Pt 41-A:
Esther LeBaron Spencer and
“More on” LeBaron Madness
“What lies behind us
and what lies before us
are tiny matters compared to
what lies within us.
“Ralph Waldo Emerson
In “Parts 39–40-B:
Esther LeBaron Spencer;
Ma, Pa, Me, and Pitfalls of Polygamy,”
I discussed issues of perfectionism in my grandparents Maud and Dayer LeBaron’s family.
But also of issue is their need to be “Number One“— MOST perfect, the very best; the most beloved of God.
Mother didn’t understand she did not have to be perfect nor number one to be loved, accepted, and respected; simply needed to accept and portray herself as she was. It seems her lack of understanding this then lead to a lack of integrity becoming the best policy; i.e., pathological lying. [2]
When in states of mania [4], Ma especially believed her own stories—stories that included being above all others: the best; number one; the most perfect woman in the world; and God’s favorite female.
Many true-believing followers in the LeBaron cult fell for Ma’s tales; thus, nudging her on in her storytelling; her entertaining of her admirers. They didn’t realize her amygdala [3] was working overtime.
Sadly, Mama generally lived in a dream world. Her delusional thinking possibly worsened as she aged.
Whatever the case, she was all too often a con who fell for her own cons– the end justifying the means, if nothing else.
Perhaps it beat being a despised Mexico-LeBaron. But lack of integrity and honesty is one reason the Mexico-LeBaron family was dispised by some, and ostracized by most (during the years they lived in the Mexico-Mormon colonies)—not to mention they often didn’t fit in.
But being a “mundane commoner” was an anathema in Ma’s language. The last thing she wanted was to fit in and be average.
I learned from her to do my best, also, to NOT be a commoner; not fit in; not go with the flow; and NEVER be average—if I could help it. Making waves was better; i.e., I did it the creative way, the Mexico-LeBaron way!
Now I’m trying to undo my obstinant upbringing. I’ve found being average isn’t such a bad thing. It’s easier to be average. When all’s said and done, I postulate God loves average people because He-She sure makes a lot of them!
Nonetheless, my childhood legacy included my ma Esther believing she was Royalty and set above all others—including her husband and fourteen children. Other than a few personality disorders like this, she seemed quite normal.
Ma thrived on the attention and respect she got in the cult for being “the sister of the one mighty and strong Joel LeBaron;” so much so, in fact, that she presented herself as: “The one mighty and strongess; the only begotten daughter—and second only to Christ, God’s only begotten son.”
Go figure! I already have. The numbers don’t add up—’cause bipolar disease was added in.
[1] NOTE:
I’m talking about the years I knew Mother. People can change. I had no contact with her the last years of her life, before she became riddled with dementia; then died at ninety-two.
So I’ll cut her some slack: Mother had people who loved her, looked up to her till the end, and still have fond memories of her.
[2]
https://www.thoughtco.com › … › Social Sciences › PsychologyNov 26, 2018
A pathological liar is an individual who chronically tells grandiose lies that may stretch or exceed the limits of believability.
[3].
https://brainmadesimple.com › amygdala
When you think of the amygdala, you should think of one word. Fear. The amygdala is the reason we are afraid of things outside our control. It also controls the …
Open publish panel
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Pt 41-B:
Esther LeBaron Spencer and
“More on” LeBaron Madness”
(Left to right: Floren, Alma, Verlan, Joel, and Ervil)
Your beliefs will be the light by which you see,
but they will not be what you see;
and they will not be a substitute for seeing.
—Flannery O’Connor, Mystery and Manners
Claiming to be God’s chosen handful is a theme in some religions. But my maternal grandparents’ family, the Mexico-LeBarons, took it a step further: They had to be the most favored family of God’s chosen handful; and even God to the people“.
Had they a problem with sharing; plus feelings of insecurity? Were they perhaps jealous of Jesus, God’s favorite son — or of God, Himself?
Could that be why they claimed to hold The Right of the Firstborn? And to stand as God to the people? Or was something else driving these claims—something besides a Mormon-fundamentalist belief, among some, that my Grandfather Alma Dayer LeBaron received (from his grandfather Benjamin F Johnson) the Prophet Joseph Smith’s scepter of power. Then, just before he died, supposedly passed this scepter on to his most Godly son.
Notwithstanding those controversial claims, what was really going on in the Mexico-LeBaron family? That’s my quest—the purpose behind my pursuing this subject; i.e., to find the culprits and lay them bare; uncover the coverups, craziness, and contradictions.
Various members of my Mexico-LeBaron grandparents’ family talked a lot about their being number one—the only one; the main one; THE best—The One Mighty and Strong; and about their being God to the people.
