1950s were a tumultuous time for Mormon polygamists. Not only did police jail many for polygamy, but there were Mormon Fundamentalist Schisms. Many groups including Joseph Musser and the LeBaron families split apart. Jacob Vidrine of the Church of the Firstborn gives more details. 

Dramatic 1955 Schism that Defined the LeBaron Legacy

The history of Mormon fundamentalism is filled with contested authority claims, but few are as immediate and dramatic as the split that occurred between Ross and Joel LeBaron in the mid-1950s. This schism not only severed the nascent Church of the Firstborn into two distinct movements but also cemented radically different interpretations of priesthood authority that traced back to Nauvoo.

From Mexico to Utah: Quest for the Kingdom

Following the death of their father, Alma Dayer LeBaron (Dayer), who had claimed a unique authority line through Benjamin F. Johnson, the family faced a succession crisis. Joel LeBaron and his brothers (including Verlin and Floren) were primarily based in Mexico and had initially affiliated themselves with the Allred Group (AUB), which was the Salt Lake-based faction of the larger Woolley fundamentalist movement after the 1950s split.

In 1955, Joel and his brothers traveled to Utah specifically to request funding from the Allred Council to establish a United Order in Mexico. While staying in Utah, they interacted with their brother, Ross Wesley LeBaron, the second oldest son, who had been ministering separately in the Utah area.

Ross’s Vision: The Higher Church

Ross had received a commission from his father in 1950 to carry on the “patriarchal work”. His theology provided a unique perspective in the fundamentalist landscape, teaching that the Church of the Firstborn was not merely a holding pattern for the “out-of-order” LDS Church, but rather a “higher church above the Church of Jesus Christ”. Ross argued that the goal was not to “fall back into the church” but to “advance into the church of the firstborn,” emphasizing the higher principles of the patriarchal order restored by Moses, Elias, and Elijah in the Kirtland Temple.

Ross converted his visiting brothers, Joel and Floren, “back to believing in their father’s authority line” and the patriarchal priesthood. Excited, the brothers decided to formally organize a new church5.

The September Organization and Contested Authority

On September 21, 1955, Ross, Joel, and Floren gathered for an organizational meeting that established the Church of the Firstborn of the Fullness of Times. The minutes of this meeting articulated the specific authority lineage claimed by the family: Joseph Smith passed patriarchal keys to Benjamin F. Johnson, who passed them to Alma LeBaron (Dayer), who conferred them on his sons.

In this initial organization:

  • Ross Wesley LeBaron was sustained as the head patriarch, holding the keys and calling received from their father. Ross emphasized that “the honor is in the work, not the title,” focusing on the substance of the calling rather than merely claiming specific offices.
  • Joel LeBaron was ordained to the office of president of the Church of the Firstborn of the Fullness of Times.
  • Floren LeBaron was set apart as a counselor.

Ross claimed he ordained both Joel and Floren as patriarchs1012. However, this unity was fleeting.

Joel’s Claim to the One Mighty and Strong

Within approximately a week of the organization, Joel decided to split from Ross. Joel sought a higher, incontrovertible claim to authority to override Ross’s position as the patriarch holding the keys.

Joel traveled up Farmington Canyon and claimed to receive a revelation or a theophany. He claimed that “no fewer than… 17 or 18 different past prophets” appeared to him on the mountain.

Crucially, these messengers allegedly appointed Joel as “the one mighty and strong”.

This claim directly targeted Ross’s earlier teachings; Ross had claimed the birthright of Joseph Smith and described his own work as merely “preparatory work until the one mighty and strong came”. By claiming this specific title, Joel effectively trumped Ross’s foundational claim and secured his own undisputed position as the highest authority.

The dramatic revelation led to a swift separation, with Ross remaining in Utah and Joel returning to Mexico, where he would successfully grow his branch of the Church of the Firstborn of the Fullness of Times to several thousand members, emphasizing a restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ structure (complete with a Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and a High Council), rather than Ross’s focus on the higher patriarchal order.

Evil Ervil LeBaron was a killer. He killed not only his brother Joel LeBaron, but had his wives kill rival Rulon Allred. He was known to have a hit list of others, including President Spencer Kimball of the LDS Church. Jacob Vidrine discusses these events and we’ll discuss the recent drug killings to a LeBaron family in Mexico.

