CAST OF POLYGAMY PLAYERS

Cast of Polygamy Players   

Anne Wilde:   a polygamy advocate.  She is co-founder of Principle Voices, a polygamy advocacy group, and a member of the Utah Attorney General’s Safety Net Committee, an outreach organization created to work with polygamist families. She is also co-author (with Mary Batchelor and Marianne Watson) of Voices in Harmony: Contemporary Women Celebrate Plural Marriage.  Anne Wilde was a plural wife for 33 years, until the death of her husband.  She holds a B.A. in Business Education and is a published author.

The Apostolic United Brethren (AUB):   Also known as the Allred Group after its founder, Rulon Allred, Christine Brown’s grandfather. This Church is headquartered in Bluffdale, UT.  This is a more liberal fundamentalist group  and is the most well-known group to be currently accepting new members. The AUB is known for allowing members to make their own decisions regarding marriage, and disallowing underage marriage.  Authorization to court must be obtained by church authorities   Hus­bands are expected to consult with and obtain the consent of existing wives before considering courtship with another potential bride. 

Barbara Walther: Judge at Warren Jiffs trial

The Bountiful Group:   Formerly FLDS, this Canadian group's leader, Winston Blackmore, was excommunicated from the FLDS and took part of the group with him. They publish a newsletter called the North Star, which is available online.

Brigham Young (deceased): an American leader in the LDS movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until his death in 1877. He was also the founder of Salt Lake City and the first governor of Utah Territory.  Brigham Young University was named in his honor.  Young had a variety of nicknames, among the most popular being "American Moses," (alternatively the "Mormon Moses") because, like the biblical figure, Young led his followers, the Mormon pioneers, in an exodus through a desert, to what they saw as a promised land.

Centennial Park Group:  Residents of Centennial Park, AZ  and former members of the FLDS who broke off and formed their own, slightly more liberal group. They are significantly more well-to-do than their neighbors, and appear to be more loosely affiliated with any particular church. They claim no prophet, but do claim priesthood authority, and regularly hold open sacrament services.  Women dress in “modern modest” attire.  Also known as Second Warders.

Davis County Cooperative Society (DCCS) - (Kingstons):  It is called the “Davis County Cooperative Society” because it started in Davis County, Utah during the Great Depression.  Several families came together thinking they would be better off working together than working separately.  Many church members believe in the principle of plural marriage, though fewer than half of the men actually practice the principle.

Members freely choose their own life partners; marriages in this commu­nity are not arranged. Members are encouraged to take partners within their own community. This guideline can sometimes result in unions which in some states are legally definable as incestuous. Men have also been known to take partners from outside the group.  This group places a high value on family, education and self-sufficiency.

Deric Walpole:  Warren Jeffs’ defense attorney

Elissa Wall:  In December 2005, Elissa Wall filed a lawsuit against Warren Jeffs because he had forced her into an underage marriage to her first cousin when she was only 14 years old. 

Ervil LeBaron: (deceased): the leader of a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist group who ordered the killings of many of his opponents, using the religious doctrine of blood atonement to justify the murders. He was sentenced to prison for orchestrating the murder of an opponent, and died in prison.  He had at least 13 wives, several of whom he married while they were still underage, and several of whom were involved in the murders.  In 1977, LeBaron ordered the killing of Rulon C. Allred, leader of the AUB, and Christine Brown’s grandfather.  Ervil LeBaron was Christine’s great-uncle (her mother’s uncle).

Flora Jessop:   an American social activist, author, and advocate for abused children.  Flora was raised in an FLDS polygamous family in the twin towns of Colorado City and Hilldale.  After years of abuse by her father she ran away when forced to marry her cousin at age 16.  She is the cousin, by marriage, of Carolyn Jessop, another former FLDS member who wrote Escape, an autobiographical account of her upbringing in, and flight from,  the polygamist sect.

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS):  This is one of the groups that followed the claims of John Woolly that authority was given to him by John Taylor to insure that polygamy was always practiced. This is the main body of Fundamentalist Mormonism. This branch is currently in crisis since it's leader, Warren Steed Jeffs has had his “troubles” with the law.  The FLDS Church is considered one of the most conservative groups. They practice what is known as "The Law of Placing", which means that church leaders are responsible for who marries whom.

