Comments on: Mormon Family Profiled in New York Press, 1884

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:16:01 +0000

roger, if that study is accurate, plural marriage may have resulted in more children for a polygamous husband than one married monogamously (no surprise), but also in fewer children being born to each wife than if those wives had been married monogamously (e.g., presumably H.B. Clawson had more children by his four wives than he would have had if he had been married to only one of them -- duh! -- but Alice and Emily and Ellen and Margaret might each have had more children had they been married to four different -- and monogamous -- husbands than as sister wives all married to Clawson).

By: Jeff Johnson

Jeff Johnson — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:10:19 +0000

Nice article, thanks for pointing it out.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:04:10 +0000

Yeah, the timing (during the anti-polygamy Raid in Utah) and the place combine to make it most unexpected.

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:52:37 +0000

An extraordinary account! A positive view of a polygamous family. Published in New York City, in 1884!

By: roger

roger — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:05:32 +0000

Wasn’t there some study recently on number of kids per husband or something?

By: Carol

Carol — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:02:03 +0000

I love the “the mysteries of the household”!

By: Bruce Crow

Bruce Crow — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:48:04 +0000

Fascinating.

The son Rudger Clawson, who you noted would later become an apostle, was the missionary companion of Joseph Standing and was there when he was killed. Rudger himself was in the news too, having testified at the trial of the Standing’s killers. I wonder if this is what brought the Clawson family to the attention of the New York Paper.

By: Ellen

Ellen — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:26:07 +0000

but certain it is that they always seem to be as happy as other people, sacrificing their natural feelings, perhaps, to their religious faith, which they deem of primary importance.

Well, yes.

Interesting that the word “natural” was used in this context: the feelings of the natural woman/man.