Three images from articles on polygamy in America, published in the New York Times and National Geographic.

“At 88, Joe Jessop is an elder of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), the controversial sect that split from the Mormon Church after the church banned plural marriage. In Hildale, Utah, he has tried to fulfill his duty to build up his ‘celestial family’—5 wives, 46 children and 239 grandchildren. ‘I’ve had a blessed life,’ he says. ‘I wouldn’t trade places with anyone.’”

“After helping bring in the hay harvest, Amber Barlow, sixteen, soars on a homemade swing with friends at the 4,000-acre FLDS ranch in Pony Springs, Nevada. FLDS members, even young children, are expected to help with chores—sowing, picking, canning—throughout the year. Despite their conservative lifestyle, most FLDS women drive, have cell phones and are computer literate.”

“Veda Keate, 20, and her daughter, Sereena, 4, were among more than 400 church members taken into protective custody after a 2008 raid on the FLDS ranch in West Texas. She is one of the young women suspected of being an underage bride.”