Thomas Tinney, Fanny Alger, The First Plural Wife of Joseph Smith, 1986

File — Box: 2, Folder: 5

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection: The Joseph Smith, Jr. collection (1829-1986) consist of a number of diverse items from several sources which provide useful background information for those interested in knowing more about particular aspects of the life of Joseph Smith, the founder of one of America's most successful religions, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church).

The first box of materials includes a master's thesis on plural marriage and miscellaneous Smith items. The thesis, "A Study of the Mormon Practice of Plural Marriage Before the Death of Joseph Smith," is an in depth examination by Danel W. Bachman. He has approached this subject from the view point of not only documenting the practice of plural marriage but also examining its social impact both within the LDS Church and also vis-a-vis the organization's relationship with those outside the church.

The miscellaneous Joseph Smith items include accounts of his assassination; limited correspondence about church, financial, and military matters; limited financial documents; a letter from his mother, Lucy Mack Smith, in which she described some details about ancient records which Joseph had been translating; and finally, a paper done in 1941 about Smith's aborted 1844 presidential campaign.

Thomas Tinney gathered information about the life of Michael H. Chandler, who sold Joseph Smith some ancient Egyptian writings on parchment from which Smith based his work, The Book of Abraham. Mr. Tinney prepared four reports citing census and land records and other public documents to trace the whereabouts of Chandler during certain periods in his life and to try to determine what happened to his estate after his death. In searching census reports he was also able to learn some facts about Chandler's posterity.

Almost all items in this collection are photocopies.

Dates

1986

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.