Author’s Note

We have found that once our friends get to know us, they want to learn about our faith culture and often ask “What’s the deal with polygamy?” Unfortunately, we discovered people thought that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints still live this lifestyle. We also discovered that in some countries, even today, the dictionary definition for the word “Mormon” is polygamist.

Our reason for writing THE PRINCIPLE WIFE was three-fold: 

• First: to dispel inaccuracies about what the principle of plural marriage was and how it was practiced.
• Second: to show that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ended the practice over 100 years ago. 
• Third: to honor our for-bearers who found the faith and courage to follow something they felt God was asking them to do.

As descendants of polygamous ancestors, we felt the need to bring meaning and understanding to this unique time in history. All three of us found our research into the journals, histories, and passed down stories of these people to be inspiring and tragic, funny and frustrating, sometimes disastrous, and other times heroic in unexpected ways. Ultimately, it made us love these oft-forgotten people who sacrificed themselves for what they felt was the greater good and want to tell their story. It is due to this historical research that THE PRINCIPLE WIFE obtained nonprofit status. If you are interested in contributing to our efforts, we welcome your donation.

Taylor Vaughn

Mark Greenhalgh

Johnathon Keith