Todd Compton reviews demographic evidence for early marriage among 19th century Mormons.
- Type
- Academic / Technical Report
- Source
- Todd M. Compton LDSDisaffected
- Hearsay
- Secondary
- Reference
Todd M. Compton, “Early Marriage in the New England and Northeastern States, and in Mormon Polygamy: What Was the Norm?” in The Persistence of Polygamy: Joseph Smith and the Origins of Mormon Polygamy, ed. Newell G. Bringhurst and Craig L. Foster (Independence, Mo.: John Whitmer Books, 2010), 184–232
- Scribe/Publisher
- John Whitmer Books
- People
- Todd M. Compton
- Audience
- Reading Public
PDF- Transcription
[Compton concludes based on comparative demographic data that early marriages among 19th century Mormons should be "troubling" and was generally not in the norm of contemporary New England and other Northeastern states. He argues that early marriages in Mormon polygamy were partially the result of elite, dynastic marriages pushing the marriage market towards younger women. Compton, however, also reiterates his opinion that Joseph Smith probably did not consummate his marriage with his youngest wife 14 year old Helen Mar Kimball.]
- Citations in Mormonr Qnas
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