The Polygamous Prophet: Marrying Emma’s Friends and Teenage Girls

 

The Polygamous Prophet: Marrying Emma’s Friends and Teenage Girls

Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS Church, engaged in one of the most controversial and damaging practices in the history of early Mormonism: Polygamy. Far from the Church's romanticized portrayal of "celestial marriage," the truth is far more troubling. Joseph secretly married many underage girls, including close friends of his wife Emma, without her knowledge or consent. These marriages were not only morally questionable but also filled with manipulation, secrecy, and coercion. The testimony of Emily and Eliza Partridge, two of Joseph’s plural wives and friends of Emma, reveals the disturbing reality behind these forced marriages and the emotional turmoil they caused.

Marrying Young Girls in Secret: The Partridge Sisters

Emily and Eliza Partridge, were sisters living in Nauvoo, Illinois, and were two of Joseph Smith’s secret wives. What makes their story even more harrowing is the fact that they were friends of Emma Smith, and their marriages to Joseph occurred without Emma’s initial knowledge. When Emma finally discovered what had transpired, the emotional devastation was undeniable, resulting in strained relationships, betrayal, and lasting bitterness.

Emily Partridge’s own account from the Temple Lot case, given decades after the events, provides a clear and disturbing insight into how these marriages occurred. She testified about her marriage to Joseph and how it was carried out behind Emma’s back, revealing the lengths Joseph went to manipulate the situation.

"I was married to Joseph Smith on the 4th of March, 1843. I was married to him by Heber C. Kimball in Nauvoo. My sister Eliza was also married to him about the same time. This was done without the knowledge of Emma Smith. Two months after this, she [Emma] consented to give her husband two wives provided she could choose them, and she accordingly chose my sister and myself; and to save family trouble, Brother Joseph thought it best to have another ceremony performed. Accordingly, on the 11th of May, 1843, we were sealed to Joseph Smith a second time in Emma’s presence, she giving her consent thereto. 

From that very hour, however, Emma was our bitter enemy" 

(Temple Lot Transcript, respondent's testimony, part 3, pp. 364-367).

Emily’s testimony is not only a chilling example of deceit but also a reflection of the emotional damage these polygamous marriages inflicted. Joseph manipulated Emma into thinking she had a say in choosing his plural wives, but in reality, he had already secretly married the Partridge sisters behind her back. This deceit completely destroyed Emma’s relationship with the Partridge sisters, turning them from friends into bitter enemies.

Coercion and Control: Joseph’s Manipulation of Young Women

Emily Partridge’s deposition is clear evidence of how Joseph manipulated and controlled young women, including friends of his wife. These marriages were not born of love or mutual understanding but rather from coercion and deceit. Emily and Eliza were young women when Joseph married them, highlighting a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior. These young women were vulnerable, living in close proximity to Joseph and Emma, and they were ultimately manipulated into entering polygamous marriages under the guise of religious necessity.

The Partridge sisters were not the only young women coerced into these secret marriages. Joseph's polygamous relationships extended to other vulnerable women, such as Lucy Walker, who was only 16 years old when Joseph married her. Lucy’s own testimony sheds light on the psychological manipulation Joseph employed, including isolating her and leveraging her family’s situation to pressure her into accepting his proposal. Lucy’s father was sent away on a mission, leaving Lucy in Joseph’s care—a situation ripe for exploitation.

In Lucy Walker’s later account, she described how Joseph convinced her to marry him:

"He [Joseph] had said to me, ‘Lucy, I have been commanded of God to take another wife, and you are the woman.’ I felt rebuked for wishing to shrink from the step. But what right had I to question God's servant? Joseph pressed the importance of the step on me for months, often urging my immediate compliance with the will of God, until at last, worn out with his importunities, I yielded. I was married to him on May 1, 1843, at his house by William Clayton" 

(Lucy Walker’s account in Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith by Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, p. 139).

Lucy’s account reveals the emotional manipulation Joseph used, as he claimed his desires were divinely commanded and repeatedly pressured her to comply. The suggestion that Lucy was somehow sinning by resisting this “commandment” is further evidence of Joseph’s coercive tactics, designed to weaken her resolve and make her feel that she had no choice but to accept his advances.

Emma’s Agony: Forced Complicity and Betrayal

For Emma Smith, these marriages were an endless source of pain, humiliation, and betrayal. The Partridge sisters, whom she had trusted and considered friends, were secretly married to Joseph without her knowledge. Joseph manipulated her into thinking she could control the situation by choosing the wives herself. But the reality was that Joseph had already deceived her, marrying the Partridge sisters before she was even aware.

Emma’s relationship with Joseph was already strained by his repeated infidelities and secret marriages, but the betrayal she experienced when she discovered that he had married her friends behind her back was one of the most devastating blows. The fact that Emily and Eliza became her "bitter enemies" after Emma’s forced complicity in the second marriage ceremony highlights the emotional wreckage that Joseph’s actions left behind.

The Partridge sisters were just two of the many women Joseph married in secret, but their story encapsulates the anguish Emma endured as Joseph manipulated and deceived her repeatedly. These marriages were not simply about religious duty; they were about power, control, and the degradation of Emma’s trust and dignity.

A Pattern of Exploitation

The Partridge sisters’ account is just one example in a much larger pattern of Joseph’s exploitation of young women and his betrayal of Emma. Joseph used his position as a religious leader to pressure young women into marriage, often targeting those in vulnerable situations, such as teenagers or friends of Emma, who trusted him as a spiritual leader and protector.

In Emily Partridge’s testimony, the emotional aftermath of these secret marriages is laid bare. Joseph not only destroyed Emma’s relationship with the Partridge sisters but also left a legacy of emotional damage that affected all involved. The secrecy, manipulation, and coercion inherent in these marriages are undeniable, and they expose a prophet who was far more interested in satisfying his own desires than in leading a moral or virtuous life.

Conclusion

The story of Joseph Smith’s polygamous marriages is one of manipulation, betrayal, and exploitation. His marriages to young women and friends of Emma, such as Emily and Eliza Partridge, occurred in secret and without Emma’s consent, revealing a prophet who was willing to use deceit and coercion to fulfill his desires. The testimony of Emily Partridge in the Temple Lot case provides a damning account of how Joseph manipulated Emma into believing she had control, only to have already married her friends behind her back.

Joseph’s behavior toward Emma, the Partridge sisters, and many other young women shows a man who was far more concerned with power and control than with the spiritual well-being of those around him. His actions left a trail of emotional devastation and highlight the darker side of early Mormonism that the LDS Church has long sought to obscure.

Sources:

Emily Partridge deposition, Temple Lot Transcript, respondent's testimony, part 3, pp. 364-367.

Lucy Walker’s account in Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith by Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, Doubleday, 1984, p. 139.