Sarah Marinda Bates (1817-1888)

Marriage to Sarah Bates
1st Marriage - Sarah Marinda Bates (1817-1888), the third child of Cyrus Bates and Lydia Harrington. She was the subject of the big scandal in 1842 that led to Pratt's temporary departure from the LDS Church.

In the Nauvoo era (1842), both Orson and his wife Sarah were deceived by apostate John C. Bennett and were excommunicated thereafter. Orson fell into such a depression he nearly became suicidal but by the love shown by the Prophet Joseph Smith (1805-1844) himself, the Pratt's were re-baptized by the Prophet.

She divorced him in 1868 when Orson married 16-year-old Mary Margaret Graham (1852-1907). She then became an outspoken critic of the Mormon practice of plural marriage and founder of the Anti-Polygamy Society in Salt Lake. Most of their 12 children followed after their mother and left the LDS Church.


 * 1) Orson Pratt (1837-1903)
 * 2) Lydia Pratt (1838-1839)
 * 3) Celestia Larissa Pratt (1842-1905)
 * 4) Sarah Marinda Pratt (1844-1845)
 * 5) Vanson Pratt (1846-1847)
 * 6) Laron Pratt (1847-1908)
 * 7) Marlon Pratt (1848-1849)
 * 8) Marintha Althera Pratt (1849-1851)
 * 9) Harmel Pratt (1851-1907)
 * 10) Arthur Pratt (1853-1919) - US Deputy Marshall
 * 11) Herma Ethna Pratt (1856-1877) - died three weeks after birth of her first son.
 * 12) Liola Menella Pratt (1858-1860)