Seduction and Founding of the Mormon Church

On this Valentine's Day, I thought it fitting to write a post that is - sort of - about love.  This explores a simple act of sexual seduction that apparently occurred almost 200 years ago in Pennsylvania.  However, as we will see, it directly involved my family as well as the founding of the Mormon Church.  In 1829, Joseph Smith (the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) supposedly seduced Eliza Winters, who was the teenage half-sister of my great-great-great-great-grandfather Joseph Winters.  Eliza also happened to be his wife's friend and a close relative by marriage. This happened exactly when Joseph was in the process of writing the Book of Mormon and founding the new church. The supposed act likely had an effect in shaping his views on polygamy, Mormon doctrine and the reputation of Mormons in general.

Although much of the below narrative is conjecture, it also seems to shows historical precedent for the negative treatment (revictimization and character assassination) of female victims of sexual abuse by men in power, which unfortunately still happens to this day.

Joseph Smith

Excerpt from 1834 book Mormonism Unvailed, which is
the only direct evidence of the supposed scandal between
Joseph Smith and Eliza Winters

Joseph Smith is well known as the founder of the Latter Day Saint churches (i.e. the Mormon Church) and was known as a prophet by his followers.  During the 1820s though, Smith was relatively unknown; he claimed to have religious visions and supported himself by literally digging for treasure. 

In 1827, he married Emma Hale and moved with her to her hometown of Harmony, Pennsylvania.  It was at that same time that Joseph retrieved the infamous golden plates and began transcribing them.  The transcription process, which resulted in the Book of Mormon, took place between 1827 and 1830.  Joseph was a close friend during this time with Martin Harris, who apparently helped him transcribe the plates.  

In May 1829, the Smith family moved away from Harmony.  In 1830, the Mormon church was officially founded and a fascinating historical/religious movement began. Joseph had quite a colorful life until he was murdered in 1844.  Later the Mormon movement was headed by Brigham Young and resulted in the founding of Salt Lake City and Utah.

Eliza Winters

In 1827, Eliza Winters was a 15-year old girl who lived with her mother and stepfather (Phebe and Joseph McKune) and siblings, in Harmony, Pennsylvania.  She had recently moved to the area when her mother had remarried after her first husband, Eliza's father, had died.  Eliza's ancestors were from New England (some of her ancestors were documented passengers on the Mayflower in 1620). At the time of the incident, Eliza's half-brother Joseph Winters (my great-great-great-great-grandfather) was recently married and living in nearby Cannonsville, New York. 

Although the existing sources are far from definitive, it seems clear that something inappropriate happened between Joseph Smith and Eliza Winters. We do know that Eliza was the close friend of Joseph's wife Emma. Apparently Eliza "was often at Smith's home and much in Mrs. Smith's company. The young women were on very intimate terms, and very many times did Mrs. Smith tell her young friend about the finding of the "golden plates" or the "golden bible"" (3). At the time, Eliza's family were literally next-door neighbors of the Smiths (2). In addition to being a friend and neighbor, Eliza Winters was also related to them by marriage. Eliza's stepsister Nancy McKune was married to Emma's brother Isaac Hale. It was in this situation that Eliza was frequently in their house that Joseph "attempted" to seduce Eliza Winters. Apparently, Levi Lewis (Emma's cousin) was close to Joseph Smith and Martin Harris. He said that he overheard Smith and Harris talking about trying to seduce Eliza Winters in which they also said that "adultery was no crime" and that Harris specifically said he "did not blame" Joseph for trying to seduce her. Levi made this allegation which appeared in a newspaper article and a book against Mormonism in 1834 (1). Note that Eliza was also related to Levi Lewis: his sister was married to Eliza's stepbrother.

The inference is that Joseph Smith made inappropriate sexual advances to Eliza Winters, but that "nothing happened". The date of the incident(s) in question is unknown, but would have occurred sometime between 1827 and 1829 (when Eliza was between 15 and 17). The best guess is that the incident occurred in early 1829, when the Smith family moved away.  Regardless of what happened, Eliza was frequently in the Smith household (along with vocal critic Lucy Harris) and would have been an indirect witness to Smith writing the Book of Mormon and establishing the church. 