Some of my maternal grandparents’ children were even out-right vociferous about letting people know they were the greatest person on earth. Apparently, they believed this.
Some of their siblings and their mother/ my Grandmother Maud backed them up in these pompous claims. So did other followers. And my Uncle Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr, for example, boldly tells us, on his “Ross Radio Show,” that he’s the greatest man on earth!
People who think they’re great, usually aren’t. Truly great people leave it to others to announce their greatness. They don’t have to advertise nor brag about themselves. They naturally stand out and are credited. Let’s hope, anyway!
Open publish panel
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Pt 41-C:
Esther LeBaron Spencer
and ‘More on’ LeBaron Madness
“Men never do evil so completely
and cheerfully as when they do it
from religious conviction.”
Blaise Pascal
When it comes to my Mexico-LeBaron relatives claiming to be Number One, the One Mighty and Strong, etc., something else was operating besides their dreams, revelations, and hearing voices that told them they were a Prophet, God’s mediator to the people, and the Lord’s chosen family.
Something else was going on besides their rivalry, competition, preoccupation with power, and psychosis. And something else besides false claims and deception: Some Mexico-LeBarons, at times, were cons who believed their own cons; thus multiplying the conflict and confusion.
Something else was also going on besides my maternal grandparents’ seven sons and their father Dayer being religion makers. That is, most of the OM&S Mexico-LeBarons left behind them in their wake—their demise, at least one religious cult that still follows their teachings. [1]
E.g, today there are numerous men claiming to have gotten their priesthood power and authority from one or another of my Mexico-LeBaron uncles; be it Ross Wesley Sr, Alma, Joel, Ervil, Floren, Verlan….maybe even Uncle Ben and Grandfather Dayer!
Eight men in the Mexico-LeBaron family, including Grandpa Dayer, claimed to be the greatest person on earth, at one time or another; i.e., the One Mighty and Strong. And most claimed to hold “The Right Of the First Born;” in other words, to stand as God on earth—tantamount to the Pope.” [2]
And one of the Mexico-LeBaron women, my Mother Esther, claimed to be the MAIN woman in the world. And to be to her brother Joel what Moses’s sister Miriam was to Moses.
[1] “There are good cults and bad cults. Bad cults won’t allow you to leave with your dignity intact:” Steven Hassan on YouTube, foremost authority on cults and cult mind control; Author of Combatting Cult Mind Control – Amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com › Combatting-Cult-Mind-Control-Best-selling
- Combatting Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults [Steven Hassan] on Amazon.com. *FREE* …
- Epigenetics & Inheritance. … Epigenetic inheritance is an unconventional finding. It goes against the idea that inheritance happens only through the DNA code that passes from parent to offspring. It means that a parent’s experiences, in the form of epigenetic tags, can be passed down to future generations.
Epigenetics. In psychology, (behavioral) epigenetics is the study of what role genetics and environment take in the shaping of behavior. This is chiefly the study of how nurture (upbringing and experiences) affects and shapes behavior (hereditary nature of the subject).Epigenetics definition | Psychology Glossary | alleydog.com
https://www.alleydog.com › glossary › definition › term=Epigenetics
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Pt 41-D:
Esther LeBaron Spencer
and ‘More on’ LeBaron Madness”
I learned again and again in my life,
until you get your own act together,
you’re not ready for Big Love.
What you’re ready for is one of those
codependent relationships where
you desperately need a partner.”
—Bruce H. Lipton, The Honeymoon Effect:
The Science of Creating Heaven on Earth
Recently I read/ listened toDr. Kay Redfield Jamison‘s excellent biography, “Robert Lowell, Setting the River on Fire: A Study of Genius ...” [1]
Harvard Professor Robert Lowell was one of America’s greatest poets….and bipolar. During manic splits, he exhibited claims and traits reminiscent of my Mexico-LeBaron family. Sadly, he spent years in and out of mental institutions.
After reading Professor Jamison’s indepth study of this bipolar-compromised person, I now better understand the “something else” that caused some of my Mexico-LeBaron family’s maniacal claims, bizarre beliefs, and lifestyle.
But it was after reading and also listening to scientist Dr. Bruce Lipton’s books, “The Biology of Belief” and “Spontaneous Evolution,” that I found the final “something else” I was seeking as to why my maternal grandparents and their otherwise intelligent, gifted children hung onto crazy, formidable fundamentalism and behavior, against all odds. [2]
I figured part of the Mexico-LeBaron something-else anomaly had to do with growing up deluged in an environment such as the following:
1- Fanaticism, toxic perfectionism, poverty, ostracism; and fundamentalist Mormon doctrines and lifestyle.
