Joseph Smith and Fanny Alger
117 Primary Sources
Date | Summary | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1830 | Webster Dictionary's definition of "scrape" (1830). | Noah Webster Non-LDS | Direct | |
1830 | Webster's Dictionary's definition of "affair" (1830). | Noah Webster Non-LDS | Direct | |
1830 | 1830 U.S. Census lists Samuel Alger in Cuyahoga County, OH. | U.S. Census Non-LDS | Direct | |
Dec 3, 1832 | Joseph records William McLellin's 1832 excommunication. | Joseph Smith, Jr. LDS | Direct | |
1834 - | M. Hancock provides his birthdate in his autobiography. | Mosiah Hancock LDS | Direct | |
Aug 1835 | 1835 D&C declares that the Church believes in monogamy. | Oliver Cowdery LDS | Direct | |
Nov 24, 1835 | Joseph records officiating at the marriage of the Knights in November 1835. | Joseph Smith, Jr. LDS | Scribed Verbatim Direct | |
Apr 3, 1836 | Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery have a vision in the Kirtland temple; Elijah bestows the sealing keys. | Joseph Smith, Jr. LDS | Direct | |
Apr 3, 1836 | J. Smith and O. Cowdery receive the sealing keys in April 1836. | Joseph Smith, Jr. LDS | Direct | |
Nov 14, 1836 | Marriage record of Solomon Custer and Fanny Alger in November 1836. | FamilySearch LDS | Direct | |
Sep 1837 | W Cowdery's Defense of Joseph and the Rigdon family against rumors in Milton and Palmyra areas. | Warren A. Cowdery LDS | Direct | |
Nov 6, 1837 | Joseph informs the council that "a matter" involving Cowdery had not been "satisfactorily settled." | Joseph Smith, Jr. LDS | Direct Scribed Summary | |
1838 - | Whitmer on Kirtland secret combinations and plurality of wives. | John Whitmer Excommunicated | Holograph Unsourced | |
Jan 21, 1838 | Cowdery calls Joseph's relation with Alger a "dirty, nasty, filthy scrape/affair." | Oliver Cowdery LDS | Direct | |
Feb 15, 1838 | Letter from Marsh with multiple testimonies regarding Joseph's and Alger's relationship. | Thomas Marsh LDS | Direct Reprint | |
Apr 12, 1838 | Council minutes on the relationship between Joseph Smith and Fanny Alger. | Ebenezer Robinson LDS | Direct | |
May 11, 1838 | Joseph records William McLellin's 1838 trial and excommunication. | Joseph Smith, Jr. LDS | Direct | |
Jul 1838 | Elders' Journal says Mormons do not "believe in having more wives than one." | Joseph Smith, Jr. LDS | Direct | |
1839 - | Joseph reported that he was born on December 23, 1805. | Joseph Smith, Jr. LDS | Direct | |
Apr 3, 1840 | Rigdon refers to "a real drunken scrape" involving Cowdery and Granger. | Sidney Rigdon LDS | Direct | |
Oct 23, 1840 | Record book shows Alger (Custer) attending a Church conference in 1840. | James C. Snow LDS | Direct | |
Sep 13, 1842 | Brewer claims that Joseph had "unlawful intercourse" with "a young orphan girl." | Fanny Brewer Critic Non-LDS | Direct Unsourced | |
Jul 12, 1843 | Joseph Smith records a revelation in D&C 132 that lays out the concept of plural marriage. | Joseph Smith, Jr. LDS | Direct | |
Nov 5, 1848 | Pottawattamie High Council minutes mentions Oliver Cowdery's rebaptism. | Pottawattamie High Council LDS | Direct | |
Nov 11, 1848 | Orson Hyde writes to Wilford Woodruff about Oliver Cowdery's rebaptism. | Orson Hyde LDS | Direct | |
Nov 16, 1848 | R. Miller mentions O. Cowdery's rebaptism by Hyde in November 1848 in a letter to H. Sabey. | Reuben Miller LDS | Direct | |
Aug 21, 1850 | 1850 U.S. Census lists "Francis Custer" as 31 years old. | U.S. Census Non-LDS | Direct | |
Aug 29, 1852 | O. Pratt officially introduces polygamy to the public. | Orson Pratt LDS | Scribed Verbatim | |
Jun 18, 1856 | The Republican Party Platform of 1856 lists polygamy as one of the "twin relics of barbarism." | Republican Party 1856 Non-LDS | Direct Reprint | |
1859 | Butler writes that McLellin robbed the Smith home while Joseph was in prison. | John L. Butler LDS | Direct | |
1860 - | Holbrook recounts Johnson dying in the Smith home in 1833. | Joseph Holbrook LDS | Direct | |
