Andrew H. Hedges is a scholar with the Joseph Smith Papers Project who holds a PhD in American History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was one of the editors for the second volume of the journals series, which covered the years 1841–1843 and includes material pertinent to Joseph Smith’s practice of plural marriage (as explained in the introduction).
In a recently published roundtable discussion on how to teach the history of plural marriage to students, Hedges recommended,
I would hope that every teacher who’s going to have his or her students read these essays [the Gospel Topics essays] would also have looked at the sources behind them. Look at Kathryn Daynes’s book More Wives Than One. Look at Brian Hales and his research. Look at what The Joseph Smith Papers have put out in bits and pieces. If a teacher has done his or her homework along these lines, he or she will be in a position to better answer those questions.
(Andrew H. Hedges et al., “Discussing Difficult Topics: Plural Marriage,” Religious Educator 17, no. 1 [2016]: 21.)
Here is another credentialed, professional historian endorsing the work of Brian Hales for those looking to answer questions about Joseph Smith’s plural marriage.
Notice, however, whom Hedges does not even mention, let alone recommend.
