THE SECRET LIVES OF STRANG'S WIVES

Fans of reality television may have heard of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, but Beaver Island has its own fascinating story of multiple wives from more than 150 years ago.

One of the most well-known figures in Beaver Island history is James Jesse Strang, the self-proclaimed King of Beaver Island. Following the death of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Strang claimed that Smith had appointed him as his successor. While many church members instead followed Brigham Young west, Strang gathered his own followers and eventually established a thriving settlement on Beaver Island in the early 1850s.

Much has been written about Strang’s rise to power and his assassination, which occurred 170 years ago this summer. However, far less attention has been given to the women who shared his life.

Ironically, Strang was initially an opponent of plural marriage and attracted many followers who viewed him as a monogamous leader compared to Brigham Young. In 1849, he reversed his position, announcing that plural marriage was a divine principle and that it would benefit women by allowing them greater freedom to choose a husband.

Over his lifetime, Strang married five women and fathered fourteen children. His first wife was Mary Abigail Perce, whom he had married before embracing plural marriage. Although the couple separated in 1851, they remained legally married until Strang’s death in 1856. His second wife, Elvira Eliza Field, entered Strang's community, and the two were secretly married. She traveled alongside him, disguising herself as "Charlie J. Douglas," who was introduced as Strang’s nephew. Only later was her true identity revealed in 1850. Strang’s third wife was Betsy McNutt, followed by Sarah Adelia Wright and, finally, Phoebe Wright, Sarah’s cousin. At the time of Strang’s assassination, all four of his plural wives were pregnant, and four of his children were born after his death.

Accounts from the wives themselves create a complex picture of their lives. Sarah Wright described Strang as a kind, soft-spoken husband whose word was law within the household. She recalled that each wife had her own bedroom while the family gathered together for meals and daily devotions. However, years later, Phoebe Wright’s daughter wrote that although her mother loved Strang, she became unhappy with the realities of plural marriage after eight months.

While Strang is remembered as a king, prophet, and controversial leader, Mary, Elvira, Betsy, Sarah, and Phoebe each experienced the remarkable events of the Strang era from their own perspectives. Their stories remind us that behind every famous figure are individuals with stories of their own.

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