Jun 12, 1860 | 1860 U.S. Census lists "Fanny Ouster" as 42 years old. | U.S. Census Non-LDS | Direct | |
Aug 12, 1861 | W.W. Phelps writes to Brigham about Joseph's 1831 revelation on polygamy. | W. W. Phelps LDS | Direct | |
Dec 17, 1864 | Millennial Star reviews McLellin's excommunication and hostilities toward the Saints. | Unknown LDS | Journalism | |
1869 | Joseph B. Noble provides affidavit stating that he sealed Joseph to Louisa Beaman. | James Jack LDS | Direct | |
Jan 22, 1869 | F.D. Richards records that Joseph Noble "performed the first sealing ceremony in this Dispensation" between Joseph and Louisa Beaman. | Franklin D. Richards LDS | 2nd Hand | |
Oct 7, 1869 | Orson Pratt says that Joseph said polygamy was "a true principle" in 1831. | Orson Pratt LDS | Scribed Verbatim 2nd Hand Late | |
1870 - | Lightner claims Joseph was commanded Joseph to practice polygamy in July 1834. | Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner LDS | Holograph 2nd Hand Late | |
Jul 1872 | McLellin describes the Smith/Alger relationship to Joseph Smith III. | William McLellin Excommunicated Critic | 3rd Hand Late | |
1873 | Stenhouse claims W.W. Phelps taught that Joseph learned polygamy from the Egyptian papyrus. | W. W. Phelps Non-LDS | 3rd Hand Late | |
Feb 16, 1874 | William Clayton recounts the writing of the revelation on plural marriage. | William Clayton LDS | Direct Late | |
Oct 14, 1874 | Deseret News prints Samuel Alger's obituary. | Deseret News LDS | Direct | |
Oct 6, 1875 | McLellin is quoted in the SLT about Joseph and Alger's sealing. | William McLellin Critic Non-LDS | 2nd Hand Late Journalism | |
Apr 24, 1876 | E. Webb recounts the Joseph/Alger sealing. | Eliza J. Churchill Webb LDS | 3rd Hand Late | |
May 4, 1876 | E. Webb refers to Joseph's and Alger's relationship as similar to a "sealing." | Eliza J. Churchill Webb LDS | 2nd Hand Late | |
1876 | A.E. Young provides an overview of the Joseph/Alger relationship. | Ann Eliza Young Excommunicated Critic | 3rd Hand Late | |
Dec 16, 1878 | Orson Pratt quotes Lyman Johnson as saying that Smith knew about plural marriage in 1831. | Orson Pratt LDS | Reprint 3rd Hand Late | |
Oct 1, 1879 | Emma Hale Smith denies that Joseph practiced polygamy. | Emma Hale Smith LDS | Scribed Verbatim | |
Jun 17, 1880 | 1880 U.S. Census lists "Fanny W Custer" as 63 years old. | U.S. Census Non-LDS | Direct | |
Apr 1881 | Anti-polygamy periodical recounts the Joseph/Alger relationship. | Historicus Critic Non-LDS | Late Journalism | |
Aug 2, 1882 | Unknown author from The Hagerstown Exponent claims that Custer and Alger are practicing spiritualism. | Unknown Non-LDS | Journalism | |
1883 | Susa Young Gates quotes Joseph Smith in 1835 claiming to have authority to marry others. | Susa Young Gates LDS | 2nd Hand Late | |
Apr 27, 1883 | Littlefield states that Joseph "understood and believed" plural marriage in Kirtland. | Lyman O. Littlefield LDS | Direct Reprint Late | |
1884 | Helen Mar Kimball Whitney says that plural marriage was revealed to Joseph in 1831; was commanded by an angel to practice it. | Helen Mar Kimball Whitney LDS | Direct Late | |
1884 | Eliza Snow recounts a conversation between Lorenzo Snow and Joseph about plural marriage and the angel with a sword. | Eliza R. Snow LDS | 3rd Hand | |
Feb 12, 1884 - | Braden says that Joseph "practiced polygamy in Kirtland," "committed fornication," and seduced "an orphan girl." | Clark Braden Critic Non-LDS | Reprint 3rd Hand Late | |
Apr 1, 1884 | Emily D. P. Young says that Emma Smith knew about plural marriage and was "bitter" and "unpleasant" about it. | Emily D. P. Young LDS | Direct Journalism | |
Jan 1885 | Hawley recalls John Alger saying Alger was "seald" to Joseph. | John Hawley LDS | 3rd Hand Late | |
1885 | E.R. Snow says that she lived with the Smiths in the "Spring of 1836." | Eliza R. Snow LDS | Direct Reprint | |
