The Fourth Wife: Polygamy, Love, & Revolution

By Carolyn O'Bagy Davis

Book Description:

Quietly heroic and deeply devout, Julia Abegg Call was the fourth wife in a polygamous marriage to Anson Bowen Call, Mormon Bishop of Colonia Dublán in revolutionary-era Mexico. Carolyn Davis offers an intimate look into a polygamous family that struggled to stay together amidst political turmoil in Mexico, and the growing intolerance toward polygamy in the United States. Julia became the mother of twelve children and confronted danger, poverty, prejudice, and personal tragedy as the Call family found themselves in the middle of warring parties during the Mexican Revolution, crossing paths with both Pancho Villa and General Pershing. 50 black-and-white photographs.

My Opinion:

The Fourth Wife covers Julia Call’s entire life. What most captured my attention was what she endured living in the Mormon colonies after the 1912 Exodus. That alone made the book well worth reading. This biography will also interest those wanting to know more about the dynamics of plural marriages or how someone can persevere through incredible hardships and uncertainty.

Julia definitely did not have a boring life; however, there were some portions of the book I was tempted to quickly skim. The author spent a considerable number of pages quoting her letters to show what her fears and concerns were. These might have been better summarized. The book also contains some inaccuracies. The author was confused about the founding of Colonia Dublán. She also states that Julia’s husband had a pivotal conversation in 1904 or 1905 with “Apostle Anthony W. Ivins [who] was planning a trip to El Paso, Texas.” But Anthony W. Ivins was still their stake president in Mexico. He didn’t become an apostle until 1907. Perhaps President Ivins just relayed the information from Church headquarters, or maybe Bowen Call spoke to a different apostle.