As someone who is not a LeBaron or a Mormon, but has researched and written about the LeBaron Family (LOOKING FOR LEBARONS 2014), I was saddened when the massacre occurred at Colonia LeBaron, so I welcomed the news of Sally Denton’s new book THE COLONY. I was eager to learn more about what happened. This book does not disappoint unless you are looking for more details about the massacre itself. I enjoyed the book because it went far beyond the tragic incident on November 4, 2019.
THE COLONY includes in great detail the Mormon history from Brigham Young right up to the current day, which helps explain how this tragic event could have occurred. Ironically, if the author had waited just a little longer to publish her book, she could have included the news of the July 15 capture of drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was a character in her book. His capture has certainly raised more questions and unexplained coincidences. Hopefully the future holds the answers. I can envision a movie based on The Colony with the opening scene showing Jean Rio Baker stepping onto the ship from London, and ending with the arrest of Rafael Caro Quintero.
The LeBaron family may be the largest family in America. My book follows the lines of a different branch of the LeBaron family which originated in Plymouth Colony, Mass in the late 1600’s, and intersects with the descendants of Benjamin Johnson when Melissa Bloomfield LeBaron (descended from David) became his wife. Joshua and David Le Baron were sons of James LeBaron, second generation of LeBarons in America. When Sally’s great great grandmother, Jean Rio Baker, was setting sail from London, the descendants of Joshua LeBaron had already migrated from Massachusetts to Canada and were pioneers in Quebec. It was fascinating to read about Sally’s great great grandmother Jean Rio Baker, as well as her great grandmother Nicolena Bertelson Baker who was born in Denmark. I hadn’t heard their stories before. There were three main branches of the family descended from Dr. Francis LeBaron and it is very interesting to read about them all. Most were descendants of James and were farmers and pioneers. However, the descendants of son Lazarus were in most cases highly educated and many were doctors who remained in Plymouth.
When LOOKING FOR LEBARONS was published I received an email from Anna LeBaron and the first line read “I am the daughter of Ervil LeBaron”. My heart sank because I was afraid that I had written something that offended her. Quite to the contrary, she was writing to tell me that she was about to publish her own book, A POLYGAMISTS DAUGHTER. Her book is a realistic window into what it is like to be Ervil’s daughter. I enjoyed Anna and her riveting story very much. Many books, like Anna’s, have been written about the Mormons and life in Polygamy. Each one has a unique story to tell. Sally Denton’s book is different. Unlike the books written by those who survived these difficult lives, Sally’s book gives you a broader sense of the whole picture and, as bizarre as the story becomes, she manages to put the pieces of the puzzle into a cohesive story that makes sense. It is a good read. Another reviewer mentioned that it was a bit wordy sometimes. I found that to be true, but most likely a necessary part of telling her story accurately. It did not diminish my enjoyment of the book.
Perhaps the capture of Rafael Caro Quintero will be the seeds for Sally Denton’s next book.
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