Sylvia Porter Sessions (1818-1882)

Biography
Sylvia Porter Sessions was born on July 31, 1818, in Andover, Maine, to David Sessions and Patty Bartlett.

Two years later they had relocated to Nauvoo. In the past few decades, Sylvia’s relationship with Joseph Smith has been scrutinized by many researchers who assumed her daughter Josephine Lyon was fathered by Joseph Smith.

1st Marriage: Windsor Lyon
The family was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1835. Sylvia Sessions left Maine for Zion (Missouri) with her parents, Patty and David, in June of 1837. While in Missouri, Sylvia met and married Windsor Lyon. Sylvia's Mother, Patty, wrote about the wedding in her journal, "Sylvia was married to Windsor P. Lyon, Joseph Smith performed the ceremony... The next day the Prophet was there and a good time it was."

Sylvia, and husband Windsor, left Missouri for Nauvoo in February of 1839. There, Windsor established a mercantile business, selling "Dry Goods, Groceries, Crockery, Glass, and Hardware, Drugs, and Medicines, Paints and Dry Stuffs." By this time, they were the parents of two children.

2nd Marriage: Joseph Smith
While still married to Windsor, Sylvia was married to the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith (1805-1844) in a spiritual plural marriage.

On her deathbed, Sylvia informed her daughter Josephine Lyons that she was Smith's daughter, but genetic DNA testing has contradicted this assertion. It is debated whether this deathbed statement implied to life in the hereafter or also to the mortal world. Josephine Lyon was born February 8, 1844, which correlates with a conception date of approximately May 18, 1843, if she were full term. Ugo’s painstaking analysis of the DNA documents show that Sylvia experienced sexual relations with Windsor at that time.

In the past few decades, Sylvia’s relationship with Joseph Smith has been scrutinized by many researchers who assumed her daughter Josephine Lyon was fathered by Joseph Smith. In fact, some were convinced this was the case until recently. Nevertheless, Dr. Ugo Perego’s latest genetic research shows Windsor was Josephine’s father.

Sylvia married Joseph Smith on February 8, 1842, when she was 23 years old. It is uncertain if her husband, Windsor, was aware of the marriage, but she did continue to live with him. Brigham Young (1801-1877) taught that "if the woman preferred a man higher in authority, and he is willing to take her and her husband gives her up-there is no Bill of divorce required...it is right in the sight of God". Brigham also explained that the woman, "...would be in a higher glory". This may help shed light on Sylvia's complex marriage arrangement.

About one month after this marriage, Sylvia's mother, Patty Bartlett (1795-1892) was also married to Joseph Smith as a plural wife.

10 months later, on December 24th, 1842, Joseph's journal mentions a visit to his wife, Sylvia, who was giving birth to her third child: "Walked with Secretary Willard Richards (1804-1854) to see Sister Lyons who was sick. Her baby died 30 minutes before [we] arrived". Sylvia had lost two of her three children in death. On September 18, 1843, another of Joseph's visits to Sylvia is recorded by William Clayton, "Joseph and I rode out to borrow money, drank wine at Sister Lyons P.M. I got $50 of Sister Lyons and paid it to D. D. Yearsly."

On January 27, 1844 her only surviving child, Philofreen, also died.

3nd Marriage: Ezekiel Clark
After the death of Windsor