Aftermath - Smith



Emma Hale Smith - the wife of Joseph Smith
and apparently the close personal friend of Eliza
Winters.  She apparently did not know about or
approve of her husband's sexual behavior or
polygamy - after his death she became an anti-polygamy
activist in the Mormon church

Although the 1829 incident might have been unremarkable or innocent, it appeared to establish a pattern. Based on this and later accusations, Joseph Smith might have been something of a sexual predator. Eliza's story was the first in a series of 12 known (but unproven) allegations of sexual misconduct between 1829 and 1841 by Joseph Smith against various young women that lived in towns where he lived and preached. 

It is also interesting that the Mormon church's views about polygamy were developing at the same time that Joseph was engaging in apparent inappropriate sexual activity with other women. Joseph had been married since 1827, but had apparently began teaching a polygamy doctrine by 1831 and eventually became a polygamist himself. According to some sources, Joseph had at least 27 wives during his lifetime, in addition to his legal wife Emma.

After his death, the leaders of the Mormon Church used evidence of Smith's polygamy to establish the practice officially as part of church doctrine. Interestingly though, Joseph's own family (his first wife and his son) refuted the claims that he was a polygamist and were publicly against the practice for the duration of their lives.

Since Eliza Winters was possibly the first known recipient of Joseph's supposed extramarital sexual advances, perhaps his experience with her was what whetted his appetite enough to seek out adulterous relationships with other women and eventually establish a church that accepted the practice of polygamy.

Aftermath - Winters

Eliza Winters continued living with her family in Harmony, Pennsylvania. In 1838, Eliza served as a witness when her stepfather wrote his will; she was then one of the only children still left in the home.  Sometime between 1838 and 1840, she was married and lived in the area until her death in 1899 at the age of 87 (4). It is quite interesting that (much like the other allegations against Smith) the Eliza Winters-Joseph Smith scandal has been dismissed by many Mormon historians based on lack of evidence and the suggestion that Eliza Winters was a promiscuous girl with low morals and because she was apparently silent on the subject. Many have dismissed the allegation entirely as propaganda meant to disparage the reputation of Joseph Smith and the Mormon Church. However, just because the evidence is inconclusive - there is nothing to suggest that it did not happen. Why would she have been specifically named by a third party relative in an allegation against Smith if there was not some basis to the claim?

In 1832, Martin Harris (the same man apparently overheard talking with Joseph Smith about trying to seduce Eliza) publicly accused Eliza of having an illegitimate child. Eliza responded by suing Harris for slander because his words "render her infamous and scandalous among her neighbors", but she lost the case (5). During the court proceedings (against Harris), Eliza made no mention of the seduction attempt by Joseph Smith. This has led many to conclude that the seduction attempt by Smith didn't happen because she didn't mention it (even though it would have been irrelevant to the slander case against Harris). It is possible that Eliza did have an illegitimate child, but it is also quite possible that (regardless of whether it was true or not) the bastard child allegation was an intentional attempt by Harris and Smith to damage her reputation and thus credibility. It's worth noting that at the time, Joseph Smith was subject to a variety of unrelated criminal charges and was increasingly in the public eye; and it would have been in their best interest to remove character witnesses that could be used against him. 

Decades later, Eliza was interviewed with Sallie McKune (her step-brother's widow) by a reporter to gather derogatory statements against Joseph Smith (and the Mormon Church) by people who had known him in his youth. During the interview, they were both quoted as saying "Joe Smith never made a convert at Susquehanna, and also that his father-in-law became so incensed by his conduct that he threatened to shoot him if he ever returned" (2), but apparently made no reference to any sexual misconduct or seduction attempt. Again, this omission has been used by historians as evidence that the scandal never happened. But perhaps Eliza had learned the "lesson" she had been taught years earlier by Martin Harris, and didn't want to damage her reputation by bringing up the sordid past - especially if she was a willing participant in the event and if she was in the interview with her sister-in-law. (And as described below under sources, above is the only known statement that Eliza made during her interview.)

