My kid got invited to a party at a big house in West Bountiful tonight. Afterward, "kid" said to me "It was weird. There were four families in the house." And I replied "Oh, like it's an old house broken up into condos?" To which "kid" said "No, just like a really big house with lots of kids and several families living there, altogether like one big family." So I said "Kid, I think you were partying with polygamists."

So I asked about several telltale signs of polygamists living undercover in mainstream Mormon Utah, all of which were confirmed by "kid" who also said that they asked the school friend who was hosting the party if there were any polygamists in the neighborhood. "Friend" replied that there were plygs several houses down and their last name was "X" which is the same last name as the school friend.

My question is: Who are the big polygamist families living in Davis county? Can you think of a reason that several families would live together like one big family in Utah if they weren't polygamists? "Friend" said they were just families that met at homeschooling group and decided to live together. Lots of kids, one chore chart for all kids posted in the kitchen. I think my kid was partying with polygamists tonight - what say you?

How many dads were there?

The major group in Davis County are the Kingstons, but there could be any number of other groups there as well.

I asked "kid" if they saw the name Kingston anywhere but they said no. That doesn't mean anything - just that my teen didn't notice that name. I don't want to say the name of the family hosting the party but hoping someone will throw out a name I recognize.

I don't think they'd let their kids mix with non-Kingstons. Their kids have to marry within the family group which causes a preponderance on terrible birth defects.

Two. But four "families" according to the school friend. A few women came in for a while then left. Definitely more women around than men. But I suppose that could be explained by the other two dads making themselves scarce while their teens through a party.

"Can you think of a reason that several families would live together like one big family in Utah if they weren't polygamists?" - just playing Devil's advocate here.... they spent so much on tithing that they can't afford to live separately anymore.
No I think they are polygs really.

might be interesting to google names and addresses.

whitepages.com gives you some info for free, searching by reverse address function.



But if I remember this correctly, there is nothing illegal about the arrangement, thanks to that Cody guy's case, so long as the husband does not claim to be 'legally married' to more than one of the wives. The other 'wives' are just enthusiastic girlfriends.

Which, if I'm correct, means the church has no basis for continuing to eschew earthly plural marriage, so long as there is no sexual hanky-panky until AFTER the husband is sealed to each additional enthusiastic girlfriend. After all, there is no limit to how many women a man can have sealed to him.

So what's the hold up? It is an everlasting covenant, after all!!

Topping for the morning crowd. Does anyone know any other big polygamist family names in Davis County other than Kingston? I suppose they could be polygs if their name was the Ronald McDonald family but I don't want to jump to conclusions, no matter how suspiciously polygamist this family looks.

I don't know any names, but 10 years ago someone told me there were some polygamists who lived in the older area of Bountiful around Center St. and 1st West (this person also lived in that neighborhood). I also heard a rumor that some plygs (not sure if it's the Kingstons or someone else) own quite a bit of land in the foothills just south of the Centerville/Bountiful border.

Allred group? Apostalic United Brethren?

(Just remember that the Mormon church has "nothing" to do with polygamy. Nothing. Nope, nothing to see here. Please keep moving.)

OK, just got a call from "kid" who is at a Wednesday summer class and they said one of the boys in the class lived on 800 West, right down the street from this house, and just told "kid" that it's a well-known polygamist compound in the neighborhood. The house is huge. Now we know.

Turns out I might well know it. I used to pass a house that was obvious an "urban polygamist" house in Bountiful when my daughter lived there. I thought it was pretty damned easy to figure out, but my wife wouldn't believe me.

Me, too. I think it's the house I pointed to once, and told my wife that it appeared to be a house of urban polygamists. She said she was pretty sure there was no such thing. I told her that Utah had all kinds of polygamous groups in the city, even among "mainstream" members.

Kingstons, Kinghorn, Barlow ... wives don't always use husband's name. Lots and lots of Polygs in West Bountiful

But long ago he moved to Mona. I don't know if those other families are still in Bountiful or not.

I stopped and fished at the Burraston Ponds in Mona in August!! They have to be polygamist; I thought something was fishy about them...

who lives in Mona. Pretty sure she isn't polygamist, but Mona is fairly small, isn't it?

Polygamists in Paradise. I haven't seen any lately,but that doesn't mean much. Our friends' SIL left her husband to join them.

My daughter married a mormon, supposedly paranoid schizophrenic, and moved 3000 miles away to Centerville Utah. At least that is what we are told. He prevents her from having any communication with us and it has gotten much worse since they moved there over 4 years ago. Once I said I was coming to visit and she panicked. She is 26 yrs old and these people are crazy. I am beside myself as to what to do, how to check out what is happening. They come home every 1-2 yrs but it is for a mormon funeral and we are lucky to get to have lunch with her, and her husband won't let us see our granddaughter. Any suggestions? He is a real nut and I don't want to worsen a bad situation.

Try this. This isn't all of the groups but it lists the major ones.
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/680-polygamy-sects

It's impossible for us to know specific family names.

I assume they are not Kingstons because that group lives more in isolated compounds with little outside contact.

You described a commune, if hadn't mentioned "Mormons" in there.

Maybe they're living together to save money and homeschool.

Although most people don't live together to save money or homeschool, including in Utah unless they have some other reason like polygamy to be doing so. In Utah the odds would seem better there'd be polygamists than someplace else.

So maybe not an uncalculated guess?!

They might have been Polynesians.hawaiians,tongans,& samoans all have big families living under the same roof.

Ugh. My kids live in Davis County...with my ex. I don't know if this is a good thing (living near creepy polygamists) or a bad thing ("you should be my next wife.")

