John Ortell Kingston
Encyclopedia
John Ortell Kingston was the leader of the Kingston Clan of Mormon fundamentalists in Davis County
, Utah
, from 1947 until his death in 1987.
, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who was previously excommunicated from the LDS Church on March 4, 1929. Ortell joined his brother's (Elden Kingston
) Church shortly after its establishment. When Elden Kingston died unexpectedly in 1947, leadership of the Kingston Clan formally passed from Elden to his Brothers Ortell and Merlin Kingston, but Ortell made most of the day-to-day decisions and he was eventually recognized as the leader of the group.
In 1977, Ortell formally organized the Latter Day Church of Christ, the church of the Kingston Clan.
Despite the wealth of the Kingston Clan leaders, the plural wives of leaders have been sometimes found living in almost inhumane conditions. Often wives homes consisted of only small rundown clapboard houses, with peeling paint and broken windows. Connie Rugg (a former member) stated: "The men in the Kingston group do little or nothing to support their many wives and children". Sometimes wives will "go gardening" (scrounging through garbage cans to find food
) for themselves and their children.
Ortell evaded taxes and fraudulently obtained welfare by having his wives clam to be ‘single’ mothers.” and that he was not the father of their children. Ortell's holdings were estimated at $70 million. In 1983 the State of Utah sued Ortell Kingston for welfare subsidies his alleged wives had received. While admitting no wrongdoing, Ortell paid the state $250,000 and the case was dropped.
Like Elden Kingston, Ortell believed he came from genetically superior ancestry and that he was a direct literal descendant of Jesus Christ. Ortell had worked on a dairy farm owned by the co-op at Woodscross, Davis County, Utah where he reportedly developed theories on genetics that he later decided could be used to purify his own family pedigree. Using these theories he implemented practices which encouraged intra-family
marriages of close relatives, in order perfect his own bloodline. Those marriages, if discovered, would be considered incestuous under Utah consanguinity
laws.
Connie Rugg, one of Ortell’s daughters, stated "Ortell Kingston experimented (with) inbreeding with his cattle and then he turned to his children."
Ortell also taught child
marriage to girls just attaining puberty
. Ortell and other members of the Kingston clan, having a "Pure Bloodline", had an advantage over almost any outsider in convincing teenage women, sometimes as young as fourteen, to join their bloodline as part of the polygamous family.
Davis County, Utah
Davis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2010 the population was 306,479, a 28.2% increase over the 2000 figure of 238,994. It was named for Daniel C. Davis, captain in the Mormon Battalion. The county is part of the Ogden–Clearfield Metropolitan Statistical Area as...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, from 1947 until his death in 1987.
Latter Day Church of Christ Membership
J. Ortell Kingston was the son of Charles W. KingstonCharles W. Kingston
Charles William Kingston was a member of the Latter Day Church of Christ and the Davis County Cooperative Society.-Early life:...
, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who was previously excommunicated from the LDS Church on March 4, 1929. Ortell joined his brother's (Elden Kingston
Elden Kingston
Charles Elden Kingston was the founder of The Latter Day Church of Christ and the Davis County Cooperative Society.Elden Kingston was supported by his father Charles W. Kingston, his mother Vesta Minerva Kingston, and his siblings as the leader of the Latter Day Church of Christ...
) Church shortly after its establishment. When Elden Kingston died unexpectedly in 1947, leadership of the Kingston Clan formally passed from Elden to his Brothers Ortell and Merlin Kingston, but Ortell made most of the day-to-day decisions and he was eventually recognized as the leader of the group.
In 1977, Ortell formally organized the Latter Day Church of Christ, the church of the Kingston Clan.
Finances
Unlike his brother Elden, Ortell aggressively pursued a financially expansive agenda for the Davis County Cooperative Society Inc and the wealth of the Kingston clan grew.Despite the wealth of the Kingston Clan leaders, the plural wives of leaders have been sometimes found living in almost inhumane conditions. Often wives homes consisted of only small rundown clapboard houses, with peeling paint and broken windows. Connie Rugg (a former member) stated: "The men in the Kingston group do little or nothing to support their many wives and children". Sometimes wives will "go gardening" (scrounging through garbage cans to find food
Dumpster diving
Dumpster diving is the practice of sifting through commercial or residential trash to find items that have been discarded by their owners, but that may be useful to the dumpster diver.-Etymology and alternate names:...
) for themselves and their children.
Ortell evaded taxes and fraudulently obtained welfare by having his wives clam to be ‘single’ mothers.” and that he was not the father of their children. Ortell's holdings were estimated at $70 million. In 1983 the State of Utah sued Ortell Kingston for welfare subsidies his alleged wives had received. While admitting no wrongdoing, Ortell paid the state $250,000 and the case was dropped.
Controversial Practices
Ortell was living plural marriage until his death; he had married at least 25 wives and had dozens of children.Like Elden Kingston, Ortell believed he came from genetically superior ancestry and that he was a direct literal descendant of Jesus Christ. Ortell had worked on a dairy farm owned by the co-op at Woodscross, Davis County, Utah where he reportedly developed theories on genetics that he later decided could be used to purify his own family pedigree. Using these theories he implemented practices which encouraged intra-family
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
marriages of close relatives, in order perfect his own bloodline. Those marriages, if discovered, would be considered incestuous under Utah consanguinity
Consanguinity
Consanguinity refers to the property of being from the same kinship as another person. In that respect, consanguinity is the quality of being descended from the same ancestor as another person...
laws.
Connie Rugg, one of Ortell’s daughters, stated "Ortell Kingston experimented (with) inbreeding with his cattle and then he turned to his children."
Ortell also taught child
Child marriage
Child marriage and child betrothal customs occur in various times and places, whereby children are given in matrimony - before marriageable age as defined by the commentator and often before puberty. Today such customs are fairly widespread in parts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and South America: in...
marriage to girls just attaining puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
. Ortell and other members of the Kingston clan, having a "Pure Bloodline", had an advantage over almost any outsider in convincing teenage women, sometimes as young as fourteen, to join their bloodline as part of the polygamous family.
Death
Ortell died in 1987 and was living plural marriage until his death. Ortell accumulated at least thirteen wives and dozens of children. Ortell's seven sons from his first wife comprised most of the members of the highest echelon of leadership within the financial conglomerate as well as the primary focus of plural marriage activity within the group.See also
- 1890 Manifesto1890 ManifestoThe "1890 Manifesto", sometimes simply called "The Manifesto", is a statement which officially disavowed the continuing practice of plural marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
- 1904 Second ManifestoSecond ManifestoThe "Second Manifesto" was a 1904 declaration made by Joseph F. Smith, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , in which Smith stated the church was no longer sanctioning marriages that violated the laws of the land and set down the principle that those entering into or...
- Big LoveBig LoveBig Love is an American television drama that aired on HBO between March 2006 and March 2011. The show is about a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah that practices polygamy...
HBO series about a fictional independent polygamous Mormon fundamentalist family - Under the Banner of Heaven, a history of the LDS and fundamentalist LDS movement by Jon KrakauerJon KrakauerJon Krakauer is an American writer and mountaineer, primarily known for his writing about the outdoors and mountain-climbing...