2- Their Mormon mother Maud’s obsession with being “the best” in this, that, and the other.
3- Their mentally-challenged, possibly borderline-autistic father Dayer, with his claims of being the greatest man on earth—who, upon his death, would pass his scepter of power on to “one” of his sons.
4- Prevalent physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and perhaps even sexual abuse in the Mexico-LeBaron family.
The above and more had something to do with why all the Mexico-LeBaron children, except the oldest child Irene, claimed (at one time or another) to be the greatest person on earth; and other such.
Yet, I was at a loss as to why the Mexico-LeBarons continued to cling to their crazy claims and fundamentalist beliefs, against all odds. I couldn’t understand this seemingly backward, unintelligent behavior till I read/listened to father-of-epigenetics Dr. Bruce Lipton‘s books and YouTube productions.
Professor Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., in his groundbreaking work, explains how scientists have found that in the first seven years of life our mind is in a state of hipnosis; wherein, it downloads huge amounts of information, language, beliefs, etc., without effort or question.
Then, the rest of our life, at least 95% of what we do and thinkis controlled by our subconscious mind run by the downloaded tapes from our first seven years.
In other words, my Mexico-LeBarón family was guided by the epigenetic code they downloaded in their first seven years—a code they couldn’t contest, didn’t question, and followed verbatim; as though in a trance. [3]
Our first seven years spent in a hypnotic childhood trance is how we all acquire our epigenetic code/lifestyle that determines how we live the rest of our life—unless something happens so extreme it causes us to hit rock bottom enough to question our thoughts and actions; all we were raised to believe in, revere, and be.
It’s synonymous to 12-Step programs such as Addict-Alcoholics Anonymous, wherein the addict must hit rock bottom before concluding it’s worth doing whatever it takes to change his/her behavior.
Dr. Lipton explains we normally, otherwise, spend only 5% of our life in the present/the now, observing, questioning, and considering new ways of looking at the world and our life.
I suffered so much (especially during the 4.5 years I was married to polygamist William Tucker) that I dared to question my epigenetic code, upbringing, and beliefs—against all odds.
In other words, I hit rock bottom! This led to eventually escaping the destructive Mormon cult and its undue mind control that had hijacked, from birth, my life and who I was.
It wasn’t easy to flee. In leaving Mormonism, I lost pretty much everything except freedom to create a new life and belief system. And freedom to find my authentic self.
Difficult though this new road has been, I gave my life for it, haven’t looked back; and don’t regret it. Though it’s been immensely difficult in every way to make it up from down under, since my escape, it hasn’t been difficult enough to get me back into Mormonism—or any “ism.“
But facing the abyss for years, after losing my religious foundation, family, friends (i.e., my life support) has left me sympathetic to the many True-believers/Fundies who remain in miserable, masochistic lifestyles they downloaded in their first seven years of life.
Nonetheless, I grieve that, by not having the foresight, strength, and courage to leave high-demand, enslaved lifestyles, Fundies/True-believers continue to propagate countless more enslaved souls who ate destined to live hijacked lives in destructive, totalism cults laden with undue-mind-control tactics, fanaticism, and lack of freedom. [4]
That said, I suffice my quest, and rest my case with the following conclusion: Epigenetics is the final “something else” that drove the Mexico-LeBarons’ craziness and convoluted lifestyle that they pursued and endured against all odds and seeming sanity.
[1]. Robert Lowell, Setting the River on Fire: A Study of Genius …
https://www.amazon.com › Robert-Lowell-Setting-River-Fire In this magisterial study of the relationship between illness and art, the best- selling author of An Unquiet Mind, Kay Redfield Jamison, brings an entirely fresh …
Robert Lowell – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Robert_Lowell. Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV (/ˈloʊəl/; March 1, 1917 – September 12, 1977) was an American poet. He was born into a Boston Brahmin family that could trace its origins back to the Mayflower. His family, past and present were important subjects in his poetry.Children: Harriet Lowell; Sheridan LowellLiterary movement: Confessional poetryNotable works: Lord Weary’s Castle, Life Studi…Period: 1944–1977Life · Writing · 1960s · 1970s
[2]. About Bruce Lipton | Bruce Lipton
https://www.brucelipton.com › about
Bruce H. Lipton, PhD is an internationally recognized leader in bridging science and spirit. … Dr. Lipton began his scientific career as a cell biologist. … Dr. Lipton’s research on muscular dystrophy, studies employing cloned human stem cells, focused upon the molecular mechanisms …
- Epigenetics & Inheritance. … Epigenetic inheritance is an unconventional finding. It goes against the idea that inheritance happens only through the DNA code that passes from parent to offspring. It means that a parent’s experiences, in the form of epigenetic tags, can be passed down to future generations.