My thirteen-year old is going to stay with me for part of the summer. I plan to tell her that I simply do not believe in the morg. I cannot believe what she has to endure over there.

Is she a middle kid, or the middle kid?

In a totally unscientific survey I took, the middle kid rebelled against the custodial parent when the teen years were reached and the custodial parent said, "come and get her if you want her!" but didn't want the child support lessened. Once the middle kid arrives, child support modification can be discussed...

I wish you the best!

Information in different posts allows for this group being Kingston, but doesn't necessarily indicate such. Cheryl, it's my understanding that Kingstons do not isolate themselves out (like FLDS), but dress and live conventionally, all over the Moridor. But you're right--the plyg wives take (or create) other names. The inbreeding creates tragic deformities and infant deaths.

Homeschooling is, I believe, consistent with the Kingstons. They used to send their children to public schools, now they don't. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

Multiple plyg wives and families in a compound suggests a group other than Kingstons. As I understand it, a man will separate his wives into different households, and most of them (except for Wife #1) live in poverty, working for the Davis County Cooperative (Kingston holding company) at crap wages while trying to feed and house their kids. I've read reports of Kingston wives scrounging in restaurant dumpsters for food.

The Kingstons are, of course, a crime family ("the Mormon Mafia"), and are known to engage in various criminal (and legitimate) activities. They also practice disciplinary and enforcement violence on their own members. My question: does anybody know of violence committed against people outside their own "Clan?"

If there are multiple hubbys around its likely a stab at united order...a doctrine very precious to plygs...the two crowning principles of moism are celestial marriage and the united order...both about control and power by those leading the charge...lets unite and ill order...most plygs really adhere to this belief and most i know of tried to live it in one form or another...it truly enriches those at the top and keeps lessers forever poor and subserviant even more so than tithing as your all is consecrated to the cause...its like being barefoot and pregnant for men by other men...sad to say mental illness seems to rear its ugly gead far too often in plyg circles...some are mad when they enter...many are driven mad by it...you dont have to be crazy to be a plyg...but it dam sure helps...with over 60000 plygs in western US there could be many names involved...seldom will a wife go by her married name...to collect welfare its often a wanton tryst at a truckstop that produced those dozen kiddies...boy thats gotta be demeaning

Living very near there, it is most probably a Kingston family. They have lots of different last names, and they look perfectly "normal", assuming you don't see the birth defects. I have a friend who does special education in Bountiful, and she says it breaks her heart to see the results of their incestuous inbreeding. The group is actually very wealthy with lots of big businesses that employ the men and women. I always look at the list before I do business with anyone in SLC, because I refuse to do any business with them.

You two seem especially knowledgeable about the Kingstons. Understanding their excellent capacity for secrecy, I'm wondering:

1) Are they clustered in the Bountiful area? I know their forefathers migrated to and around Bountiful in the 1930s. I gather those men who are polygamists separate their wives into different households.

2) Do they ALL go to one single church building, their "LDS Church of Christ" in West Jordan? According to Google street view, it looks like a warehouse.

3) Is anybody aware of their committing criminal violence to people outside their "Clan?"

I am looking to buy a house, we love the location, the house, and the property, the only hesitation is that there are a cluster of polygs building their homes and currently residing around the property. Each home has a couple acres or more so there is some distance, and it's only minutes from the main city. I am curious if anyone on this chain has any experiences to share about growing up near them, I am not looking for speculations, I am curious about direct experience. We would be the minority, and we have young children, I fear that we would be treated differently, especially my children. But my children would be attending public school with the rest of the city, which is primarily LDS, which we are as well, so that is not a concern. Any thing we should know before we take the plunge? Any benefits of living near them?

If you're LDS, contact the bishop over that ward to ask these questions. Demanding first hand information from exMormons may not be your best move.

That could be a good place to start. Thanks. I don't mind asking ex mormons anything, I'm pretty sure non LDS people are capable of making educated decisions and having valid opinions. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Good to know that you don't mind asking exMormons things and that non LDS people have working brains in their heads.

If it is Davis County, you could check with:

kingstonclan.com

It's my understanding Kingston men separate their family units out, which has made this thread interesting and a bit confusing, because (I gather) they don't go for communal households. Kingstons try to be as inconspicuous as possible.

The people at Kingstonclan.com protect their anonymity, but they might have some more public people who may work directly with you. Don't tell them you're LDS, just that you're not uncomfortable living around LDS.

I asked the question above, without response, so here goes attempt #2: Does anybody have experience where Kingston Clan people were dangerous, threatening, or violent with people OUTSIDE their family/business network? I know they're capable of violence within the group, but what about outside?

Not sure if this counts...

One member of the Kingston Trio was notoriously famous for getting drunk and picking fights with large women, because he, for whatever deep-seated psychological reason, needed to be humiliated in public.

Don't ask me which one, cuz I won't tell.

I always thought it was loaded dice.

We are looking up in the Fairview canyon area.

My family lived very near the Kingstons for many years and had no issues. I was told that they now own the house I grew up in. That was a bit of a shock.

I lived in Bountiful from 1960 through 1967. I dated one of the girls who graduated from BHS in 1964. She worked in the Co-Op about 200 S. Main west side. It was a clothing, shoe, and shoe repair shop. The family also owned the Co-Op gas station on the east side,

I was a good Catholic from St Olaf, and graduate of Judge memorial in '64. Her dad was OK with me dating her, but he did give me the talk, which made it clear that she was "promised."

We lived in a brick house at 525 Main, next to the Sessions House occupied by "Colonel Sessions" who was about 80 at the time. The area behind our houses was a mixed orchard of peaches, pears, apricots, and apples. A shed in the orchard contained a 1950's MG which was registered to Merlin Olsen of the Rams.