Review by Doug Gibson
I must say, immediately, that if you are one who pursues Mormon history, particularly its first century, "The Blood in Their Veins: The Kimballs, polygamy, and the Shaping of Mormonism," by Andrew Kimball, Signature Books, 2025, is a must have. (Amazon link here.)
It encompasses the extremely large family that early Mormon leader Heber C Kimball and spouse Vilate created with their marriage, conversion, embrace of polygamy, and journey to Utah. This is not a faith-promoting let's-leave-out-the-uncomfortable-bits books of the type that used to be the norm within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
But its honesty and candor provide a greater benefit. Readers will feel much affection and admiration for these pioneers of the faith. We grieve with the hardships and tragedies they endured. The resilence and devotion to the early Mormon faith nearly all -- depicted in the book -- strived for is inspiring. And their weaknesses and frailities can provide empathy.
Told through diaries, journals, letters, newspaper accounts, and other historical ledgers, "The Blood in Their Veins ..." underscores how difficult times were then. Regular occurrences were infants, and mothers, dying at birth. Nature was more cruel than it is today; toddlers regularly died in accidents; injured and sick adults would linger and die from illnesses and accidents not fatal today. Both Heber and Vilate died within months of each other. Heber from the effects of a buggy accident.
His death did not lead to wealth. His large family, while possessed of an historical prominence, did not enjoy material success, or at times even comfort. Sons went into various tasks, including farming an icy section of Cache County, Utah. Others attempted to be salesmen or business entrepreneurs. Others served as writers, farmhands, scribes, municipal government employees, laborers.
A liability of polygamy was an inability for parents to devote time to their many children, or husbands to devote time for wives. We read how Heber was respected but often away on church assignments. His death, long before anticipated, resulted in having children and wives thrust into inconvenient life situations.
Dozens of the Kimball family members are profiled. Some of the more interesting characters are Helen Mar Whitney, married to Joseph Smith at 14. She endured near-fatal illness to marry Horace Whitney and bear 11 children. Only six survived. She was a survivor of depression and frequent poor health. Her defense of the church and polgamy made her well known and highly esteemed in Utah. Daughter Alice Kimball, another survivor, endured a criminally loathsome husband and eventually married Church President Joseph F. Smith.
The diaries and letters in the books cover other issues besides polygamy. Readers will learn more about the 19th century practice of church "adoptions" in which members would attach themselves, as part of a spiritual family, to prominent church leaders. Also is detailed accounts of kidnappings of Mormons by Native Americans. Although these conflicts invariable escalated to bloodshed at times, sometimes ransoms would be paid to release the hostages.
Kimball sons were marrying wives long past the Wilfred Woodruff era and church leaders were both aware and sometimes participants. The book later details the gradual real elimination of polygamy in the early 20th century that led to prominent excommunications.
Missions to Europe and the southern United States are in the book. The dangers for missionaries in the deep U.S. south is described. One Kimball son who presided over the U.S. southern mission was eased out of his position because he preached a too austere lifestyle for the missionaries. Requirements included no pocket money and a rule that they had to beg a place to sleep every night.
The handcart rescues in 1856 are covered. The "Dream Mine" hoax, and its temptations, is covered. Squabbles with press, including the Salt Lake Tribune, rabidly anti-Mormon back then, are part of the book.
I enjoyed detailed sections on J. Golden Kimball, the general authority known for his wit and candor, and apostle Orson F. Whitney. J. Golden's section is a bit bittersweet as we learn he dealt with depression, a tough often contrary family, and his brother Sol, who was frankly at times a control freak who bullied family members for monies to preserve the Kimball home and the family legacy. Yet J. Golden in this book is portrayed as a survivor, one who despite his feelings of frustration and inadequacy, worked hard to fulfill his church responsibilites.
One passage interesting to readers is when apostle Wilfred Woodruff assures Kimball son Abraham that he will represent the family in temporal and spiritual matters. But Woodruff is not -- then -- the prophet. Abe isn't convinced he's the family leader until Church Prophet John Taylor decrees it.
Orson F. Whitney was for a while a believer in reincarnation. This concerned church leaders. However, after a booster of the offbeat doctrine that Orson admired suddenly died, he cooled on the subject, and eventually became a church apostle.
Alcoholism was a problem for many of the Kimball sons. It's a reminder that the Word of Wisdom, while a doctrine in that era, was not practiced by many members considered observant. Kimball son William, who was one of the leaders on the 1856 handcart rescues, struggled with alcoholism and periods of rebellion to principles he was taught.
But I want to stress to readers to not look down on these saints. They were resilient, endured much, and overcame more. God is a much more merciful deity than some portray him as. I admire the Kimball family and their rich legacy in the church. This book is a realistic tribute to the family.