Epigenetics. In psychology, (behavioral) epigenetics is the study of what role genetics and environment take in the shaping of behavior. This is chiefly the study of how nurture (upbringing and experiences) affects and shapes behavior (hereditary nature of the subject).Epigenetics definition | Psychology Glossary | alleydog.com
https://www.alleydog.com › glossary › definition › term=Epigenetics
[4[. Recovering Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control …
https://www.amazon.com › Recovering-Agency-Lifting-Mormon-Control
Recovering Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control Paperback – July 16, 2014. … In 2012, Mormon General Authority Marlin K. Jensen acknowledged that members are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “in droves.” … Luna Lindsey was born into the LDS Church and …
[4]. Cult Expert Steven Hassan’s Freedom of Mind Resource Center
https://freedomofmind.com
Freedom of Mind Resource Center was founded by cult expert Steven Hassan so that cult specialists can help cult victims and survivors leave cults and heal.Open publish panel
- Document
Pt 41-E:
Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr
and “More on” LeBaron Madness
(Thanks to Mary B. Taylor, Courtesy of the Cox family)
People who don’t have the ability to discern truth
will never be able to recognize me as
the world’s greatest prophet”Ross Wesley LeBaron sRRoss Wesley LeBaron Sr:
ROSS RADIO SHOW, clip #1
(Courtesy of Historian Kris Wray)
Recently on FaceBook Tom Green, modern-day fan
of the late Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr, commented:
“Ross was a defender of beautiful women.”
I responded:
Tom, how did Ross “defend beautiful women”?
He was as likely to molest them. I only know he married a few beautiful women; even begat some of his own. E.g., His daughter Rosa Linda was one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen!
But his gorgeous wife Thelma Cox and he were
the “Elizabeth Smart” news of their day!
That wasn’t “smart”!
My heart still “smarts”
over this rape
on their parts:
They spent time in jail for kidnapping a thirteen-year old girl they then FORCED to join Ross’s marriage bed—while Thelma looked on, I’m told by one of Ross’s close relatives.
Says my mother Esther LeBaron Spencer (Ross Wesley Sr’s sister):
“Because of this, our father [Dayer LeBaron] wouldn’t ordain Wes as the OM&S. Pa told Wesley he’d better get his own house in order before expecting to be ordained to the lofty position of the one mighty and strong.”
NOTE:
The following article is from a VERY old Newspaper Feed found on Tumblr (see Tumblr for accompanying photos– they didn’t copy along with my copied news briefs below):
“In 1941, Thelma [Ross’s wife] helped Ross LeBaron abduct a 13 year old girl (about to turn 14) for Ross to take as “plural wife”, Elizabeth Smart-style. The girl was Alice Balefske Jr (later married name Alice Caldwell).
“Thelma actually grabbed Alice and pulled her from the arms of a friend who was trying to save her. Fellow plygpedo Charles F Zitting arranged a fake marriage ceremony for the little girl and Ross LeBaron.
“Alice’s father Carl Balefske confronted Charles F. Zitting after he had found and freed Alice from Ross’ and Thelma’s home 12 days later. ” [1]
My Commentary:
In the above newspaper-article scenario, I believe Aunt Thelma Cox didwhat her self-proclaimed Prophet and Patriarch husband Ross Wesley Sr commanded her to do. (And Ross Wesley Sr was possibly following voices in his head that commanded him what to do.)
Note: As a good Mormon-fundamentalist woman in a patriarchal system, Thelma was under the thumb and direction of her husband Ross Sr whom she believed was righteous, and guided by his priesthood ordination…and God’s revelation.
[1]. See Luna Lindsey’s book “Recovering Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control,” page 25.
In this book, Lindsey says:
“On June 2, 2002, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her home by Brian David “Emmanuel” Mitchell.
“She was held captive and repeatedly raped for nine months. The Elizabeth Smart case is particularly interesting for two reasons:
“One, Mitchell (and his wife Wanda Barzee) sincerely believed they followed the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
“In the LDS context of personal revelation and spiritual gifts, Mitchell thought he was a prophet. Following the example set by the former prophets, he obeyed God’s revelation, went against society’s laws, and took an especially young second wife.
“BYU professor Daniel Peterson studied Mitchell’s writings and called Mitchell’s book ‘an impressive production in many senses,’ and said Mitchell uses scriptural language well and makes many references to both fundamentalist and mainstream beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
” ‘I don’t share his belief, but there’s logic to them,’ said Peterson… ‘The logic makes sense when you buy into the presuppositions.’ “
(For further details, see Recovering Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control)
Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, is one of the foremost authorities on manic-depressive (bipolar) illness; she has also experienced it firsthand.
