Unlikely Allies: Madison M. Scott and the LDS/RLDS Battle over Polygamy

Abstract

Although William Clayton's 1871 letter to Madison M. Scott is often cited by scholars for its details about Joseph Smith's 1843 polygamy revelation, little is published about the letter's recipient. This article provides biographical information revealing the motive behind Madison M. Scott's request to Utah-based church leaders for testimonies of Joseph Smith’s practice of polygamy. It also places these written exchanges within the larger context of the nineteenth century battle over public memory of Joseph Smith and polygamy engaged by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their Midwestern cousins, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.