God’s Executioner: How Ervil LeBaron’s Quest for Authority Led to Murder and Stigma

When discussing Mormon fundamentalism, the name LeBaron often conjures images of violence and notoriety, largely due to the actions of Ervil LeBaron. Though the family’s original movement—the Church of the Firstborn—was rooted in unique priesthood claims tracing back to Nauvoo, Ervil’s descent into murder and extremism permanently attached a “stigma” to the LeBaron name.

Rise of the Violent Theologian

Ervil LeBaron was one of the younger sons of Alma Dayer LeBaron (Dayer) and was initially associated with the Mexico branch of the family, led by his brother Joel LeBaron. Ervil was recognized early on as a key figure in establishing Joel’s church, serving as a great theologian who authored the important pamphlet Priesthood Expounded. Joel rewarded his loyalty by appointing Ervil to the prestigious position of presiding patriarch over their Mexican church, the number two office under Joel.

However, Ervil’s rise was quickly marred by corruption. Reports indicated that Ervil began embezzling tithing funds and had a reputation for being predatory, attempting to get all the wives for himself and generally aggrandizing himself through his authority.

By 1970, the controversy surrounding Ervil’s financial and moral conduct grew so severe that many members and leaders within Joel’s church felt the need to curb his influence.

Schism and the Birth of Violence

In response to Ervil’s excesses, Joel made the drastic decision to strip Ervil of all authority in the church. Ervil, angered by the loss of his prestige and power, convinced himself that he was justified in killing Joel for taking away his authority. This marked the schism, leading Ervil to form his own group, the Church of the Lamb of God.

Ervil’s actions escalated quickly into violence. He claimed a radical, theocratic justification for his subsequent murders: he asserted that he held the civil authority over the earth as “God’s appointed agent”. Based on this claim, Ervil believed he could kill anyone who was “treasonous against his government”.

Ervil ordered Dan Jordan, one of his followers, to murder Joel LeBaron, which occurred in 1972. This assassination cut off the head of Joel’s organization, as Joel died without appointing a successor to his highest office.

Infamous Hit List

After murdering his brother, Ervil was determined to eliminate any remaining opposition. He began threatening other fundamentalists and created a massive hit list. He was reportedly concerned about Verlan LeBaron, who had been appointed by Joel to replace Ervil as the presiding patriarch. Verlan was forced to go into hiding for nearly a decade to avoid Ervil’s retribution.

To draw Verlan out of hiding, Ervil devised a calculated and shocking plan: he ordered the murder of Rulon Allred, the leader of the Allred Group (AUB). Ervil targeted Allred because Verlan had married into Rulon’s family, believing Verlan would attend the funeral.

Rulon Allred was assassinated in his doctor’s office in 1977. Ervil allegedly sent two of his wives to commit the crime, securing their commitment to his violent cause. Although Verlan was present at Allred’s funeral, the overwhelming police presence spooked Ervil’s followers, saving Verlan’s life.

Ervil LeBaron’s End and the Lingering Tragedy

Ervil was eventually apprehended in Mexico, extradited, and convicted in 1980 for ordering Allred’s death, receiving a life sentence in Utah State Prison. However, the violence did not end there. Ervil died in prison in 1981 in an apparent suicide.

Tragically, just two days after Ervil’s death was discovered, Verlan LeBaron—the man Ervil had spent years trying to kill—died in an auto accident in Mexico City. Several family members and observers suspected that this was not a coincidence, believing it was a sabotage hit ordered by Ervil’s followers, who continued their deadly work even after Ervil’s incarceration.

Ervil’s actions permanently “soil[ed] the whole [LeBaron]” family, transforming a unique movement rooted in secret Nauvoo priesthood claims into one synonymous with a twisted quest for power and serial murder.

LeBarón and Langford Families Massacre

Tragedy continues in Mexico as recently as 2019. Nine people were killed with some burned alive in a car (three women and six children, all of whom held dual US–Mexican citizenship).[3][4] They were members of the LeBaron and Langford families. A drug cartel is believed to be behind the attack.[5][6] In January 2025, a federal judge in Mexico ordered the Attorney General’s Office to investigate the massacre as an act of terrorism in Mexico.

Are you familiar with this group? What do you know about them?