Marinda Johnson Hyde
Marinda Hyde's Sealing Date - Differing Accounts
CES Letter Core Question
Did Joseph marry Marinda Johnson secretly while Orson was on a mission?
Of those 34 women, 11 of them were married women of other living men. Among them being Apostle Orson Hyde, who was sent on his mission to dedicate Palestine when Joseph secretly married his wife, Marinda Hyde. Church Historian Elder Marlin K. Jensen and unofficial apologists like FairMormon do not dispute the polyandry.
CES Letter, Page 52
There are two sealing dates, one while Orson was on his mission, another after his return.
Orson Hyde had been on his mission for over a year so it is obvious that Joseph didn’t send him off so he could quickly be sealed to Marinda. The second sealing date is much more reliable, coming from an affidavit signed by Marinda. Orson Hyde asked Joseph Smith to perform his own plural ceremony just weeks after returning from his mission. Orson Hyde remained a strong defender of Joseph Smith throughout the rest of his life.
Indications are that Marinda was sealed to Joseph for the next life only (eternity-only) due to her own choice. Marinda did not conceive a child until weeks after Orson Hyde returned from his mission. Marinda remained an active Latter-day Saint throughout her life.
See:
Marinda Nancy Johnson Hyde Biography
FairMormon: Marinda Nancy Johnson Hyde
FairMormon: Marinda Johnson as a polyandrous wife of Joseph Smith
Additional Resources:
Fanny Alger And Joseph Smith’s Pre-Nauvoo Reputation by Brian C. Hales