The Mormon Prophet and His Harem: Or, An Authentic History of Brigham Young, His Numerous Wives and ChildrenWaite, C. V. (Catherine Van Valkenburg)
History
The Mormon Prophet and His Harem: Or, An Authentic History of Brigham Young, His Numerous Wives and Children
Waite, C. V. (Catherine Van Valkenburg)
Latter Day Saint churches; Young, Brigham, 1801-1877
Brigham distinguished her in every way; gave her better rooms than the
rest, and servants to wait upon her. She grew to love him, and obtained
a powerful influence over him. There is no weapon so powerful as a
woman's tears. This Emeline believed, and often acted upon, to bring
back her truant lover, when she thought too much attention was paid to
others. Finally, so great became the jealousy of the other wives, that
the husband of these contending fair ones constructed a private hall
leading from his office to Emeline's room, that he might visit her
without observation or constraint. He devoted himself to her
exclusively, and she reigned supreme over the sisters. She received her
company in the grand saloon; she occupied the seat of honor at the
table, at the right hand of her husband. In short, she was the mistress
of the Harem.
At that time the most of the women did their own work, and stayed in
their own rooms, so that there was but little communication with each
other. She has eight children, but is still a young-looking woman.
But, alas! "the course of true love never did run smooth," and Emeline
was doomed to have a rival. When the Prophet "took" Amelia, his last
love, poor Emeline was heart-broken. She was taken very sick, and her
life was, for a long time, despaired of. From her "sisters" she received
no sympathy. The bitter cup which they had been obliged to drink, was
now commended to her own lips. From the confiding and happy wife, she
has become the rejected and suffering mistress, and must now drag out
the remainder of her days a faded, cast-off woman. And Amelia, the
present queen, what of her? She too, will soon take her place by the
side of Emeline and Mary Ann. Other and younger women will take the
place she now occupies, and in their turn be cast off, to suffer with
her.
"_Proxy Women._"
This is a very common term in Utah, and signifies that a woman is
married to one man for "time," and sealed to another for eternity. All
her children belong to the man to whom she is sealed, no matter which
may be their father, or whether the mother ever married the celestial
husband "in time." This is a refinement upon the Jewish doctrine, which
required a man to "raise up children to his dead brother."
Of this class of women Brigham Young has four, all of whom, while they
live with him for "time," are sealed to Joseph Smith for eternity, and
to Joseph must they be delivered over, with their children, in the first
resurrection.
"Miss" _Eliza Roxy Snow_ is of middling stature, dark hair, well
silvered with gray; dark eyes, noble intelligent countenance, and quiet
and dignified in manner. She is the most intellectual of the women.
Her literary taste and acquirements are good, and she has composed some
very creditable hymns for the church of which she is a conscientious and
devoted member. A volume of her poems has also been published, some of
which evince genius of a high order.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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