Exactly. Good insight.
I found some of these stats "interesting" & confirm your assessment:
Q. How successful were polygamist marriages? A. There were over 2000 divorces granted prior to the 1890 Manifesto. Brigham Young himself granted 1,645. Of the 72 general authorities who were polygamists, 39 had broken marriages, including 54 divorces, 26 separations and 1 annulment. (Utah Historical Quarterly, Winter 1978, p4)
Sandra Tanner gave a rundown on the number of wives & children of 7 LDS polygamous "prophets," who quotes LDS publications: Source: http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/ldsleadersbelievepolygamyinheaven.htm
Tanner: It should be noted that the first seven presidents of the LDS Church practiced plural marriage. For example, my great-great grandfather Brigham Young was married to over 50 women and fathered at least 56 children. His successor was Apostle John Taylor, who had 14 wives and 36 children. 22 First Seven Presidents of the LDS Church were Polygamists
1. Joseph Smith, President from 1830-1844, at least 33 wives, 7 children by Emma, unknown if any by plural wives.
2. Brigham Young, President from 1847-1877, over 50 wives, 56 children.
3. John Taylor, President from 1880-1887, at least 14 wives, approx. 36 children.
4. Wilford Woodruff, President from 1889-1898, at least 10 wives, approx. 34 children.
5. Lorenzo Snow, President from 1898-1901, at least 9 wives, 33 children.
6. Joseph F. Smith, President from 1901-1918, 6 wives, 43 children.
7. Heber J. Grant, President from 1918-1945, 3 wives, 12 children. According to LDS doctrine, these men will have all of their faithful wives and children with them in the resurrection, which would mean they will be living polygamy in the Celestial Kingdom.
The LDS Church is trying desperately to convince the world that the LDS Church really didn't exist until 1890 when they sorta officially kinda put an end to the common practice of having...dirty old men marry themselves to young breeding stock.
Indeed. Not only did authors like B. Carmon Hardy document LDS leader hypocrisy in granting another known 260+ plural "marriages" between 1890-1910, but its sanctioning continued from the top down over several "prophets"--making the LDS "prophets" guilty of duplicity & rendering its office as unbelievable.
The following is a pretty good Q&A of basic info: http://www.i4m.com/think/polygamy/polygamy_summary.htm
Q. Did Mormons obey the Manifesto ending polygamy? A. >No, many did not. In fact, church President Joseph F. Smith's wives bore him 13 children after the Manifesto, even though he publicly testified he was not "cohabiting" with them. (Dialogue, Spring 1985, p.83) At least 3,300 children were born to Mormon men who married polygamously with official LDS Church authority from 1890 through 1904. (Dialogue, Spring 1985, pp. 3-104)
Q. What do you mean "with LDS Church authority?" Did the church sanction polygamy after the Manifesto? A. Yes, church leaders continued the practice. Many top church leaders, including apostles were known to have taken additional wives after the 1890 Manifesto. (Utah Historical Quarterly, Winter 1980, pp. 9, 19) There is also strong evidence that Church President Wilford Woodruff, 8 years after issuing the Manifesto outlawing polygamy, married a Madame Mountford in Sept. 1897. (Wilford Woodruff Journals, 1896-97)
Where are the genealogical records of these Apostles and Prophets kept? Are they a closely guarded secret?