The William Clayton Journals – What’s In Them?
About this episode
The episode explores the implications of the recently leaked William Clayton journals on the historical narrative of Joseph Smith's polygamy.
Tonight on Mormonism Live, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon take a deep dive into one of the most talked-about Mormon history stories in recent memory: the recent leaking of the William Clayton journals. For years, the full Clayton journals have been a source of speculation, controversy, and anticipation. William Clayton was not a peripheral observer. He was in the inner circle of Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo world, served as Joseph’s clerk, recorded the revelation that became Doctrine and Covenants 132, and left behind some of the most important firsthand records tied to plural marriage, temple theology, and the secret inner workings of early Mormonism. Now that these journals have surfaced, new claims are being made—especially by Jeremy Hoop—that the journals do not support the traditional historical case for Joseph Smith’s polygamy. Is that true? Did the leaked journals undercut the standard narrative? Or do they, when read carefully and in context, actually reinforce what historians have been saying for decades? In this episode, we walk through the controversy from the beginning: How Jeremy Hoop got access to the journals What exactly was leaked and what still remains unpublished…
More episodes of Mormonism Live! – Radio Free Mormon
- Obviously a 19th Century Production!
- Joseph Smith’s Polygamy with Jeremy Hoop
- When Was the Book of Mormon Created?
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