In 1838 Noyes was married to Harriet Holton. The couple shared a traditional Christian marriage. In the first six years of the marriage Harriet gave birth five times. Four of the five births were premature. Only one of their children survived. These life experiences led Noyes to begin his study of sexual intercourse in marriage. By 1844, Noyes decided to live separately from his wife. Noyes claimed this separation brought satisfaction that neither he nor his wife had ever experienced before. Noyes spent the next few years developing his ideas on male continence, and by 1848 the Oneida Community was born.