Charles W. Kingston

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Charles William Kingston (1884-06-26 – 1975-11-29) was a leader in the Mormon fundamentalist movement and was the patriarch of the so-called "Kingston Clan" of Mormon polygamists that went on to create the Davis County Cooperative Society and the Latter Day Church of Christ.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Involvement in plural marriage and excommuniation 3 Mormon fundamentalist leader 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Early life

Kingston was born in Croyden, Utah Territory, the eldest son of Mary Priscilla Lerwill Tucker and Charles Kingston. Kingston's parents were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Kingston's father would become a prominent leader of the LDS Church in southwestern Wyoming. At the age of eight, Kingston was baptized into the LDS Church.

In 1906, Kingston married Vesta Minerva Stowell in the Logan Utah Temple. Shortly after being married, Kingston began a mission for the LDS Church in the Eastern States Mission of the church. In 1908, he finished his mission and moved to a farm near Idaho Falls, Idaho, where he was employed by the Oregon Short Line Railroad. As part of his employment, Kingston made frequent trips to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he would attend the Salt Lake Temple.

[edit] Involvement in plural marriage and excommuniation

On one of Kingston's trips to Salt Lake City, he met Charles Zitting, a Latter-day Saint who was married to three plural wives but had not been excommunicated by the LDS Church. Zitting introduced Kingston to John W. Woolley, who had performed Zitting's plural marriages.

In 1928, Kingston was barred from entering the Salt Lake Temple when temple president George F. Richards learned that Kingston did not agree with the LDS Church's 1890 and 1904 renunciations of plural marriage. Kingston was initially opposed in his beliefs by his wife, children, and parents, all of whom tried to convince him to abandon a belief in plural marriage in order to prevent his excommunication from the LDS Church. However, in time he gained the support of his wife and children.

Kingston was excommunicated from the LDS Church on 1929-03-04. The disciplinary council wanted to give him six months to reconsider his position before excommunicating him, but Kingston insisted that the council make an immediate decision. Seven days later, on March 12, Kingston had a vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ, which reassured him that he had made the right decision.

[edit] Mormon fundamentalist leader

In 1931, Kingston and Jesse Burke Stone published Laman Manasseh Victorious, a book justifying the continued Mormon practice of plural marriage.^[1] Kingston supported the leadership of John W. Woolley, Lorin C. Woolley, and J. Leslie Broadbent. When Broadbent died in 1935, Kingston promoted his son Elden as Broadbent's rightful successor as the leader of the Mormon fundamentalists. However, John Y. Barlow was selected as the leader, and the Kingstons separated from the main group of Mormon fundamentalists and founded the "Kingston Clan" of polygamists in Davis County, Utah.

Elden Kingston actively led the Kingston Clan with the support of his father until Elden's untimely death in 1947. In 1941, the Kingstons established the Davis County Cooperative Society as the means of implementing the United Order. Upon Elden's death, Charles Kingston designated his son John Ortell Kingston as the leader of the Kingston Clan. Charles W. Kingston died in Salt Lake City, Utah. Shortly after his death, the Kingston Clan formally created the Latter Day Church of Christ.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Brian C. Hales (2007). Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalism: The Generations After the Manifesto. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Greg Kofford Books) ISBN 1-58958-035-4
• Charles W. Kingston, Autobiography of Charles William Kingston

[edit] External links

• Charles W. Kingston : online biography

v • d • e Leaders in the Mormon fundamentalist movement Recognized Mormon leaders1 Joseph Smith, Jr. • Brigham Young • John Taylor Disputed Mormon leaders2 Wilford Woodruff • Lorenzo Snow • Joseph F. Smith Early Mormon fundamentalist leaders John W. Woolley • Lorin C. Woolley • J. Leslie Broadbent • John Y. Barlow • Joseph White Musser • Charles Zitting Leaders of the FLDS Church Leroy S. Johnson • Rulon Jeffs • Warren Jeffs Leaders of the AUB Rulon C. Allred • Owen A. Allred • J. LaMoine Jenson Leaders of the Kingston Clan Charles W. Kingston • Elden Kingston • John Ortell Kingston • Paul Elden Kingston Leaders of the ULDC George Woolley Smith • Heber Gerald Smith • Steven H. Tucker Independents and other leaders Joel LeBaron • Ervil LeBaron • Alex Joseph • Tom Green • James D. Harmston • John W. Bryant Notes 1. Mormon leaders prior to the start of the fundamentalist movement and recognized by most fundamentalists as legitimate church leaders. 2. Mormon leaders that made changes to church policies on plural marriage. Fundamentalists hold a variety of views about each of these leaders, varying from the view that all were legitimate leaders to the view that all were illegitimate.