How Many Wives Did Joseph Smith Have? Here’s What We Know

When people first learn about the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one topic often sparks confusion: polygamy. Did the Church’s founder, Joseph Smith, really have multiple wives? If so, how many wives did Joseph Smith have? Why did he teach or practice plural marriage at all?

These are fair questions. And while not all details are perfectly clear due to the secrecy surrounding the practice in Joseph Smith’s lifetime, there is reliable historical evidence that can give some answers. Here’s what is known today about Joseph Smith’s polygamy.

Polygamy Was not Easy for Anyone Involved

It’s important to understand that Latter-day Saints believe monogamy between one man and one woman is God’s standard law of marriage. However, at certain times in biblical history, God has permitted people to practice plural marriage. Biblical figures like Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon did this. In the 19th century, some early members of the restored Church, including Joseph Smith wives, believed they had been asked by God to do the same.

For Joseph, this was not a casual or convenient decision. Historical accounts from Joseph’s associates show that it was one of the most difficult things he’d ever done. Some Latter-day Saints initially resisted the idea of polygamy, but many later testified they accepted it after powerful spiritual experiences confirmed to them it was of God.

When Did It Begin?

Joseph Smith first learned about the principle of plural marriage in the early 1830s. As early as 1831, he reportedly received revelations indicating that the practice could be acceptable to God in certain circumstances. However, he did not act on this knowledge immediately.

Sometime around 1835 while living in Kirtland, Ohio, Joseph married a young woman named Fanny Alger with hers and her parents’ consent. She is considered the first of the wives of Joseph Smith outside of Emma Hale, although the marriage was brief and not publicly acknowledged at the time.

It wasn’t until the early 1840s, after the Saints had settled in Nauvoo, Illinois, that plural marriage began to be practiced more regularly and systematically, though still very discreetly. On April 5, 1841, Joseph was married to Louisa Beaman, the first recorded plural wife in Nauvoo.

How Many Wives Did Joseph Smith Have?

So, how many wives did Joseph Smith have?

The short answer is at least 27, and possibly as many as 30 to 40, depending on how certain sealings are counted.

The exact number of how many wives did Joseph Smith had is uncertain because early plural marriages were kept confidential. Participants rarely wrote about them, and public acknowledgment of the practice did not come until years later, after the Church had moved west. 

Although Joseph was likely sealed to more than 30 women, not all of these sealings were for “time and eternity,” which included a marital relationship in this life. Others were for “eternity only,” meaning the sealing had significance for the afterlife, but no earthly marriage responsibilities.

Were These Marriages Physical or Sexual?

Contrary to some assumptions, many of Joseph Smith’s plural marriages were not sexual in nature. “Eternity-only” sealings specifically represented a commitment to be united in the next life, not necessarily a full marriage relationship during mortality.

Although plural marriage was seen in part as a way to “multiply and replenish the earth,” modern genetic testing disproves that Joseph Smith had any children with women other than his first wife, Emma Hale Smith.

What About Emma?

Emma Smith, Joseph’s legal wife, had a complicated relationship with the principle of plural marriage. She was not involved in the early stages of John Smith wives (a common misspelling) and struggled deeply with its implications. There is evidence that in May 1843, Emma gave her consent for Joseph to be sealed to several women, but this consent was short-lived.

Emma remained devoted to Joseph, but after his death, she did not continue west with Brigham Young and the other Saints. She also denied that Joseph had ever practiced plural marriage. Many scholars believe this was driven by her personal anguish over the issue.

Was This a Secret Practice?

Polygamy and Joseph Smith how many wives was kept secret at first. Plural marriage was not openly taught during Joseph Smith’s lifetime, and he discussed it only with close confidants. Part of this was because the practice was so shocking and foreign within American society at the time. 

Eventually, after the Saints migrated west, the Church publicly acknowledged plural marriage in 1852 under Brigham Young’s leadership. Even then, polygamy was strictly moderated under prophetic authority, with men wishing to practice plural marriage having to be vetted and approved by the president of the Church.

Why Did Joseph Smith Teach Plural Marriage?

Joseph Smith never left a fully detailed explanation of why he introduced polygamy, but a revelation he received on July 12, 1843, now canonized as Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants, gives four reasons:

1. To “restore all things” as practiced by ancient prophets
   
2. To provide an Abrahamic trial or test of faith
   
3. To “multiply and replenish the earth”
   
4. To enable exaltation for those who entered the covenant faithfully
   

These suggest deeply spiritual motivations for the practice, not social experimentation or personal gratification.

What’s the Church’s Position Today?

Today, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not practice or permit plural marriage. The practice officially ended in 1890 with the First Manifesto issued by President Wilford Woodruff, and all new plural marriages were prohibited by the Second Manifesto in 1904. Any Church member practicing or promoting polygamy today is subject to excommunication.

The Church teaches that monogamy is the current, divinely sanctioned pattern for marriage. While plural marriage played a role in the early history of the Church, it is no longer part of the faith’s practice or identity.

What are We to Make of Joseph Smith’s Wives?

How many wives did Joseph Smith have remains one of the most complex aspects of his life and the Church’s early history. The practice was introduced privately, carried out under difficult conditions, and only publicly acknowledged after his death.

Though the historical record is incomplete, it can reasonably be determined that the purpose of plural marriage was spiritual, not scandalous. For Latter-day Saints, it was a temporary commandment given by God during a unique period of religious restoration.Understanding the wives of Joseph Smith requires historical sensitivity, respect for the faith of those involved, and an acknowledgment that not all questions can be answered fully. But what we do know offers a more human view of one of history’s most polarizing figures.

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Mormonism Explained is a resource that was designed to provide objective and factual information about Mormonism, its history, doctrines, and policies. Our team of researchers consults experts and primary sources to present factual information on a variety of topics relevant to the Mormon Church.

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