In her bestselling classic An Unquiet Mind:
Personal and Professional Perspectives on Bipolar Disorder,
Dr. Jamison has changed the way we think about moods and madness.
As she was pursuing her career in academic medicine, Jamison simultaneously found herself succumbing to the same exhilarating highs and catastrophic depressions that afflicted many of her patients.
The above video discusses in detail Author/Professor Jamison’s experiences and knowledge in the field of clinical depression, madness, and more.
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Pt 41-F:
Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr and
“More on” LeBaron Madness
*NOTE:
An acquaintance sent the following
interesting but old news clipping she found on Tumblr:
“Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr’s oldest son, Ross LeBaron Jr, famously has his own cult in which he impregnates his biological daughters using his “pure seed”… cause God told him he wants that. [1]
“Also: He’s the reincarnation of various pharaohs. [2]
He kidnapped his young teenage niece Laurie LeBaron and kept her as slave for years.“
Note:
I was told by one of Uncle Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr’s granddaughters that her grandfather Ross’s first wife Thelma Cox divorced him when she discovered he was attempting to put into practice the “pure seed” doctrine on at least one of her/their daughters.
My source further informed me Ross Jr learned his “pure seed” doctrine (a euphemism for incest) from his father Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr.
Years ago, one of my own brothers, a follower of Ross Jr’s “pure seed” doctrine, justified the practice “under certain conditions.” He backed up these “certain conditions” (i.e., his incestuous beliefs) with the Biblical passage Genesis 19:30–38.
These verses tell the story of Lot and his two daughters fleeing Sodom, before its destruction, to live in a cave. Afraid they would never have husbands or children (due to isolation from others while in their hideout) Lot’s daughters inebriated their father so they could mate with him and bear children.
It’s said God allowed this to happen. Many Fundies follow anything the Bronze-Age “Word of God” Scriptures say….over and above today’s law of the land, of coarse; i.e., they use Scriptures to justify lust, incest, polygamy…you name it: “The end justifies the means.”
- [1]. To better understand where crazy concepts come from, I recommend reading/ listening to the following explicit account of mental illness, bipolar disease, and creativity; written by a Professor of Psychology who, herself, suffers from bipolar disease:
Book/ e-book/ audiobook: Robert Lowell, setting the river on fire : a study of genius, mania, and character (2017)By Jamison, Kay R
[2] Ross LeBaron Accused by Sons of Incest – TEXAS POLYGAMY
texaspolygamy.blogspot.com › 2008/01 › ross-lebaron-accused-by-sons-o…
Jan 10, 2008 – indicates, and we are personally convinced, that our dad (Ross Wesley LeBaron Jr), two of our brothers, and three of our sisters have engaged …
The following clip is another MP3 recording of my Uncle Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr’s KZZI “ROSS RADIO SHOW,” circa 1988.
(Courtesy of historian Kris Wray)ROSS RADIO SHOW, clip #2
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Part 41-G: Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr
and “More on” LeBaron Madness
“People who think they are great,
usually aren’t”
Old adage
(Courtesy of Mary B. Taylor)
*NOTE:
The following very old newspaper feeds were posted on Tumblr.
(See Tumblr for more Photos of these articles. Clicking on links in the pieces may take you to the complete articles—if they’re still there):
“seeking husband to support my 8 children”
Says TUMBLR:
“This story is Mormon fundamentalism
in a nutshell…
“Thelma Elena Cox poses in a picture for a “seeking husband to support my 8 children” newspaper ad in April 1949 (That’s 8 children in 12 years (1937-1949).
“Thelma Cox (1918-1991) married Ross LeBaron Sr (1914-1996) in 1936 when she was 18 years old.
“They moved to what would later become Colonia LeBaron at some point (in the 1930s). They moved to Mesa, Arizona in ca. 1940 and then to Salt Lake City, probably the following year.”
“From May 1948:
Sister, 8, Saves Infant, Boy Who Found Match Box
“Youngsters are children of Mr. and Mrs. Ross Wesley LeBaron
“Charles, 4, played with matches Monday night, and May Blossom, 8, was responsible for saving Jenny Lou, 1, and Daisy, the terrier, from smoke-filled rooms In old Copper hotel, 1660 N. 14th West, isolated for many years—since the copper mills in the northwest section of Salt Lake City were dismantled—the old Copper hotel, 1660 N. 14th West, became center of attraction Monday night. Firemen Show Up Police, Press Race
“But the building which once housed more than 100 copper mill workers soon lost the limelight to four of the smallest of its present occupants.
