First Advisor
Michael Welsh
Second Advisor
Kristin Bovaird-Abbo
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Capstone
Date Created
5-2025
Department
College of Humanities and Social Sciences, English, English Student Work
Abstract
This Honors Capstone project explores the lived experiences of European women who converted to Mormonism and entered polygamous marriages in 1850s Utah. Through rigorous historical research and creative writing, it culminates in a novel-in-progress titled She Who Left Zion: A Wife, A Witness, A Woman Unsealed. The story follows Phoebe Carter, a fictional English convert who immigrates to Zion after being promised eternal family unity—only to confront the brutal reality of polygamy, spiritual coercion, and patriarchal control.
Grounded in primary and secondary sources—including autobiographies, diaries, and letters from women like Ann-Eliza Young, Fanny Stenhouse, and contributors to The Women of Mormonism—the novel gives voice to the emotional truths and silenced experiences of plural wives. It challenges prevailing myths of polygamy as sacred and consensual, instead revealing how women were often misled, isolated, and coerced into submission.
In addition to the creative work, the project includes a detailed research component on current publishing trends, comparable titles, and potential paths for both traditional and self-publishing.
Rooted in the author’s personal deconstruction from Mormonism, the project seeks to reclaim erased narratives and amplify feminist resistance within a historical and religious context. She Who Left Zion is not just a story about Mormon history—it explores broader themes of religious trauma, spiritual reclamation, and the high emotional cost of obedience. As readers follow Phoebe’s journey from faith to disillusionment to liberation, they are invited to consider the courage it takes to leave behind what no longer serves.
Abstract Format
html
Disciplines
Fiction | United States History | Women's History
Keywords
Mormonism; polygamy; 1850s Utah; European Mormon converts; Latter-day Saint history; American West; pioneer women; historical trauma; religious trauma; religious control; patriarchal control; deconstruction from Mormonism; historical fiction; historical narrative
Language
Englsih
Extent
59 pages
Rights Statement
Copyright is held by the author.
Recommended Citation
Sanchez, Rebecca, "Trapped in Polygamy: European Women Converting to Mormonism and Living in Polygamous Marriages in 1850s Utah featuring She Who Left Zion: A Wife, a Witness, a Woman Unsealed" (2025). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 129.
https://digscholarship.unco.edu/honors/129