1885 | Holbrook reports that Alger was a "spiritual wife" of Joseph's. | Alfred Holbrook Non-LDS | 3rd Hand Late | |
1886 | Wilhelm Wyl claims that Emma Smith threw Eliza Partridge down the stairs; assaulted Eliza R. Snow with a broomstick. | Wilhelm Wyl Critic Non-LDS | Unsourced Late | |
1886 | C. Webb describes the Fanny Alger/Joseph relationship as a sealing and states that Fanny Alger was pregnant. | Chauncey Webb LDS Critic | Reprint Unsourced Late | |
1886 | Alexander claims that "plurality of wives" was practiced in Kirtland. | Nancy Alexander LDS Disaffected | 3rd Hand Late | |
1887 | Eliza R. Snow lists Fanny Alger and others as one of "Joseph Smith's Plural wives." | Eliza R. Snow LDS | Direct | |
May 1887 | Andrew Jenson article on Joseph's plural marriage; identifies 27 women as plural wives. | Andrew Jenson LDS | Late Secondary | |
May 1887 | Mary Ann Frost Pratt recalls the conversion of her sister Olive Frost to plural marriage and her marriage to Joseph. | Mary Ann Frost Pratt LDS | 2nd Hand Late | |
May 1887 | Joseph learned about plural marriage in 1831; Alger is listed as "one of the first plural wives sealed to" Joseph. | Andrew Jenson LDS | Direct | |
Aug 18, 1887 | Newspaper interviews Eliza R. Snow about plural marriage; she mentions the angel with a sword commanding Joseph to practice polygamy. | Eliza R. Snow LDS | 2nd Hand Journalism | |
1887 | E.R. Snow identifies Alger as "one of the first wives Joseph married." | Eliza R. Snow LDS | Direct | |
1888 | Martin Harris quoted about Joseph's "improper proposals" to Alger. | Martin Harris Non-LDS | 3rd Hand Late | |
1889 | Reprinted obituary of Fanny Alger. | Unknown Non-LDS | Journalism | |
Sep 22, 1889 | Winchester talks about Joseph's "licentious conduct" during the Kirtland period. | Benjamin Winchester Excommunicated Critic | Direct Unsourced Late Journalism | |
Dec 5, 1889 | Newspaper reporting Fanny Alger's (Custer) death in 1889. | Anonymous Non-LDS | Journalism | |
Oct 6, 1890 | Official Declaration 1 of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. | Wilford Woodruff LDS | Standard Works | |
1890 | John Alger is excommunicated in 1890 after the Polygamy Manifesto. | N/A LDS | Scribed Summary | |
1892 | Lucy Walker recalls that Joseph saying he learned the "principle of plural marriage" in 1831. | Lucy Walker LDS | Direct Late | |
1892 | Emily D. P. Young testifies that Emma Hale Smith consented to plural marriage, but became bitter soon after. | Emily D. P. Young LDS | Direct Late | |
1892 | W. Woodruff discontinues plural marriage, naming revelation and opposition as the reason. | Wilford Woodruff LDS | Direct Reprint | |
1892 | Lucy Walker affirms she lived with Joseph as a wife. | Lucy Walker LDS | Scribed Verbatim Direct Late | |
1896 | L. Hancock recalls that Joseph told him to take Alger to Missouri. | Levi Hancock LDS | Holograph Direct Late | |
1896 | Levi Hancock marries Clarissa Reed. | Levi Hancock LDS | Direct | |
Apr 4, 1899 | Alger sealed by proxy to Joseph Smith in 1899. | Thomas Milton Tinney LDS | Direct Reprint | |
Feb 8, 1902 | Lightner recalls Joseph saying an angel with a sword commanded him to practice polygamy. | Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner LDS | 2nd Hand Reprint Late | |
Apr 1903 - | Benjamin Johnson recalls being told that Joseph and Fanny were "spied upon & found together"; calls Fanny Joseph's "first plural wife." | Benjamin F. Johnson LDS | Holograph 3rd Hand Late | |
Apr 20, 1904 | Lightner says that Joseph was commanded by an angel in 1834 to practice plural marriage. | Mary E. Lightner LDS | Scribed Verbatim 2nd Hand Reprint | |
Mar 10, 1905 | M. Hancock recounts the marriage of Alger and Joseph. | Mosiah Hancock LDS | 3rd Hand Late | |
Apr 14, 1905 | Lightner quotes Joseph saying that an angel commanded him between 1834 and 1842 to practice polygamy; if not, the angel would slay him. | Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner LDS | Scribed Verbatim 2nd Hand Late | |
