Martha Brotherton Affidavit and the “Happiness Letter”

Troubling accusations against the Prophet Joseph Smith were made by a young convert to the Church named Martha Brotherton, and in a letter attributed by the Church to Joseph, referred to as the “Happiness Letter.” Both are employed in an attempt to implicate Joseph in the practice of plural marriage. This presentation lays out what I think are the most likely explanations defending Joseph against these charges.

References:

“Happiness”: Joseph Smith’s Alleged Authorship of the 1842 Letter to Nancy Rigdon. https://archive.org/details/jmormhist.42.3.0094/mode/2up

THE LIONESS OF THE LORD: THE LETTERS OF AUGUSTA ADAMS COBB TO HER HUSBAND BRIGHAM YOUNG. https://sunstone.org/the-lioness-of-the-lord-the-letters-of-augusta-adams-cobb-to-her-husband-brigham-young-2/

“I Could Love Them All”: Nauvoo Polygamy in the Marriage of Willard and Jennetta Richards. https://sunstone.org/i-could-love-them-all-nauvoo-polygamy-in-the-marriage-of-willard-and-jennetta-richards/