180 years ago today - Jul 17, 1831

[General] Plural marriage is alluded to in a revelation which is never canonized nor officially published. The revelation states: "Verily, I say unto you, that the wisdom of man in his fallen state, knoweth not the purposes and the privileges of my holy priesthood, but yet shall know when ye receive a fullness by reason of the anointing: For it is my will, that in time, ye should take unto you wives of the Lamanites and Nephites, that their posterity may become white, delightsome and just, for even now their females are more virtuous than the gentiles." When W. W. Phelps asks Joseph Smith how they, married men, could take wives of the Lamanites Joseph answers, "In the same manner that Abraham took Hagar and Keturah; and Jacob took Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpha, by Revelation."

[Source: On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com]