Description

This presentation examines overlooked documentary evidence that challenges how we understand early Mormon polygamy. While scholars have drawn extensively on familiar sources, a cluster of underutilized documents—including Sarah Crook’s 1841 letter to Brigham Young, Helen Mar Kimball’s 1843 patriarchal blessing, August Cobb’s 1862 letter, and the publication Voice of Innocence—reveals overlooked contradictions in the overall Mormon polygamy narrative. Closer scrutiny of well-known sources, such as Joseph Smith’s 1842 letter to the Whitneys and William McClellin’s 1872 letter about Smith and Fanny Alger, exposes significant gaps in how we understand key moments in early Mormon history. This exploration offers Sunstone audiences a more textured understanding of the complexities of early Mormon polygamy and promises to make even messier an already messy history.

Jeremy W. Hoop is a professional actor, musician, financial professional, and devoted student of early Mormon history. Since 1996, he has appeared in films including The Testaments: Of One Fold and One Shepherd and Charly, alongside extensive television, commercial and voice acting work. As songwriter and producer, he produced the full-length album Let It Burn for his band Mayday RED. For more than eleven years, he has made an extensive study of early Mormon polygamy, leading him to create and host the Still Mormon podcast, which blends intellectual honesty with faith perspectives. Above all, Jeremy is devout in his faith, husband, and father of seven children—his greatest roles by far.

Michelle Brady Stone attended BYU for four years where she studied Music/Dance/Theater and English Composition. She is the mother of thirteen children (11 living) whom she has educated at home. She has served as a mentor to parents and has presented at numerous conferences. Her lecture series, “Celestial Education” has been viewed by tens of thousands of parents. More recently, in 2022 she began her podcast and youtube channel, “132 Problems: Revisiting Mormon Polygamy,” where she has shared her ongoing research into various aspects of polygamy. has become wildly popular with over 1.5 million views and 116,000 subscribers on youtube alone. She is committed to platforming voices of all aspects and perspectives of the polygamy discussion, as well as religious and social issues in general.

Whitney Horning is a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Born and raised in Utah, she is a 7th generation Mormon. Several of her family lines can be traced back to the early days of the LDS Restoration. After Joseph and Hyrum Smith’s deaths, her ancestors followed Brigham Young west to Utah. Since childhood she has had a passion for historical research. She has a deep love, respect and firm belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the Restoration. She is the author of 4 books: Wisdom, Joseph Smith Revealed: A Faithful Telling, Hyrum Smith-A Prophet Unsung, and Essays on Gospel Topics. She is honored to be invited to participate in Sunstone this year.