Nine Allegations of Sexual Polyandry Leveled at Joseph Smith

The result of intense research has uncovered allegations of polyandrous sexual relations between Joseph Smith and eight legally married women.  Todd Compton identifies eleven “polyandrous” sealings including Sylvia Sessions, Zina D. Huntington, Presendia Huntington, Marinda Nancy Johnson, Lucinda Pendleton, Elvira Annie Cowles, Mary Elizabeth Rollins, Patty Bartlett, Elizabeth Davis, Sarah Kingsley, and Ruth Vose.

Observations

 Several observations provide context for these nine allegations.  First, the accusations of polyandrous sexuality are found only with three of the women on Todd Compton’s list of “polyandrous wives”: Marinda Johnson, Zina Huntington (two), and Presendia Huntington (two).  Additional allegations level at the Prophet include sexual polyandry with an unidentified “merchant’s wife” and with a woman, Hannah Ann Dubois Smith Dibble, who most investigators do not believe was married to the Prophet.  My research has also identified two additional narratives that could represent polyandrous conjugal relations existing in a marriage sealing between Joseph Smith and a woman already legally married.

Second, six of the accusers were avowed anti-Mormons.  The remaining two informants gave hearsay or ambiguous claims.  Third, none of the “polyandrous” wives, their legal husbands, or others who were directly involved with the relationships, complained.  Fourth, none of the accounts attempt to correlate the described behavior to Joseph Smith’s teachings that sexual polyandry was “adultery and the woman should be destroyed” (D&C 132:63).  Fifth, several of the narratives suffer from significant plausibility problems. 

Click on a name for access to the accusation and analysis.