Pt 41-H:
Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr and
“More on” LeBaron Madness

The following VERY old newspaper clippings were sent to me by an acquaintance who borrowed them off Tumblr:

“Thelma Cox divorced Ross LeBaron Sr in fall 1948, although heavily pregnant with David LeBaron.

“When the picture was taken [see Tumblr for the picture–not shown on my blog] Ross LeBaron did not pay any child support, Thelma and her children were instead on welfare and Thelma was three months behind in her rent.

“Newspapers mentioned her exhusband as “a self-styled prophet”.

“The April 14, 1949 Austin American has a much better article than the one I copied in below (it also describes a date with a Mormon fundamentalist fireman), but I don’t have a newspapers.com subscription, so couldn’t access it.

“The article mentions one of Ross LeBaron’s previous convictions (other than 1944 trial) for childbrides: “Records also show that in 1941, LeBaron was jailed for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.”

“Mother of 8 Advertises, Wanted:
A Husband

Salt Lake City:
“Divorcee Seeks Father for Children

“Mrs. Elena LeBaron, 30, a divorcee, told newsmen in Salt Lake City, she is “in the market for a new husband.” Her eight children, now supported by relief funds, need a father to provide for them, she said.

“Mrs. Elena LeBaron, 30, a comely brunette, has appealed publicly for a husband who likes children. She has eight of them. Mrs. LeBaron, blue-eyed and slender, asked the Salt Lake City Telegram to help her find a husband.

“A divorcee, she said she has been unable to keep the four-room cottage, on which she is three payments behind. She also offered her talents as a housekeeper and mother. As a cook, she compared herself to Mother Hubbard.

“She has been getting no alimony payments, she said, and can’t support her horde of children only on relief. “I need a husband,” said Mrs. LeBaron, “who could be the family’s breadwinner. That would be my kind of man.“

“She gave these qualifications: “He should be between 30 and 40 years of age, at least six feet tall, have literary tastes and like music —non-opera, that is.”

“She would like time to pursue her art career. She paints animals and landscapes, she said, and has sold some of her work. She asked that applicants enclose their pictures and those of their children.

“She said it would make no difference to her if a prospective suitor turns up with children himself, even If he has a dozen or more. But if he has none at all, Mrs. LeBaron said she might like “to try for 16 of my own.”

“Her own eight range in age from four months to 12 years. They are well behaved, she said and they want a new daddy. Mrs. LeBaron had other specifications.

She said men who drink too much could save themselves the trouble of applying. Although she did specify the tall, intellectual type, she said she would be more concerned…

Continued December 26, 2019, “Pt 41-I: Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr and “More on” LeBaron Madness”