Episodes

Mormon History Podcast: 025: Mormon Harem (Young White Slaves)

Today I discuss the issues related to polygamy and immigration in the early days of Utah.

https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=2681547&page=4&q

https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=10712375&page=3&q

 

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One thought on “Mormon History Podcast: 025: Mormon Harem (Young White Slaves)

  1. Look at the diary/autobiography of Jenny Lee who polygammously married John D Lee (the only person executed for Mountain Meadows Massacre). She didn’t know about polygamy till she arrived in Utah and had do enter some kind of domestic servitude to repay the Pertual Emigration Fund loan. The man she worked for was too handsy and his wife very jealous. She married John D Lee to escape the situation as she preferred him. You could say it was a limited choice or not a real choice at all.
    Anyway, the above is from memory as my book is in storage so I hope I got all the details correct.

    There is another story that is a little hazy in my memory concerning a young girl from either the Willy or Martin company who had her feet amputated. She was fostered out to a polygamous family even though mother was alive but poor. At 14(I think) she married the polygamous foster father. Was that a real choice? I feel it was not a full choice.

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