Was Joseph Smith’s relationship with Fanny Alger an early plural marriage, a sexless sealing, or a scandalous sexual affair?
Long before Nauvoo polygamy, secret sealings, or theological justifications, there was Fanny Alger; a teenage girl living in Joseph and Emma Smith’s home in Kirtland, Ohio.
When the relationship was discovered, it triggered scandal, apostasy, and one of the earliest crises in Mormon leadership.
In this episode, we start by taking a look into the life of Fanny Alger sharing details of her life that are little known even to those familiar with Mormon history. We then examine every major historical source connected to the Fanny Alger story including letters, later reminiscences, church disciplinary records. Then onto the Apologetics and what they are trying to resolve. And lastly we share something that hasn’t been used by either side in this discussion and this you won’t want to miss.
We ask the uncomfortable questions:
• Why did Oliver Cowdery call the incident a “dirty, nasty, filthy scrape”?
• Why did church leaders discipline Cowdery for accusing Joseph of adultery — without denying the accusation itself?
• Why does Fanny Alger quietly disappear from official church records for decades?
• And do apologetic claims that “we can’t know what happened” actually hold up?
We also follow Fanny’s life after Mormonism; her marriage, property ownership, and long, stable adulthood and ask what her silence might tell us about power, authority, and who controls the narrative. This is not folklore. This is not anti-Mormon spin. This is history read carefully.
RESOURCES:
https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Fanny-Alger-Episode-Sources-1.pdf
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The First Vision:
I had the same “religious” experience;
At the onset of puberty, in the woods, behind our house.
Out of respect for my and only TBM, BFF, a 4 yo kid, nextdoor neighbor.
With the same birthday in 1956. We were “brothers of another mother. Inseparable – K – 9, and was invited to as many Mormon things as possible through high school.
I was never”Mormoned” by Scot.
Back to puberty in the woods. It involved my PRIVATES.
I am one more person hurt by the Mormon Church. I pray Scot is still TBl M. He was 35 years ago when my mother was still alive. Boomers don’t write.
FYI
I am a Dr in Independence, MO. I had a warm, professional relationship with Wally Smith, the GGG … Grandson of J.S. “Pope” of the RLDS.
The Church owned the hospital, Dr Smith was in the hospital most days. A former Opthalmologist who gave up a respected practice when the Church needed him.
He was infinitely polite, drove his own car, and mentored me as a new Dr.
I know now that I would have never been hired w/o his consent.
Medicine is cumulative knowledge. I often asked him, “Have you seen this?”
AND – I once made him blow coffee out of his nose!