realizing
that he knew the Revelation perfectly and could rewrite it at any time if
necessary.
The copy made by Joseph C. Kingsbury is a true and
correct copy of the original in every respect. The copy was carefully preserved
by Bishop Whitney, and but few knew of its existence until the temporary
location of the Camp of Israel at Winter Quarters, on the Missouri River, in
1846.
After the Revelation on on celestial marriage was written
Joseph continued his instructions privately, on the doctrine to myself and
others, and during the last year of his life we were scarcely ever together,
alone, but he was talking on the subject, and explaining that doctrine and
principles connected with it. He appeared to enjoy great liberty and freedom in
his teachings, but also to find great relief in having af ew to whom he could
unbosom his feelings on that great and glorious subject.
From him, I learned that the doctrine of plural and
celestial marriage is the most holy and important doctrine ever revealed to man
on the earth, and that without obedience to that principle no man can never
attain to the fulness of exaltation in celestial glory.
(Signed) WILLIAM CLAYTON.
Salt Lake City, February 16th, 1876. (Wiliam Clayton, Affidavit
in “Joseph Smith and
Celestial Marriage,” Deseret Evening News 19, no. 151 [May 20, 1886]:
2)
The communication from President Joseph Smith, with the
accompanying affidavit of William Clayton, which we publish in this issue, will
be interesting to a large number of our readers. It will tend to clear up in
the minds of those who are not familiar with the details of the manifestations
to the Prophet Joseph Smith on the subject of celestial marriage, some apparent
discrepancies which are perfectly harmonious which correctly understood.
The revelation on celestial marriage published in the
Doctrine and Covenants, which was given July 12th, 1843. The principles it
contains, with further intelligence on the same subject, were revealed to the
Prophet many years before but not formulated in writing for the Church. Acting
under instructions from the Lord, the Prophet had several wives sealed to him
before the date of that revelation, and they are referred to in verse 52. There
are other matters spoken of in the revelation that pertained to the time when
it was written, showing that the statement in the heading, as it appears in the
book, is correct; namely, that the revelation was given on that date, although
the doctrines it contains were made known and had been acted upon under special
instructions previous to that date.
These opponents of plural marriage who deny that it was
taught and practised by the Prophet Joseph, in fact of testimony enough to
establish any fact beyond the possibility of rational contradiction, frequently
refer to the utterances of the leaders of the Church in Nauvoo against the
teachings of certain persons on polygamy; and also the denials and affidavits
of several ladies concerning polygamy and spiritual wifeism. These statements
are cited as evidence that Joseph and Hyrum Smith were opposed to plural
marriage, and that it was denied by some of the leaders who afterwards avowed
their own marriage to the Prophet or to his brother Hyrum.
But examination of the history and the facts will
disclose that there is no real contradiction between the alleged conflicting
statements, nor between the actions of Joseph and Hyrum in regard to polygamy
and the doctrines laid down in the revelation of July 12, 1843. Polygamy, in
the ordinary and Asiatic sense of the term, never was and is not now a tenet of
the Latter-day Saints. That which Joseph and Hyrum denounced and for preaching
which without authority an Elder was cut off the Church in Nauvoo, was altogether
different to the order of celestial marriage including a plurality of wives,
which forms the subject of the revelation.
So with that spiritual wife doctrine which lustful men
attempted to promulgate at that period. Joseph the Prophet was just as much
opposed to that false doctrine as any one could be. IT was a counterfeit. The
true and divine order is another thing. The errors which those ladies who
signed the affidavits declared were not known to them as doctrines of the
Church were not, are not, and never will be part of the creed of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They were conscientious in their statements.
Joseph and Hyrum were consistent in their action against the false doctrines of
polygamy and spiritual wifeism, instigated by the devil and advocated by men
who did not comprehend sound doctrine nor the purity of the celestial marriage
which God revealed for the holiest of purposes.
It has been frequently asserted by the enemies of the
Church that President John Taylor, in France, publicly denied that the Church
entertained the doctrine of plural marriage. Investigation for the purpose of
learning facts will show that he did no such thing. Directly he denied nothing;
indirectly he disputed the assertion that polygamy and certain infamous doings
were part of the creed of the Church. In answer to the charges he simply read a
section of the Doctrine and Covenants relating to the subject of marriage.
Until the open enunciation of the doctrine of celestial
marriage by the publication of the revelation of the subject in 1852, no Elder
was authorized to announce it to the world. The Almighty has revealed things on
many occasions which were for His servants and not for the world. Jesus
enjoined His disciples on several occasions to keep to themselves principles
that he made known to them. And his injunction, "Cast not your pearl
before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and rend you,"
has become as familiar as a common proverb. In the rise of the Church the Lord
had occasion to admonish his servants in regard to revelations that were
afterwards permitted to be published:
"I say unto you, hold your peace until I shall see
fit to make all things known unto the world concerning this matter."
"And now I say unto you, keep these things from
going abroad into the world until it is expedient in me."
"But a commandment I give unto them that they shall
not boast themselves of these things, neither speak of them before the world,
for these things are given unto you for your profit and your
salvation."—(Doc. & Cov.)
Under these instructions Elders had no right to
promulgate anything but that which they were authorized to teach. And when
assailed by their enemies and accused of practising things which were really
not countenanced in the Church, they were justified in denying those
imputations and at the same time avoiding the avowal of such doctrines as were
not yet intended for the world. This course which they have taken when
necessary, by commandment, is all the ground which their accusers have for
charging them with falsehood.
The doctrine of celestial marriage including the
plurality of wives, was revealed to Joseph Smith the Prophet by the same power
and from the same source as all the other revelations contained in the book of
Doctrine and Covenants, and they stand or fall together. The Church was
commanded at its inception to receive the revelations and percepts which God
would manifest through him and this is one of them, to the truth of which the
heavens have borne witness at least as much as to the divinity of any others. That
Joseph practiced what he taught and was himself the husband of several wives in
the holy order of celestial marriage, has been thoroughly authenticated, and
the affidavit of William Clayton forms one more strong and important link in a
chain of evidence that is so complete and convincing as to leave no room for
reasonable controversy.
The world may not receive the glorious doctrine of
eternal matrimony by which husbands and wives are made one forever, nor the
principle of plural marriage, which is an essential part of that doctrine. But
those who have come out of darkness into light, and have learned now to know
the voice of the Good Shepherd, will see the beauty and divinity of that
comprehensive revelation and hearken to the spirit which leads in the way to
the continuation of the lives, wherein are exaltation and dominion and power in
the presence of God and His Christ throughout the eternal ages. ("Joseph
Smith and Celestial Marriage," Deseret News 35, no. 20 [June 2,
1886]: 6)
Br. Joseph:
On looking over the pamphlet it seems perfectly easy to
disprove the statenebts which refer to the article over the brehtren's and the
sister's signatures, by proving what J. C. Bennett's secret wife sister really
was.
At the time the sisters of the Relief Society signed our
article, I was married to the prophet. We made no allusion to any other system
of marriage than Bennett’s. His was prostitutioh, and it was truly his, and he
succeeded in pandering his course on the credulity of the unsuspecting by
making them believe that he was thus authorized by the Prophet. In those
articles there is no reference to divine plural marriage. We aimed to put down
its opposite.
Yours respectfully,
E. R. Snow (Eliza
R. Snow, Letter to Joseph F. Smith, undated, Joseph F. Smith Papers, MS
1325, Church History Library)
Further Reading:
Brian C. Hales, "'Denying the Undeniable': Examining Early Mormon Polygamy Renunciations," Journal of Mormon History 44, no. 3 (July 2018): 23-44
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