It is interesting that even today, historians are not in agreement on this incident and Joseph Smith still has many apologists. One such recent writer wrote that Eliza lost her 1832 slander lawsuit "likely because she had no good character to sully" and that "it seems far more likely that Eliza was known for her low morals." (He basing this off no more evidence described above and the fact that she lost her slander lawsuit. To me, it's not surprising that she lost her case. The court system - especially 184 years ago - would not have necessarily been on the side of a 20-year old single woman suing a 50-year old wealthy, well-respected man. The only other known record which speaks to Eliza's character or conduct is her 1899 obituary which simply stated that she was "well known and highly esteemed" (4).)  It's also interesting to note that when Eliza married in her late 20's, she was considerably older than any of her 6 sisters were when they married. Perhaps she did have a damaged reputation that made it more difficult to find a husband (she eventually married a close relative of her sister's husband) or perhaps she was just simply more independent. Being a middle child in a very large family (she had 6 full siblings, 5 half siblings, and 8 step siblings) it would have been understandable if she was a little rebellious or independent. 

My Winters family lived in New York and apparently did not have much contact with their relatives in Pennsylvania - including Eliza Winters. The story of the Joseph Smith scandal had not been passed down in the Winters family. To me, that suggests that the story is plausible - if indeed Eliza Winters was involved in the scandal, it would have been damaging to her reputation (and to her family) to even talk about it. 

Wild Theory - Was Julia McKune the love child of Joseph Smith?

As described above, in 1833 Eliza Winters (via her brother-in-law Benjamin Comfort) sued Martin Lane for slander for allegedly proclaiming that she had given birth to an illegitimate child. The case was dismissed, which on its head seems to suggest that Martin Lane's accusation was true. But to me, the verdict is far from convincing. But it's worth asking, did Eliza really have a child out of wedlock? If she did, the child would have been born sometime before November 1832, when he made his supposed accusation about her. 

Unfortunately, not many records from that period survive that would prove the birth of a child. It is certainly possible that an illegitimate child was born and was effectively hidden and forgotten to history. But there are two circumstances that offer the basis for a fascinating theory about the possible child: Eliza was supposedly seduced by Joseph Smith sometime between 1827 and 1829 (see above) and Eliza had a half-sister who was born in early 1829. The theory is then that Eliza's half-sister Julia McKune was in fact her illegitimate daughter by Joseph Smith; and that Julia was raised by her grandparents, Joseph and Phebe McKune, as their child.

Joseph McKune was married to Eliza's mother Phebe Phelps Winters sometime between 1825 and 1829 (although most likely in 1827 or 1828). Both Joseph and Phebe had recently been widowed and each had a large family of children. They remained married until Joseph's death in 1850. During the course of their marriage, they had one identified child, Julia Ann McKune. According to many family trees, Julia was born on February 6, 1829. The source of that date is unknown, but agrees with known contemporary records, such as the 1850 census (which provides her age as 21), as well as the 1840 census (which provides her age as between 10 and 15) and the 1830 census (which provides her age as between 0 and 5). Julia McKune was born and raised in Harmony Township in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. In July 1849, she married Warren S. Dimock and they continued to live in Harmony Township. Then in 1855, they moved out west to Wisconsin (joining in an exodus of many family members, including Julia's mother Phebe, her sister Almena and family and a few nieces and other relatives). Julia died in Wisconsin in March 1858. Her husband later remarried to her niece Lucy Munson. Julia had one known surviving child: Ella Robertine Dimock. Ella later married Charles Rudolph and eventually died in Washington State in 1929. Ella had three children, who each also had children of their own.

Joseph and Phebe McKune raised Julia McKune as their child and there is nothing to suggest that she was not their biological daughter. But is it possible that Julia was the child of Eliza and raised by her grandparents to preserve both Eliza's and Julia's reputations? Yes, it's absolutely possible.

At the time of Julia's birth, Phebe was 43 years old and Joseph was much older, about 66. Was this too old to have been her parents? No, not at all (although they were on the older side for having children, it would have been entirely possible and not even that unusual). 

One consideration is the will of Joseph McKune, which he wrote on April 9, 1838. The text of his will was relatively routine and unremarkable. He directed that money should be set aside to erect tombstones for himself and his first wife. He left half of his furniture to his wife Phebe, and otherwise left the rest of his property to his daughter Julia Ann. He also indicated that his wife Phebe should have "the care and overcharge" of Julia Ann, and elsewhere he refers to the education and upbringing of Julia Ann. His will did not mention or provide anything to anybody else, including his large family of children by his first marriage. The witnesses to the will were Jacob Skinner (married to Eliza's sister Polly Winters) and none other than Eliza Winters. 

