This paper examines the history of the gravesite memorials dedicated to Emma and Joseph Smith, exploring their meaning as RLDS/Community of Christ monuments to monogamy, and situating them within the broader context of restored Nauvoo where the idealization and practice of plural marriage in the LDS past is largely elided. The history of the burials and memorializations of Emma and her second husband, Lewis Bidamon, are central to the paper’s analysis. Utilizing archival sources and ethnographic fieldwork, the paper investigates the ways by which the memorials to Joseph and Emma mediate Mormons’ attention to and knowledge of the history of plural marriage.

Lee Wiles