What do we know about Joseph Smith’s relationship with Fanny Alger? Ep. 137

Fanny Alger was the first of Joseph Smith's plural wives and, as such, is surrounded by a heckaton of controversy, rumors, and conjectures. But just how much do we actually know about her and her relationship to Joseph? In this episode we take a dive into what the historical record shows - and highlight what it doesn't show - about this controversial relationship.

Video transcript: https://bit.ly/3mn8aUq

An excellent summary of this topic from JosephSmithsPolygamy.com: https://bit.ly/3n1m9A4
Common questions about Joseph and Fanny’s relationship (JosephSmithsPolygamy.com): https://bit.ly/3yKsiTo
Playlist on our channel with a bunch of videos about plural marriage: https://bit.ly/3kRmP8x
“Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo,” Church’s website: https://bit.ly/2MITdwO
“Historical Accounts Referring to the Relationship of Joseph Smith and Fanny Alger,” by Brian Hales: https://bit.ly/2WLg3cE
“A Response to Grant Palmer’s ‘Sexual Allegations against Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Polygamy in Nauvoo’,” by Brian Hales & Gregory Smith (Interpreter Journal): https://bit.ly/2WJc6Vj
“The Prophet Joseph Smith and His Plural Wives,” Richard L. Anderson & Scott Faulring (BYU Studies): https://bit.ly/35kg6wN
“Did Fanny Alger have a child by Joseph Smith?”: https://bit.ly/2WMTjce
“Fanny Alger” topic from the Church’s website: https://bit.ly/3jFCbh5
“Oliver Cowdery, Letter to Warren A. Cowdery (Oliver’s brother), January 21, 1838,” via JosephSmithsPolygamy.com: https://bit.ly/3zJvOip
YouTube interview with Brian Hales about Fanny Alger (Gospel Tangents): (Part 4) https://bit.ly/3DObDlC / (Part 5) https://bit.ly/2WRw14B
“Fanny Alger was Joseph Smith’s first plural wife,” by FAIR: https://bit.ly/3zL0qzR
“Question: Was Joseph Smith’s relationship with Fanny Alger an affair, or was it his first plural marriage?” by FAIR: https://bit.ly/2WS3mft

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Brian Hales 3-volume work: “Joseph Smith’s Polygamy”.
See also, “Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: Toward a Better Understanding,” by Brian and Laura Hales.

NOTES:

— It has been suggested in the past that Fanny’s son, Orrison, might have been Joseph’s, but DNA research has since confirmed that that was not the case. Source: Ugo A. Perego, Natalie M. Myers, and Scott R. Woodward, “Reconstructing the Y-Chromosome of Joseph Smith Jr.: Genealogical Applications," Journal of Mormon History Vol. 32, No. 2 (Summer 2005) 70-88.

— “The Alger family stayed in the Kirtland area until September of 1836 when they left for Missouri. They must have stopped two months later in Wayne County, Indiana, because on November 16, Fanny was civilly married to Solomon Custer there. Her willingness to enter into a legal marriage in late 1836 soon after the dissolution of her plural marriage can be read several different ways. Some analysts believe Fanny’s actions indicate that her relationship with the Prophet was nothing more than a sexual tryst. They contend that a marriage, even an interrupted one, would have prevented Fanny from entering into another marriage unless she had come to believe that a marriage not recognized by civil law was not valid. However, a marriage performed by Joseph’s priesthood authority could be dissolved by that same power. Possibly she sought a separation to distance herself from Emma’s persecution. It is impossible to know what Fanny was thinking.” Source: “Joseph Smith’s Polygamy” (Vol. 1), by Brian Hales, pg. 123.

— Fanny’s parents and brother stayed in the Church and even migrated west with the Saints. Joseph’s actions in Kirtland didn’t seem to challenge their faith in him as a prophet of God. This reaction supports (in my opinion) the notion that the relationship between Fanny and Joseph was a marriage.

— Oliver Cowdery’s opinion that the Alger situation was a “dirty, nasty, filthy scrape” comes from a letter written in 1838 to Warren Cowdery. The original letter is not extant. The only record of this letter that we still have is a copy in Oliver’s letterbook. In the copy, the word “scrape” is overwritten with the word “affair” (not in Oliver’s handwriting). It is unclear how involved Oliver was in the copying process. Thus, it is unclear whether the original letter said “scrape” or “affair”. It is also worth noting that at that time, “affair” would not have meant “adultery” as it does in our culture. “Affair” would have meant “business of any kind” (1828 Webster’s Dictionary). For example, when someone says, “Get your affairs in order!” they are not referring to multiple adulterous relationships. All of that said, it does seem clear that in any case, Oliver did believe the relationship with Fanny was an act of infidelity.


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