Free Republic

Disguised in a man's hat and coat, Louisa Beaman stood on the banks of the Missouri River on April 5, 1841, and recited vows that made her the plural wife of Joseph Smith Jr. Over the next 30 months, secret marriages followed as Joseph Smith added orphaned teenagers, middle-aged spinsters, sisters, mothers and daughters and other men's wives to his burgeoning clandestine family -- all while establishing a community, economy and religion. -SNIP-Smith said he began compiling lists of the church founder's wives more than a decade ago; his research was spurred on by the limited information offered in the...