Jun 1905 - | Lightner says Joseph was commanded to begin plural marriage in 1834 [?] and was threatened by an angel. | Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner LDS | 2nd Hand Late | |
1909 | B.H. Roberts states that the revelation on plural marriage was received in 1831. | B. H. Roberts LDS | Direct | |
1982 | Leroli C. Snow provides late account of Emma Hale Smith pushing Eliza R. Snow down the stairs. | Leroli C. Snow LDS | Unsourced Late | |
1997 | Todd Compton summarizes the Fanny Alger family background. | Todd Compton LDS | Secondary | |
1997 | Todd Compton speculates that Fanny Alger may have miscarried. | Todd Compton LDS | Secondary | |
1997 | Todd Compton reviews Fanny Alger's departure from Ohio. | N/A LDS | Secondary | |
2000 | S. Faulring provides an overview of O. Cowdery's rebaptism in November 1848. | Scott H. Faulring LDS | Secondary | |
2005 | Ugo Perego et al., reports on how DNA study rules out 2 possible Smith descendants; casts strong doubt on third. | Ugo Perego LDS | Direct Secondary | |
2005 | Richard Lyman Bushman explains the possible background for the 1835 "Article of Marriage." | Richard Lyman Bushman LDS | Secondary | |
2008 | DNA study confirms that Oliver N. Buell and Mosiah Hancock were not Joseph's sons. | Ugo Perego LDS | Secondary | |
Mar 7, 2008 | Study finds that marriage age gaps rose between 1850 and 1880; gaps ranged from 4 to 7 years on average. | Karen Rolf Non-LDS | Secondary | |
Sep 9, 2008 | Mark Staker argues that Alger lived with the Smiths between 1834 and 1836. | N/A LDS | Secondary | |
2009 | Brian C. Hales concludes that the story of Emma Smith pushing Eliza Snow down the stairs is likely "folklore." | Brian C. Hales LDS | Secondary | |
2010 | Don Bradley concludes that the Alger/Smith relationship was Smith's first polygamous marriage. | Don Bradley LDS | Secondary | |
2010 | Don Bradley dates the discovery of the Smith-Alger marriage between April-September 1836. | N/A LDS | Secondary | |
2010 | The ages of Joseph's plural wives are compared to other regions of 19th-century America. | Craig Foster LDS | Secondary | |
2015 | Brian and Laura Hales argue that the Alger/Smith marriage took place in 1835-36. | Brian C. Hales LDS | Secondary | |
2016 | Massachusetts statistics indicate 15-20% of women were married before age 20 in the 1840s. | N/A Non-LDS | Secondary | |
2017 | Alice Merrill Horne hears the story of Eliza R. Snow's sexual assault in Missouri. | Alice Merrill Horne LDS | 3rd Hand Late | |
2018 | W. Smith explains the evolution of the meaning of "celestial marriage." | William Victor Smith LDS | Secondary | |
2019 | Craig Foster provides data on regional marriage ages between 1850-1880. | Craig Foster LDS | Secondary | |
2019 | DNA study rules out Josephine Lyon as Joseph Smith's daughter. | Ugo Perego LDS | Secondary | |
2019 | Ugo Perego reports on how DNA results rule out Josephine Lyon as Joseph Smith's daughter. | Ugo Perego LDS | Secondary | |
2021 | FamilySearch lists Fanny Alger's birthdate as September 30, 1817. | FamilySearch LDS | Secondary | |
2022 | Find a Grave Website lists Fanny Alger's birthdate as September 30, 1816. | Find a Grave Non-LDS | Secondary | |
2022 | The Hales list Fanny Alger's birth date as September 20, 1816. | Joseph Smith's Polygamy LDS | Secondary | |
2022 | Joseph Smith Papers Website list 1818 as Fanny Alger's birthyear. | N/A LDS | Secondary | |
2022 | Church's essay lists Fanny Alger's birthyear as 1816. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints LDS | Secondary | |
2022 | The Joseph Smith Papers identifies May 28, 1843 as sealing date for Joseph and Emma Hale Smith. | The Joseph Smith Papers LDS | Secondary | |
2022 | The Joseph Smith Papers identifies May 28, 1843 as sealing date for Joseph and Emma Hale Smith. | The Joseph Smith Papers LDS | Secondary |