I ran across this several months ago. I lost the reference location
It is recorded:
Joe jr., Hyrum, William Clayton were sitting together. They were discussing polygamy. Hyrum suggested that if Joseph would write(not receive) a revelation where God gives instructions for Joe jr. to have other wives he would take it to Emma. Joe jr. doubted that Emma would believe it. However William Clayton wrote it down and Hyrum took it to Emma. Emma did not believe it!
From this point on polygamy is nothing more than a massive con. It leads one to wonder how many more so called revelations were the figment of of imagination from an exceptionally creataive mind.
The man was a scam artist and compared to him Ponzi was a rank amateur.

William Clayton's Journal. Signature Books.

Yep, I read that too. Emma was so furious that she threw the revelation in the fire.

The timeline is a bit different, though, Joe had been bedding, er, I mean wedding other women since 1841 (not counting Fanny Alger and possible that other chick whose name I can't remenber right now), and the revelation was first written down in 1843.

I guess it was a trial balloon to ses how Emma would react. She would have heard the rumours and Joe couldn't hide his extra-marital adventures from her much longer.

The book Mormon Enigma gives a good account of Emma's reaction.

Disgusting.

A lot of the D&C is the same. He wants so-n-so's farm, so he has a revelation. Funny how "God" has nothing to do but give JS scammy advice to cover whatever JS was up to.

JS's M.O. was to conveniently use god for credibility. It's so obvious and the "revelations" are exactly what you would expect him to have god say to keep his credulous dupes in line.

Emma had to be wise to JS's manipulation tactics. If she had an education and job, she would have dumped him way earlier, IMO.