Date of Award

5-2000

Degree Type

Report

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

Committee Chair(s)

Anne M. Butler

Committee

Anne M. Butler

Committee

Carol A. O'Connor

Committee

Robert Parson

Abstract

On a spring day in Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1843, fourteen year-old Helen Mar Kimball, married thirty-seven year-old Joseph Smith, prophet, president, and founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The couple did not publicize the event nor invite friends to attend. Secrecy shrouded the wedding. A public announcement would not have been prudent for the young Latter-day Saint (LDS or "Mormon") church, as Helen's new husband, Joseph Smith, was not only already married, but to dozens of other women.1

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