I have run into something which is puzzling me and am hoping someone in this group might have some suggestions for me. My ancestor, Alexander STEPHENS, JR. was born in 1813. He first married Margaret NORHTAM in 1831 in North Carolina. By 1841 or so the family had moved to Illinois where they joined the Church. When the move to Utah began, Margaret and their son, Ebenezer apparently elected to stay in Illinois. We don't know what became of them. Alexander left with the main group of people and got as far as Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he enlisted in the Mormon Battalion and made his way to California. When he came to Utah, he married Ann Eliza PALMER in Salt Lake City in 1852. They had 4 children before a divorce was granted in 1864. The next records I have of him are his pension papers from the Mexican War. In these papers, his widow, Alice Eliza HARDMAN is asking for an increase in his pension. There is a marriage cert. showing that Alice Eliza HARDMAN and Alexander STEPHENS were married by Bishop John Rackman, of Wilson, Weber, Utah on 4 Feb. 1892. Now the problem, A paper in Alexander's pension file says: 'That I am married; that the maiden name of my wife was HARDMAN, to whom I was married at Salt Lake City, in the State of Utah, on the 20th day of May, AD 1880, that my wife is living....It was signed by Alexander STEPHENS as claimant and witnessed by his nephews, Jesse S. Brown and Alexander Brown....dated 9 April 1887.' There is another paper, signed by David McKay, Bishop of the Huntsville Ward, attesting that Agnes HISLOP/HYSLOP STEPHENS, wife of Alexander STEPHENS had died there 10 Nov. 1891. A previous husband of Alice Eliza HARDMAN had died in 1877. Now my question: Why were Alexander STEPHENS and Alice Eliza HARDMAN married twice..in 1880 and again in 1892? The only explanation I've come up with is that she was a plural wife and then after Agnes HYSLOP died in 1891, she 'married' him again in 1892 in order to qualify for survivor benefits from the pension. Does anyone else have any insights into this? Thanks for your time Nancy rlincoln@msb.mat-su.k12.ak.us