Burr Riggs

Burr Riggs was an early member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who later fell away into apostasy. He was born on 17 April 1811 in New Haven, Connecticut, to Gideon Riggs and Susan Pitcher. He converted to the Church early and in 1831 served a mission for the Church. He was known for his overly charismatic tendencies including frothing at the mouth and receiving revelation by hitting his head against a wall. Despite all of this, he was called to be a high priest on the 25th of October 1831 and called to serve another mission to the southern country. [1]

In 1833, he was charged with not magnifying his calling (likely because he didn't serve the mission he was called to) and was excommunicated from the Church. He quickly repented however, and returned to full fellowship. In fact, he was a notable member of Zion's Camp, where he was part of the discovery of Zelph, the white Lamanite[2].

Upon his return to Kirtland he married Lovina Williams. Ultimately, he moved to Far West and built a 40-acre farm. He experienced the mob violence that most others did in Missouri and by 1839 had lost his faith and fell into apostasy. He died in Mt. Pleasant, Illinois, in 1860.

References

Susan Easton Black (1997). Who's Who in the Doctrine & Covenants. ISBN 1-57008-292-8.
Joseph Smith Papers, "Burr Riggs"