Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Childhood Experiences In Mormon Polygamous Families At The Turn Of The Century, Dorothy Geneve Young Willey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary purpose of this research was to gain insight into what childhood was like in turn-of-the-century Mormon polygamous families. This purpose was executed through two main avenues: basic empirical data and descriptive accounts. This type of research was crucial inasmuch as previous research and commentaries dealt with adult relations but little was known about children in this complex Mormon family structure.

In order to gain an understanding of childhood in Mormon polygamous families during this era, forty elderly individuals who were reared in plural marriages were interviewed in depth. A field type design was employed using a historical-cultural; in …