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Plural Wife Divorces

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 10:14 am
by _Tuna_Surprise
Hey folks!

I'm new to this forum. Just a bit of background about me - I was BIC and 6th generation LDS. I was a very lazy Mormon and apostatized in my teen years to sin, sin, sin. As I've aged like a fine wine, I've become more interested in LDS history, especially the personal stories of early saints. I am doing a research project on some British women who converted before the polygamy announcement then still emigrated to Utah and became plural wives. I'm hoping some of you can point me in the right direction.

I am trying to find where (if anywhere) I can find information on plural divorces. These would be divorces primarily in the 1850s. Presumably Brother Brigham needed to sign off on these things. Are there records that can be searched?

Unsurprisingly, when these women wrote their life histories later in life, the divorced husbands had basically been scrubbed from their memories.

Thanks all!

Re: Plural Wife Divorces

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 4:33 pm
by _SuperDell
Brigham is supposed to have had at least Five divorces himself. One we are told he refused to pay any support of any kind.

Re: Plural Wife Divorces

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 10:06 pm
by _grindael
Young charged $10 a pop for spiritual divorces. Quinn has some things on this in his books.

Re: Plural Wife Divorces

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 10:11 pm
by _Yahoo Bot
Tuna_Surprise wrote:Unsurprisingly, when these women wrote their life histories later in life, the divorced husbands had basically been scrubbed from their memories.

As I think nearly all the divorced men on this forum say they do.

Re: Plural Wife Divorces

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 2:50 pm
by _Doctor Steuss
Tuna_Surprise wrote:I am doing a research project on some British women who converted before the polygamy announcement then still emigrated to Utah and became plural wives. I'm hoping some of you can point me in the right direction.

Joel Hills Johnson might be worth looking into (for both of your pursuits) -- assuming you mean the public 1852 announcement as a date.

Two of his wives divorced him later on (If I recall correctly, the 2nd and 3rd). He took his first plural wife in 1840. I know at least two of his wives were born overseas (Jinette - Scotland & Margaret - England), not really sure about the others though.

Good luck on your history spelunking.

Re: Plural Wife Divorces

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 3:11 pm
by _Tuna_Surprise
Doctor Steuss wrote:Joel Hills Johnson might be worth looking into (for both of your pursuits) -- assuming you mean the public 1852 announcement as a date.

Two of his wives divorced him later on (If I recall correctly, the 2nd and 3rd). He took his first plural wife in 1840. I know at least two of his wives were born overseas (Jinette - Scotland & Margaret - England), not really sure about the others though.

Good luck on your history spelunking.

Thanks for the lead. This looks like an interesting story!

Re: Plural Wife Divorces

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 4:22 pm
by _Mary
Where there is no legal marriage, there is no legal divorce.

Re: Plural Wife Divorces

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 4:49 pm
by _Tuna_Surprise
Yahoo Bot wrote:
Tuna_Surprise wrote:Unsurprisingly, when these women wrote their life histories later in life, the divorced husbands had basically been scrubbed from their memories.

As I think nearly all the divorced men on this forum say they do.

I think my ex-husband would appreciate a purge from my memoirs (not gonna get it!)