Apostle John W. Taylor (Appendix II, #191) was the first of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to marry polygamously after the Manifesto. Ordained an apostle in 1884 and known for his candor, Taylor was also one of the quorum's most devoted advocates of the principle. On 10 October 1890—only four days after the Manifesto was presented to the church in conference—he espoused Janet Maria Woolley as his third wife. As Janet later recalled, her marriage to Taylor was solemnized by Apostle Francis W. Lyman as they drove around in a carriage in Salt Lake City's Liberty Park at night.

This was one of several marriages performed either by or with the consent of general authorities in the months immediately following President Wilford Woodruff's famous declaration. It is likely that most of these, including Taylor's, were in the planning stages before the document was published.

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The significance of a plural marriage, or plural-like union, at this time by the president of the church, by the author of the Manifesto, is obvious. It was more than once remarked by outsiders that whatever the circumstances with others, it was certain President Woodruff had always been faithful to his 1890 declaration. As one of more than a dozen polygamous or polygamous-like relationships undertaken by apostles and members of the First Presidency after 1890, it raises serious question about the church's claim to have done away with the practice. When we add to these cases those individuals who, if innocent of taking new wives, spoke in behalf of the principle or were instrumental in joining others in such unions, we have powerful testimony to the continued practice of the doctrine (see tables 2 and 3).

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Partisans of the church stated, both during the Smoot proceedings and on other occasions, that those who entered plural unions after the Manifesto were only "sporadic" in number, that Mormon church authorities bowed in "respectful submission" to the laws forbidding polygamy, and that those who did not were but "a few over-zealous individuals" who refused obedience to their leaders. The question as to how many individuals joined in such marriages is, therefore, significant because its answer reflects on the veracity of church leaders at a time when they claimed to be doing everything possible to prohibit such unions. That a "sporadic" few would resist conformity is to be expected. If a considerable number were involved, including high church authorities themselves, other conclusions must be inferred. This study has alleged repeatedly that a sizable number of church members were given permission to enter polygamous unions after 1890. It is a claim supporting the book's argument for the special regard in which the principle was held.