“An alarm was received by city firemen at 8:15 p.m. It sent heavy fire-fighting equipment over little- used, rutted roads to the old buildings now owned by Vernon Farnsworth and used mostly for casting pulleys, with three rooms occupied as living quarters by the family of Ross Wesley LeBaron.
“Fire Fighters Called Asst. Fire Chief Don E. White led fire fighters into the smoke- filled kitchen. Firemen carried out a burning mattress and bedding which scorched a corner of the room.
“Then began the investigation. Energy-packed Charles, 4, one of the LeBarons’ seven children had taken advantage of his parents’ absence to climb from a high chair onto a sideboard, and by standing on tiptoe he reached a box of matches.
“He lighted them in the corner and the bedding was ignited. It was burning hard when the smoke and the little boy’s cries attracted attention of May Blossom, the 8-year-old.
“She herded Charles out of the house, counted the other four children playing outside the building, and ran past the flames to the bedroom to get year-old Jenny Lou, who was sleeping on the bed.
“Carried Tot Out Covering the baby’s face with a blanket, “so she wouldn’t get smoke in her.face,” and closing the bedroom door,“ May Blossom carried the tot outside and to the nearest neighbor’s house. There she gave the alarm.
” When the neighbor returned with her, May Blossom insisted the bedroom window be broken so Daisy, the family’s pet terrier, could get out. Firemen said the fire did practically no damage other than to the bedding, because May Blossom, to get her tiny sister past the flames, threw paps of water onto the door and the burning cot.
“Police and press alike bowed Monday night to efficiency of the Salt Lake City fire department. In answering, the fire alarm at the old Copper hotel, 1660 N. 14th West, the fire fighters followed a true course, arriving as speedily as the equipment could make the run.
“In contrast, four press cars, carrying reporters and photographers and little yellow city street directories, spent from 30 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes looking for the route.
“Police, finally called to assist one photographer, got snarled in maps and directories, too, and spent 45 minutes seeking the road. Aided by directions relayed by the radio dispatcher from the assistant fire chief’s radio car, they found it.”
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Pt 41-H:
Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr and
“More on” LeBaron Madness
Thelma Elena Cox
(Courtesy of Mary B. Taylor
and the Cox family)
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…
- Document
Pt 41-I:
Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr
and “More on” LeBaron Madness
In this blog, I continue with Tumblr-borrowed newsfeeds (See Tumblr for more such; and photos that didn’t copy to these following newsfeeds):
“The outcome of Thelma Elena Cox LeBaron’s Ad:
SNUBBED BY DIVORCEE, HE STILL WANTS A WIFE
“Reno, Nev., April 25.–(IP)–The Illinois artist who flew west to propose to a Salt Lake City divorcee with eight children–only to be turned down–has moved to greener pastures here.
“I still want to find a divorcee-but one with just a couple of children,” says Cedric Younger Von Volleston. Von Volleston flew to Salt Lake City after Mrs. Elena LeBaron announced she wanted another husband to help her eight children out of a financial hole.
“She said she would like to have an artist, but Von Volleston’s suit didn’t click. ‘Sine turned him down flat less than 24 hours after he arrived and today announced she would remarry her former husband Ross W. LeBaron.
“The article fails to mention that Robert Shrewsbury was also a fundamentalist and that Thelma knew him from the 1944 trials (see here).
“Robert had previously married Margaret Estelle Maslin in 1934. They were divorced at this point. One newspaper article mentions that he had four children, but I don’t know whether that was with Margaret or other women as well.
“Robert’s and Margaret’s son Benjamin Maslin Shrewsbury died as a baby. Margaret remarried to Amasa Lyman in 1966 three months after his previous wife died.
“Thelma Cox LeBaron and her children were next in the newspapers fore more unsupervised children injuring each other (SO plyg!) in December 1949:
“Granger Girl, 10, Knifed at Play GRANGER, Dec. 12, 1949 – A game of darts played with a hunting knife Monday night resulted in a hand injury for May Blossom LeBaron, 10, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. W. LeBaron, about 2150 S. 2700 West.
“According to Salt Lake county deputy sheriffs, the girl suffered the wound accidentally while playing with brothers and sister in the family home. She was treated at Salt Lake general hospital and released.
“In the early 1950s, Thelma Cox remarried to Larry Keegan. They had a daughter, Larrilee Keegan.
“Meanwhile, Ross LeBaron Sr had two other wives, Betty ____ (he had one son with Betty _____) and then LaVella Cowley Robison (1925-1999). Ross Sr married LaVella in 1952. Ross and LaVella Robison had ten children together, including Lila LeBaron Morehead. LaVella left Ross and remarried to Elmer Leroy Spencer in 1977.
