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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- If the past is a window to the present, then a new book about polygamy among early Mormons could be a portal to understanding where some contemporary Utah polygamists have found inspiration for their way of life.
"Nauvoo Polygamy," by George D. Smith illustrates the development of polygamy as it was first practiced in the 1840s by the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in Nauvoo, Ill.
Polygamy historian Martha Sontag Bradley says the book provides indisputable evidence that the scope of plural marriage was broader than most believe.
The book includes 70 pages of charts that chronicle Illinois marriages between 196 Mormon men and 717 women -- about four wives to each man -- including the dates of the unions and, when available, the ages of husbands and wives.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
