Ann Eliza was one of Brigham Young's polygamous wives. It was pointed out to me that "if you plug "Ann Eliza Young" and "polygamy" into any search engine, you can find all sorts of information about her, some of it more sensationalistic and some of it less so."

That's certainly true! You can find all sorts of information. Lots of conflicting information.

What seems to be factual is this:

1. BY married Ann Eliza Webb (polygamously).

2. She filed for divorce some years later.

3. There was a dispute about the alimony which went to court.

4. She later wrote a book called "Wife #19" about her experiences as part of a polygamous relationship.

Some additional "facts" (which may or may not be true) which I saw claimed on various web pages are:

1. Ann Eliza was forced to marry BY against her will

2. Brigham was imprisoned for a day or more (either at home or at the jailhouse) for failure to pay the alimony

3. That at first the judge ruled the marriage was legal (which would have set a legal precedent implying other polygamous ones were also legal) but was forced to reconsider by the President of the US

4. That the reason Ann Eliza wanted the divorce was because her house wasn't big enough

5. That Ann Eliza is a "hero of women's liberation"

6. That Brigham lied under oath about whether Ann Eliza's first husband was alive at the time of their marriage

7. And so forth. You get the idea.

Anyway, I don't know what the full truth about the Brigham Young/Ann Eliza Young dispute is.

It seems odd that there are so many conflicting versions. The actual court records are in the Utah

state archives:

http://www.archives.state.ut.us/history.htm

"[The archives contain] district court records, from 1852, document the daily court proceedings of the territory. Cases include murder, larceny, robbery, burglary, theft, embezzlement, assault, riot, polygamy, gambling, liquor law violations, prostitution, and other crimes. Also included are cases involving property claims, debt, repossession, foreclosure, receivership, dissolution of corporations, divorces, and commitments to reform school. Most are exercises of original jurisdiction but do include appeals from probate, county, and justice of the peace courts. Notable cases include the divorce and alimony case between Ann Eliza Webb and Brigham Young, spanning several years in the mid-1870s, and several cases revolving around the settlement of Brigham Young's will from 1879 to 1883."

Seems like someone could look up the actual court transcripts and clear up the mystery.