- Document
Pt 41-J: Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr and
“More on” LeBaron Madness
The great enemy of truth
is very often not the lie–
deliberate, contrived, and dishonest–
but the myth–
persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic….
We enjoy the comfort of opinion
without the discomfort of thought.
John F. Kennedy
Ross LeBaron:
Interview to Dale Van Atta, 1977
Ross Wesley LeBaron in June, 1977. | Photo: Dale Van Atta. Courtesy of L. Tom Perry Special Collections, BYU.
In 1977, as the murderous acts of Ross LeBaron’s brother Ervil gained international attention, journalist Dale Van Atta did some research on the priesthood claims of the LeBaron family. Van Atta later co-authored a book on Ervil LeBaron and his crimes.
The following file can be found among Van Atta’s research papers at the Special Collections of the Brigham Young University. Despite the title on the library catalog – “Interview with Ross LeBaron” -, the document might actually be a transcript of a radio show by Ross LeBaron, in June that year.
According to Ross, the violence was over ownership of land in Mexico, as was well as a Cain-and-Abel war over spiritual rights to preside in Joseph Smith’s patriarchal family.
In the following notes, Van Atta reports Ross LeBaron’s ideas on his brothers‘ churches, the Mormon Fundamentalist movement, and his own spiritual position as the heir of Joseph Smith:
Now this is going on in the LeBaron family particularly because we are, definitely, the patriarchal family of the line of the prophet Joseph Smith.”Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr
To view the file, click here: Ross LeBaron – MSS 2258 Box 2 Interview Van Atta
Reference
Van Atta, Dale. Interview with Ross LeBaron for KSXX (1977). Dale Van Atta Collection, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University.
MORMON FUNDAMENTALISM AND THE SEALING KEYS OF HYRUM SMITH
In “Documents”
LYLE O. WRIGHT: OVERVIEW OF ROSS LEBARON’S BELIEFS
In “Scholarly”August 26, 2017HolyOrder.OrgAlex Joseph, Alma Dayer LeBaron, Benjamin F. Johnson, Ervil LeBaron, Joel LeBaron, Joseph Smith, LeBaronism, Mormon Fundamentalists, Mormon Studies, Offices, Patriarch, Patriarchal heir, Patriarchal Priesthood, Right of the Firstborn, Ross Wesley LeBaron, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Church of the Firstborn, The Holy Order of God, Theology, Violence
Open publish panel
ROSS RADIO SHOW
Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr on KZZI circa 1988
(Courtesy of Historian Kris Wray)
- Document
Pt 41-k:
Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr and
“More on” LeBaron Madness
“Polygamy attracts the type of men
who do not wish to be accountable to anyone;
least of all their wives.
Marriage was not a partnership.”Karen MILLER: “My Life as a Sister Wife”
*Continued from “Pt 41-J:
Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr and
“More on” LeBaron Madness”
Enjoy the following minutes my Uncle Floren M. LeBaron took during the initiate meeting of the Church of the Firstborn of the Fullness of Times, September 21, 1955
(Courtesy of DeWayne Hafen):
ROSS RADIO SHOW (MP3 clip #1)
Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr on KZZI, circa 1988
(Courtesy of Historian Kris Wray)
Open publish panel
- Document
Pt 41-L:
Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr
and “More on” LeBaron Madness
A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind
and won’t change the subject.”
Winston Spencer Churchhill
Continued from “Pt 41-L:
Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr and
“More on” LeBaron Madness”:
The following exhibits come from gifted
Uncle Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr’s Art Portfolio.
I regret we can’t see more of his intricate typewriter art and other creative work and accomplishments extending from sports and drawings to inventions, lectures,
poetry, prose, leadership, religion-making, and more:
Typewriter Art: Outer-Space Aliens
By Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr
(Courtesy of historian Kris Wray)
For all his lunacy and shortcomings, Mother’s amazing, uncanny brother Ross W. LeBaron Sr exhibited a high IQ and genius.
The following notes on high achievement
are taken from the Internet:
“Genius and High IQ
(Apr 12, 2004)
IQ over 140 – Genius or near genius.
120 – 140 – Very superior intelligence.
110 – 119 – Superior intelligence.
90 – 109 – Normal or average intelligence.
