Fanny Alger: Wife Or Mistress?

[JLHPROF]

I'm on my phone and can't view the link, can you please give me the date of the quote? It was my impression there were no contemporary accounts of the marriage.

 

Not contemporary - It was his son Mosiah many years after the fact - 1896.

That's why I put "I don't believe we do for certain, but there are candidates" because this is second hand at best.

But that doesn't stop it being possible.

[ALarson]

Being ever the cynic, I haven't even put this one of my shelf.  The most straightforward answer is that JS had an illicit affair with Alger, which he later tried to excuse through the reinstitution of polygamy.  I confess that it's not the ONLY possible explanation, but it's the only one that MY wife would reach if presented with the same evidence about me.

 

That being said, I'm not sure why this is such a big deal for so many, because for me, this piece fits perfectly within the prophetic puzzle.  The scriptures are replete with prophets and great men of God who still committed significant transgressions.

I actually agree with what you wrote above and I have also thought this.  

 

What if in a weak moment, Joseph had an affair with a young woman living in his home?  He was human and doesn't the principle of repentance apply to him as much as it does to any of us?  

[CV75]

^{Can someone explain to me how Fanny Alger was a Plural Wife and not a mistress?}

 

^{The essay states that monogomous marriage was the only legal marriage in America at that time. Are they claiming that Joseph illegally had a marriage ceremony performed?}

 

^{We know the sealing keys from Elijah weren't received until 1836 though the Alger "dirty, filthy, affair" occurred in 1835 so we know it wasn't a sealing.}

 

^{At best, Alger would either be an illigitimate/illegal wife of "spiritual wife" similar to what the essay denounced as being done by certain "unscrupulous men". Can someone help me understand how Fanny was a wife?}

I’m assuming this is a doctrinal question. She was a bona fide plural wife of Joseph Smith by the authority of the restored priesthood. Whether or not it was a “sealing” or whether or not they shared in all the temporal and spiritual privileges of marriage is irrelevant: since they were considered by the head of the Church to be spouses, their relationship was neither extra-marital nor immoral under the terms of the religion. Accusers obviously say and debate otherwise.

 

I think you need to work on your “At best…” scenario. One good place to start is that God sanctioned it, because at best He did, and then work forward from there; or, if so unfortunately inclined, work backwards from there.

 

Of course, as the article pointed out many, including Joseph, had trouble working forward from what God had commanded him to do.

[CA Steve]

False dilemma. There are more options. Especially since there is no evidence of a sexual relationship.

Hales provides 20 references to Joseph Smith's relationship with Fanny Alger here starting on page 139

http://mormonstories.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2009-Hales-FA-and-JS-Pre-Nauvoo-Reputation.pdf

 

He notes (see page 143) that five of the accounts considered it to be adultery.

 

I think the Oliver Cowdrey accounts are the most troubling. Why would someone so vested in the Restoration and having worked so closely with Joseph make such accusations? Why wasn't Joseph able to convince Oliver that it was a polygamous relationship (or sealing) directed by God? In Oliver's excommunication trail did Joseph ever defend the relationship as polygamous or a sealing?