View source for Esther Dutcher

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{{H2
|L=Esther Dutcher
|H=Esther Dutcher
|S=Daniel H. Wells wrote to Joseph F. Smith of a sealing between Joseph and Esther Dutcher. Wells' source of information was Dutcher's husband, Albert Smith (no relation to Joseph): "It seems that she was sealed to Joseph the Prophet in the days of Nauvoo, though she still remained his wife, and afterwards nearly broke his heart by telling him of it, and expressing her intention of adhering to that relationship. He however got to feeling better over it, and acting for Joseph, had her sealed to him [in the temple--all of Joseph's marriages were understood to require resealing in the temple once it was completed], and to himself for time."
}}

{{SummaryItem
|link=Polyandry_and_Joseph_Smith:_sealings_to_women_with_living_husbands#Esther_Dutcher
|subject=Esther Dutcher as a polyandrous wife of Joseph Smith
|summary=
}}

=What did the husband of Esther Dutcher know about her sealing to Joseph Smith for eternity?=
==It appears that Esther was sealed to Joseph for eternity before informing her husband of that fact==

There is very little evidence of the sealing of Esther Dutcher to Joseph Smith. Ester was married to Albert Smith (no relation to Joseph Smith or George Albert Smith). The little evidence that exists indicates that she was sealed to Joseph for eternity only, and continued to live with her husband until she died. It also appears that she was sealed to Joseph for eternity before informing her husband of that fact. Thirty-two years after Esther's death, Apostle Daniel H. Wells wrote the following letter to Joseph F. Smith. Wells notes that after Esther's death that,
<blockquote>
He [Albert Smith was] also much afflicted with the loss of his first wife. It seems that she was sealed to Joseph the Prophet in the days of Nauvoo, though she still remained his wife, and afterwards nearly broke his heart by telling him of it, and expressing her intention of adhering to that relationship. He however got to feeling better over it, and acting for Joseph, had her sealed to him, and to himself for time.<ref>Daniel H. Wells, Letter to Joseph F. Smith, June 25, 1888. Brian Hales notes, "I am indebted to Joseph Johnstun and Michael Marquardt for bringing this source to my attention." {{link|url=http://josephsmithspolygamy.org/plural-wives-overview/esther-dutcher/#link_ajs-fn-id_2-5630}}</ref>
</blockquote>

{{HalesItem
|subject=After Louisa Beaman, Joseph Smith Seeks Almost Exclusively “Eternity Only” Sealings
|link=http://josephsmithspolygamy.org/first-nauvoo-sealing/
|summary=}}
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{{Hales plural wife biography|wife=Esther Dutcher|link=http://josephsmithspolygamy.org/plural-wives-overview/esther-dutcher/}}

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==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Letter to a CES Director]]
[[Category:MormonThink]]
[[Category:Questions]]
[[es:Pregunta: ¿Qué dijo el esposo de Esther Dutcher sabe acerca de su sellado a José Smith para la eternidad?]]
[[pt:Pergunta: O que o marido de Esther Dutcher sabia sobre seu selamento para a eternidade com Joseph Smith?]]
[[es:José Smith/Poligamia/Esposas plurales/Esther Dutcher]]