19th Century Mormon Polygamy

[Paul Finkelman]

I believe the gender imbalance was in early converst before Utah. 
Mormon leaders like Brigham Young married single women who were often
quite old; far from kicking out the 40 year old to make room for the 20
year old, he invited the 60+ year old widow into his home

Paul Finkelman
President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law
     and Public Policy
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, New York   12208-3494

518-445-3386 
pfink at albanylaw.edu
>>> laycockd at umich.edu 09/02/06 7:09 PM >>>


  I too had long heard that Mormon polygamy was partly a response to
a surplus of women in the first generation.  But I recently read -- I
think in Robert Remini's biography of Joseph Smith -- that Utah census
data do not show such a surplus.

Douglas Laycock
University of Michigan Law School
625 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI  48109

________________________________

From: religionlaw-bounces at lists.ucla.edu on behalf of Paul Finkelman
Sent: Sat 9/2/2006 2:41 PM
To: jean.dudley at gmail.com; religionlaw at lists.ucla.edu
Subject: Re: Recommendation...

It [polygamy] is often a result of a shortage of men in a society due
to war, migration
patterns (in the case of 19th century Mormons, higher conversion
rates
among women), as well as high longevity of women who survive
childbearning years.  Paul Finkelman
President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law
     and Public Policy
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, New York   12208-3494

518-445-3386
pfink at albanylaw.edu
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Douglas Laycock
University of Michigan Law School
625 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI  48109-1215
  734-647-9713

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