Harmston Group:  (also  The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days): Their website, outdated since the community has distanced itself  from the public, is available at www.helpingmormons.org/TLC_Manti/index.html . The prophet of this Church, Jim Harmston, was a former member of the mainstream LDS church, but was excommunicated along with many other members of this group. He claims to have been made a prophet through a visitation by God. Formerly seeking new converts, this church has now closed its doors. A video tape was recently released that shows Harmston's plans to take over the city of Manti and eventually all of Utah in a sweep to prepare the world for the return of Christ. This group is considered even by polygamy advocates to be unstable and possibly dangerous.

Heroine of Paris: a Twitter user who frequently defends Robyn on Twitter and who some have speculated is an unofficial or official PR person for Robyn and /or the Brown family.

Jonathan Turley:  prominent lawyer representing the Browns in their lawsuit against the state of Utah.

Joseph LaMoine Jenson:  has been the leader of the AUB since 2005

Joseph Smith (deceased):  founder of the LDS Church, who Mormons say "restored" the Mormon Gospel. 

Kingston Group (The Latter Day Church of Christ): They are headquartered in Kingston, UT, and are known for having acquired massive wealth. Moderate, as far as fundamentalist Mormons go, this group has had one major run-in with the law, when one of the head member was accused of trying to force his daughter into a marriage with her uncle. Polygamy advocates, however, say that they are really great people who have opened up their compound to domestic violence advocates and community organizations.

Lyle Jeffs:  brother of Warren Jeffs (same mother and father).  Potential next leader of FLDS

Mary Batchelor:  polygamy activist and co-author with Anne Wilde.  Director of Principle Voices.

Mary Mackert: an author who tells her story in a series of autobiographical books about modern day Mormon polygamy, niece of Rebekah Kimbel.

Principle Rights Coalition: a coalition of Fundamentalist Mormon Communities, including: Apostolic United Brethren, Centennial Park,Davis County Cooperative Society, The Nielsen-Naylor communities,Principle Voices (www.principlevoices.org) and numerous other, independent Fundamentalist Mormons.  Their contact person is listed as Anne Wilde

Principle Voices:  a non-profit polygamy education and advocacy organization.  Their Director is Mary Batchelor

Rebecca Musser:  married at age 19 to former FLDS prophet Rulon T. Jeffs when he was 83.  Musser left the FLDS shortly after Rulon Jeffs died.  She wore red to much of Warren Jeffs trial.

Rebekah Kimbel:  sister-in-law of Verlan LeBaron, aunt of Mary Mackert.  A motivational speaker who speaks against the harms of polygamy.  Rulon Jeffs performed her polygamous marriage ceremony.

Rozita Swinton – (has had some Twitter exchanges with Robyn) the hoax caller who prompted the raids on the FLDS Texas YFZ ranch.  

Rulon Clark Allred (deceased): a homeopathic physician and chiropractor in Salt Lake City and the leader of what is now the Apostolic United Brethren, a breakaway sect of polygamous Mormon fundamentalists in Utah, Colorado, and Arizona, United States. He was murdered on the orders of Ervil LeBaron, the head of a rival polygamous sect.  Allred was imprisoned for bigamy following Arizona governor John Howard Pyle's 1953 "Short Creek raid", but resumed his polygamous lifestyle upon his release.  (In addition to being Christine's grandfather, he is Robyn's children's great great-grandfather, and related indirectly to Meri and Kody, also. (more coming) A picture of RCA is in the post: "Sister Wives" Why choose Plural Marriage?

Rulon Jeffs (deceased):  father of Warren Jeffs, former Prophet of the FLDS.

Safety Net Committee:  This committee began in 2003.  It holds monthly meetings in Salt Lake City, St. George, Colorado City, and Creston, BC, Canada.  Government Agencies, non-profits and interested individuals work together to insure that people associated with polygamy have the same educational opportunities, and access to justice, safety and services as the general public.  Their original goals are to provide training and develop materials for public awareness; reduce isolation, secrecy, abuses of power and crime; and find ways to provide access and education to members of polygamous communities.  They produced “The Primer” for government agencies.

Tom Green:  a fundamental Mormon and practicing polygamist in Utah who was convicted in 2001 of bigamy, failure to pay child support/welfare fraud, and in 2002 of child rape (underage wife).  In the 1980s, while in his thirties, Green left the LDS Church, converted to Mormon fundamentalism, and became a polygamist..  He was to eventually take seven wives.  Tom Green’s publicity hungry ways have invited comparisons to the Brown family.   He was released from prison in 2007.

Warren Jeffs: – Prophet of the FLDS, recently convicted.  See numerous posts on this blog.

Winston Blackmore: – leader of the Bountiful group

Written by: TERRASOLA

**this and any other list, if you know of one that needs to be on the list, simply put it in the comments, and we'll add it!

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