Would Joseph have really left the entirety of his estate to a child that was not actually his? Who knows. There could be a whole myriad of reasons why Joseph wrote what he did. It's worth pointing out that his other children were all adults and had long since married and moved out of the home, perhaps they were already provided for. Perhaps the attention paid to Julia's upbringing and wellbeing could be an acknowledgement of her true parentage and an attempt to keep her protected. Also, the inclusion of Eliza as a witness to the will could be a clue; perhaps she was agreeing to the terms that directly affected her daughter. (But Eliza's inclusion as a witness is not very conclusive; two of Eliza's sisters - Clarissa and Polly - at times served as witnesses to different McKune family deeds).

Aside from the will, the other known contemporary records (census enumerations, tax lists, land deeds, etc.) do not seem to provide any clues either way about Joseph McKune's relationship with his daughter Julia or anything out of the ordinary in his family. 

All of this is just wild conjecture and, again, there is nothing to prove or even suggest that Julia McKune was not the daughter of Joseph and Phebe McKune. Even if Julia McKune was the daughter of Eliza Winters, there is also nothing to suggest that Joseph Smith was the father. If Joseph Smith was really the father, would Martin Harris (an associate of Joseph Smith) have wanted to draw attention to the issue by publicly accusing Eliza Winters of giving birth to a child out of wedlock? Perhaps not, but maybe if Martin knew of a child, he didn't know who the father was. (The affidavit of Joseph Smith's supposed seduction of Eliza Winters wasn't made public until 1834). 

At this point, except for the unlikely event that a "smoking gun" record is unearthed, there would likely be no way to substantiate any of this. Except, possibly, with DNA evidence ... 

Julia McKune Dimock left many descendants, and it is assumed that there are many alive today. If any of them had DNA tests taken, those results could be compared to descendants of other people to help support who Julia was, or was not, genetically related to.

I would start by comparing DNA of Julia's descendants with the DNA of descendants of Joseph McKune's children by his first marriage (and/or other relatives of the McKune family). If comparing those results does not result in any matches, it could be an indication that Joseph McKune was not the biological father of Julia McKune.

On the flip side, I do not think it would be very helpful to compare Julia's descendants' DNA with descendants of Phebe Phelps Winters McKune (Eliza Winters' siblings). Eliza Winters and Phebe McKune were mother and daughter and as long as either of them were the mother of Julia, the DNA of Julia's descendants would always show a relationship with other Winters descendants.

If Julia McKune was shown to have a genetic relationship with McKune descendants, it would be a clue that this "love child theory" is probably not true, and that she was probably the daughter of Joseph and Phebe McKune.

However if she is shown to not have a relationship with McKune descendants, it would be a clue to support the theory that she was the daughter of Eliza Winters. If so, the next step would be to compare her descendants' samples with samples of descendants or relatives of Joseph Smith. If there were matches among their samples (and no matches with samples of McKune descendants), it could be enough to indicate that Julia McKune was in fact the child of Joseph Smith and Eliza Winters. 

Sources:

1. Affidavit of Levi Lewis, March 20, 1834, which appeared in: 1) Susquehanna Register and Northern Pennsylvanian, May 1, 1834 and 2) Howe, Eber D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion From Its Rise to the Present Time. Painesville, OH; 1834. 

2. Article "The Early Mormons" in Broome Republican, Binghamton, New York, July 28, 1880. [This is what other sources refer to as the interview in which Eliza does not mention the seduction attempt.  However, this source is only a newspaper article which briefly mentions that Eliza was present at an interview with Sallie McKune (her sister-in-law) and that she corroborated a brief statement made by Sallie. It is not a transcription of an interview with Eliza.]

3. Stocker, Rhamathus M. Centennial History of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, R.T. Peck & Co., 1887.

4. Obituary of Eliza Squires, Tri-Weekly Journal (Susquehanna, PA), May 2, 1899

5. Case file (slander) of Eliza Winters vs. Martin Harris, Court of Common Pleas, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, 1833.  "Harris, M."