Alleged Sexual Impropriety between Joseph Smith and

"Mrs. Ford”

Source:

Wyl, W., pseud. [Wilhelm Ritter von Wymetal]. Mormon Portraits, or the Truth About Mormon Leaders From 1830 to 1886. Salt Lake City: Tribune Printing and Publishing Co., 1886, 55-56

Accusation:

Mr. Wa.: I used to employ a poor Mormon woman for domestic sewing. She had been a fanatic Mormon in her time, but had cooled down considerably in consequence of her experience in the direction of celestial marriage. Her husband had taken ‘another woman’ and entirely neglected her and that is what made her shaky in the faith. She once felt very dull, and in this mood she told me the following little story:

“When in Nauvoo, I was a very young girl, and there I happened to be witness of an event that gave me the first doubt about Joseph the prophet. I was a servant in the house of a Mr. Ford, a merchant who had a store in Nauvoo. He was want to go by steamer to St. Louis, to make purchases. Whenever Mr. Ford was absent from his house, the prophet used to call on Mrs. Ford. He would come, chat with her a while, and then they would retire to the lady’s chamber. For a while I saw nothing in this, being a very young, innocent girl, and very strong in the faith. But some way or other suspicion arose in my mind. So when Joseph called again – Mr. Ford had gone to St. Louis the day before – I could not master my curiosity any more. I followed the pair stealthily, and putting my eye to the keyhole I saw --------------.”

Here the poor woman gave me a description of a scene which was surely calculated to shake even the most fanatic faith. But this is not all. She said: “Whenever Mr. Ford came home from St. Louis, he used to complain about business: ‘I cannot understand it,’ he used to say, ‘when I am here money comes in all the time, and when I am away not a red cent gets into the house.’” Now the explanation is very simple. Whenever Joseph had prayed with Mrs. Ford, she used to give him all the money in the till, to the last cent.* *This story has been told the author by a perfectly reliable gentleman, a business man of high and long standing in Salt Lake.[2]

Discussion:

Any quote from Wilhelm Wyl would benefit from a second trustworthy witness.

The identity of Mr. Wa is not included, but he may be Joseph R. Walker,[1] who in this narrative is quoting “a servant” regarding a “Mrs. Ford.” Curiously, he provided a verbatim quote from a woman he “used to employ.” Questions arise concerning how much time had elapsed since he employed her? How good was “Mr. Wa’s” memory that allegedly allowed him to accurately produce the word-for-word conversation provided?

The story’s most damaging allegation against Joseph Smith stems from the report that a “very young girl” was able to witness through a keyhole, some sexual interaction between Joseph Smith and “Mrs. Ford.” A keyhole view might provide a useful perspective to things situated at some distance from the door, but most bedrooms in Nauvoo homes were built with small dimensions. It is true that some keyholes are unintentionally located so as to permit a useful view of things transpiring within the opposing room. However, most keyholes are not so situated.

Regardless, “Mr. Wa” recalled that the scene was so troublesome that it reportedly would “shake even the most fanatic faith.” Yet curiously, the witness thereafter became a “fanatic Mormon.” She reportedly followed the Latter-day Saints to Salt Lake City, where she was employed by the “businessman” narrator and lost faith because of her husband’s plural marriage. Apparently becoming a plural wife was more "faith shaking" than the scene she reportedly viewed of Joseph Smith and Mrs. Ford.

No information on the identity of Mr. Ford or his wife is provided. My research fails to identify any Nauvoo merchants with the surname of Ford. A prominent merchant in the city was Windsor Lyon. After his November 1842 excommunication, he experienced a religious divorce from Sylvia Session Lyon, who subsequently married Joseph Smith. Whether that relationship could have been conflated to create the story of a “Mrs. Ford” is unknown.

Summary:

This account suffers from many weaknesses. Primary among them is the lack of a grocer named “Ford” in Nauvoo. Several of the other primary particulars are self-contradictory and unverifiable, despite intense research. In addition, this account is singular, third-hand, late and from an unidentified antagonistic source.

[1] Don Bradley’s research supports that the four Walker brothers, Samuel Sharpe Walker (b. 1834), Joseph Robinson Walker (b. 1836), David Frederick Walker (b. 1838) and Matthew Henry Walker (b. 1845), are candidates for the identity of “Mr. Wa” whom Wyl identifies as a business man in Salt Lake City in the 1880s. (See Edward W. Tullidge, History of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City: Star Printing, 1886, 52-58, 379, 587, 607-09.) “J. R. Walker” is the most likely candidate. It is noted that the Walker Brothers actively advertised in the Anti-Polygamy Standard, (see vol. 1, no. 10., January, 1881 for example), suggesting a willingness to collaborate with Wyl.

[2] Wyl, W., pseud. [Wilhelm Ritter von Wymetal]. Mormon Portraits, or the Truth About Mormon Leaders From 1830 to 1886. Salt Lake City: Tribune Printing and Publishing Co., 1886, 55-56