‘An Atmosphere of Uncertainty’ The Struggle Over Mormon Polygamy in 1850s Utah

Abstract

Historians have typically interpreted Mormon polygamy in nineteenth-century America through the lens of religious doctrine. This study takes a cultural approach and examines polygamous practice during its formative period in the 1850s by looking closely at two families, the Hales and the Heywoods. Private diaries, letters, and other family papers were used to reconstruct their relationships and analysis sheds light on how they viewed the marriages. The lived experiences of these Mormon pioneers show that polygamy was experimental. Men and women drew on traditional marital values such as domesticity and romantic love when negotiating their atypical marriages.