Apr 12, 2004
“IQ tests can be used to determine giftedness in some children. Depending on which test is used, mildly gifted children score from 115 to 129, moderately gifted from 130 to 144, highly gifted from 145 to 159, exceptionally gifted from 160 to 179, and profoundly gifted — 180.“
(Feb 12, 2018)
Notwithstanding Uncle Ross W. LeBaron Sr’s evil doings, deception, and lunacy, he exhibited a modicum of giftedness and talent—more so, in some ways, than his other Mexico-LeBaron siblings; most notably Ben, Lucinda, Esther, and Ervil. But all my maternal grandparents’ children were gifted and talented.
Nevertheless, the bizarre behavior and lifestyle of the Mexico-LeBarons is mind-boggling beyond belief. Therein lies the intrigue and interest people exhibit who follow and try to unveil the mysteries and intricacies of this family—my maternal grandparents Maud and Dayer LeBaron and their offspring.
Perhaps, like me, they attempt to unravel the yarns (pun intended) and loose ends left dangling; i.e., unfinished business—business never to be finished.
Why? Because, as Mama years ago attested in her letters to investigative journalist Dale Van Atta (author of Prophet of Blood): “There are skeletons in our closets.”
She knew it. I know it. But I won’t write it—not the worst skeletons, anyway. There’s not enough pay-off in it; nor would it do any good. Would mostly harm me and my relatives….more than our history already has.
But where there is smoke, there is fire: Play with matches, get burned. Tangle with wayward people, end up with more skeletons in your own closets.
Why? Many religious fundamentalists are pretend-saints. They live in denial and fabrications, playing down and covering up their misdeeds, misdemeanors, and crimes. I know of too many people burned by playing with “saintly” Mexico-LeBaron “matches.”
Although numerous Mormon fundamentalists have made it up and out of the cult cesspool they were born into, many more have been helplessly and hopelessly sucked under. They never had a chance; can never climb out. So continue to pass on their lifestyle. They don’t even know the difference. And still believe they are God’s gift to the world
But whatever the case and however the outcome, it takes generations to overcome the setbacks of a bad parentage and a bad heritage.
Pt 41-M:
Ross Wesley LeBaron Sr and
“More on” LeBaron Madness
36 years after fleeing polygamy and the cult
“There are no heros.
Only heroic decisions.
You are never further
than one decision away from
making a difference.
It doesn’t matter whether
it is a big difference
or if it is a small difference,
because you don’t have to
save the world by yourself:
All you have to do is
lay down one brick….
All you have to do is
make things a little bit better
in a small way
so that other people
can lay their brick
on top of that
or beside that.
And together,
step by step,
day by day,
year by year,
we build the foundation
of something better.”
—-Edward Snowden
I escaped Mormonism, polygamy, and the LeBaron cult in 1967. Fifty-three years later, I’m still struggling due to setbacks and dilemmas brought on by my upbringing in fanatic fundamentalism/LeBaronism.
Like all ex-cult members’ accomplishments,
I could’ve done more
had I not started out from down under.
But, besides the Mormon fundamentalist cult setbacks, I’ve had to deal with harm done to me by my father—harm entailing, among other things, damage he inadvertently passed on due to his own traumatized upbringing and background—one that included abandonment and coming from a part American-Indian heritage.
Speaking of American Indians, we can’t begin to fathom what they and their posterity
have had to overcome and rise above, since the European take-over.
Even so, I prefer being part European-American, despite the price paid,
as opposed to living an all-American-Indian lifestyle;
especially that existing before the European usurption.
All humans have had their cross to bear; their setbacks.
But we’ve chosen to get down off the cross; not carry it:
The world needs the wood.
Everyone has to start with what they’re born with; go from there.
Thank God nothing’s all bad. Everybody has been blessed in countless ways.
I’m grateful there was genius on both sides of my parentage;
despite the downsides—enough to sink a ship.
But we don’t abandon the ship.
On our hero’s Journey,
we keep going,
keep trying;
keep doing our best
with the cards dealt.
Our motto is:
We don’t give up.
We won’t be kept down;
Caught in the fray,
We stick around.
We give the fight
Our best shot
Till death doth take us,
Like it or not;
We give thanks
Whatever our lot.
(by Stephany Spencer-LeBaron)
I’ve never heard the Mexico-LeBarons complain.
They are, in general, a proud and religious people.
Same goes for my Spencer side of the family.
As a whole,
they’ve all done good in the world,
whatever the deck dealt.
In that, they and I can be proud.
Our family flags will wave forever!
Continued February 6, 2020,
“Pt 42-A:
Mother, Mexico-LeBarons,
and Megalomania”
Check out this following link:
http://texaspolygamy.blogspot.com/2008/01/ross-lebaron-accused-by-sons-of-incest.html
STEPHANY SPENCER: 
Incredible, unbelievable post! Audio. References. Quotes.
So full. So fascinating!
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