One Wife Too Many: The Whispers of Margaret McConnell 1841-1898 Book

Utah polygamy is much in the news today. In January 2001 a polygamist toddler tragically died. Police allege that because of their fear of discovery and prosecution for polygamy, 911 was called too late to save the little girl; they are considering charges. Polygamist Tom Green is being prosecuted for Bigamy and Rape of a Child. So what is the truth of polygamy? What is its history? Read a true account from the 1850s where an unwilling 15-year-old became a polygamous wife and then fled, having to leave her little son behind.

Author Biography: As Gwen Sandberg grew up in southern Utah, she knew very little about her great-grandmother, Margaret McConnell. Margaret was not spoken of freely, only the most general acknowledgment that she had indeed existed, that her son was Gwen's grandfather, and that Margaret had abandoned her little boy and left for Idaho. When Gwen moved to Cedar City, the very location where Margaret grew up and married and divorced, Gwen began meeting McConnell relatives, and tiny pieces of the puzzle piqued her curiosity. Then the gift of some old letters set her on a four-year path of researching and reevaluating the rumors and whispers. Peeling back 150 years of silence and secrets culminated in the discovery of a heart-wrenching story, and the validation of a strong, determined pioneer woman who survived and succeeded against incredible odds.

Living in Cedar City and New Harmony for nearly forty years, Gwen taught English at Utah State University, Southern Utah University, and Brigham Young University-Hawaii. Her writing has appeared in Utah Holiday Magazine, The Deseret News, and Exponent II. The mother of five children all reared in Cedar City, Gwen retired after fifteen years as Publications Director for the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Since then she and her husband Woody have lived three years in Hawaii and have traveled extensively.