Joseph Smith (1805âÂÂ1844), founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, taught and practiced religious polygamy, termed "plural marriage" during his adulthood, marrying an estimated 30 to 40 wives throughout his lifetime. Smith and some of the top leaders of the church he founded publicly denied he taught or practiced it.
In 1852, leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) publicly acknowledged that Smith had practiced plural marriage and produced a statement of Smith's which he said was a revelation from God authorizing its practice. Smith's lawful widow Emma Smith, his son Joseph Smith III, and most members of the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or RLDS Church) attempted for years to refute the evidence of plural marriages. They pointed to Smith's public statements opposing polygamy, and stated that plural marriage began in Utah under the leadership of Brigham Young.
The first publication of a list of those alleged to be Smith's plural wives was in 1887, by Andrew Jenson, an assistant LDS Church historian. It included 27 names besides Emma Smith. There are currently 49 wives on this list. However, historians disagree as to the number and identity of the polygamous wives Smith had. Various scholars and historians, including Fawn M. Brodie, George D. Smith, and Todd Compton, have attempted to identify the individuals who married Smith. The discrepancy is created by the lack of documents to support some of the reported marriages. Apart from his marriage to Emma, Smith's marriages were not solemnized under any civil authority and were therefore solely religious unions.
Research by Ugo A. Perego, a geneticist and member of the LDS Church, has shown that a number of children of Smith's alleged polygamous relationships were not his genetic offspring. The following table lists some of the children born to Smith's alleged polygamous wives as well as those ruled out by genetic testing: