Yes. The paper Joseph edited reaffirmed monogamy in 1842 after his private sealing to Sarah Ann Whitney. A later report of his May 1844 sermon quotes him saying he could find only one wife while answering adultery charges. Early participants distinguished religious sealings from Bennett’s “spiritual wifery.” The public words could still leave a misleading impression.
Yes. The Times and Seasons reaffirmed monogamy while Joseph was its editor and had already entered private plural sealings. A later account of his May 1844 sermon records him saying he could find only one wife while answering an adultery charge. Participants distinguished authorized sealings from John C. Bennett’s “spiritual wifery.” The public statements could still lead readers to think no plural marriages were taking place.
The 1835 Doctrine and Covenants included a statement on marriage declaring that “one man should have one wife.” The assembly adopted it while Joseph was absent. His role in writing or approving the original statement is uncertain. When asked in 1838 if Latter-day Saints believed in having more than one wife, Joseph’s published answer was “No, not at the same time.” 1835 statement and source note · 1838 questions and answers
In September and October 1842, the Times and Seasons republished the rule while Joseph served as editor. The October editorial called it the only rule practiced in the Church. Joseph was responsible for the issue as editor. The surviving evidence leaves open who drafted those particular lines. September 1842 issue · October 1842 issue
The October issue also printed two certificates against John C. Bennett’s allegations. Emma Smith, Eliza R. Snow, and other Relief Society members signed one. The Church Historian’s Press notes that at least three signers had firsthand knowledge of a plural sealing. Snow later explained that they were answering Bennett’s unauthorized system, which they distinguished from plural marriage authorized by Joseph. That recollection explains how Snow understood the certificate. A reader who had only the newspaper could reasonably take it as a denial of plural marriage altogether. Relief Society certificate and editorial notes
On July 27, 1842, before those issues appeared, Joseph dictated instructions for Newel K. Whitney to seal his daughter Sarah Ann to Joseph. The Joseph Smith Papers dates their sealing to that day. The instructions survive in later copies. Joseph’s original handwritten letter to the Whitneys on August 18 asked them to avoid observation, find a time when Emma was absent, and burn the letter after reading it. The editors place it during his efforts to avoid arrest and note that he also wanted to see the family, including Sarah Ann. The visit itself is unconfirmed. The July instructions and the August letter document a private sealing and efforts at secrecy. July sealing instructions · August letter
The July 1843 revelation now printed as D&C 132 describes eternal and plural marriage. Joseph Kingsbury made a contemporaneous copy. The revelation was published in 1852. The Whitney documents are earlier and concern a particular sealing. Together they establish that Joseph practiced and authorized religious plural marriage while monogamy remained the published rule. 1843 revelation and publication history
Willard Richards recorded Joseph giving instructions to try people who were teaching plural marriage on October 5, 1843. The journal says, “Joseph forbids it” and “No man shall have but one wife.” The journal entry describes an evening walk and instructions. It does not identify a public sermon. Joseph Smith Papers editors read the instructions as aimed at people teaching or practicing it without Joseph’s authorization, which fits the private sealings and the July revelation. Richards’s entry · Editors’ discussion
A later history draft adds “at a time” and “unless the Lord directs otherwise.” The editors identify the insertions as Thomas Bullock’s handwriting. Those words show how the history’s compilers understood the instruction. Readers can see exactly which words were added after Richards’s entry. History draft with editing marks
Joseph preached on May 26, 1844, after a grand jury indicted him on adultery and fornication charges. The accusations concerned Maria Lawrence, whom other sources identify as a plural wife, and unnamed women. The case ended without a trial verdict. An indictment records the accusation. The sealing and the allegations of conduct have different evidence. Adultery and fornication case records
In the surviving sermon account Joseph says he is accused of adultery and having “seven wives, when I can only find one.” Leo Hawkins prepared this draft years after the sermon, likely using notes taken by Thomas Bullock, who attended and later edited the draft. Bullock’s original notes are apparently lost. Willard Richards’s contemporary journal confirms the sermon and its general subject. The fuller wording comes from the later draft. Source history · The line in the draft
The Church’s Gospel Topics essay acknowledges public denials and distinguishes what participants regarded as authorized religious sealings from unauthorized “spiritual wifery.” Emma was Joseph’s civil wife. That distinction explains why participants might answer an accusation about adultery or Bennett’s system differently from a question about a sealing. It also leaves a plain question about what the public was led to believe. Church essay, “Plural Marriage in Nauvoo”
Robert M. Bowman Jr. considers the civil-marriage reading and argues that the denial was still deceptive in context. Sandra Tanner likewise contrasts the sermon with Joseph’s private marriages. Both point to the same reported sermon. The record supports the criticism that a listener could reasonably come away thinking Joseph had no plural sealings. The sermon itself leaves his exact intended meaning open. Bowman’s argument · Tanner, Mormon Stories episode 1565
An honest defense starts by admitting both facts. Joseph participated in private plural sealings. The public denials could leave a misleading impression. Believing he was a prophet still leaves room to question how he handled disclosure and to ask separately what supports his claim to revelation. The broader plural-marriage case · Prophetic fallibility and trust
