Abstract

I selected this topic in 1962 primarily from curiosity to discover the facts concerning present day polygamy in Utah, allegedly still abundant. Perhaps the motivation may be described as an amateur detective's zeal. Considerable material seemed to be available about polygamy in Utah before 1890, when the practice was mostly abandoned by the Mormon people, but, apparently, little has been written on this subject covering the period since that date. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to cover polygamy in Utah and close proximity from 1890 to the present (1965). Its scope includes: first, continued plural marriages for two decades after the 1890 Manifesto; second, the Mormon Church's view of such marriages and the rise of the "fundamentalists"; third, polygamous organizations, people, and colonies; fourth, legal actions against polygamy in the twentieth century; lastly, some views on polygamy today and in the future. The appendix with alleged revelations from Mormon dissenter groups may be of some interest to L. D. S. readers.

Degree

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; History

Rights

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