Swett, Mark.

The religious sect known as the Branch Davidians was the product of a reform movement within the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Problems began when a group of Adventists, led by Bulgarian immigrant Victor Houteff, began to challenge the traditional hierarchy of the denomination. Houteff claimed to have received personal revelations from God and published his controversial views in a book entitled The Shepherd's Rod (1932). Houteff and his followers believed that the spiritual gift of prophecy was necessary for effective leadership so that King David's earthly kingdom could be re-established on earth prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ. After the leaders of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church excommunicated his sect, Houteff moved to Waco, Texas, and continued to preach until his death in 1955.

Upon Houteff's death, the mantle of leadership fell to Benjamin Roden and his wife Lois. This couple would lead the Branch Davidians well into the 1980s. Some of their work including sermons, pamphlets, and personal correspondence are found in the Mark Swett Collection.

The 1980s brought about division within the Branch Davidian sect. A newcomer named Vernon Howell had joined the Branch in 1981. Three years later, a schism occurred within the Branch Davidians, with Howell leading his own group of followers to a new site in Palestine, Texas. Through a series of confrontations between Howell and George Roden, the son of Ben and Lois Roden, control of the Branch Davidians' headquarters in Waco passed to Howell who legally changed his name to David Koresh in 1990. Rumors concerning polygamy, abuse, and arms dealing within the Branch Davidian group aroused the suspicions of the federal government. Thus, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives began to monitor the group.

In response to a stockpiling of illegal weapons, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives secured a search warrant for the investigation of the Branch Davidians' compound near Waco, Texas. From February 28th until April 19th, 1993, Branch Davidians under the leadership of David Koresh resisted federal agents' attempts to storm their Mount Carmel Center. The fifty-day siege ended when the compound erupted in flames, killing David Koresh and most of his followers.

Mark Swett is a private collector who studied religious cults in U.S. history. As a result of this passion, he has quickly become one of the most renowned researchers in the case of the Branch Davidians. He was particularly interested in the figure of David Koresh and the divinity attributed to him. Although he was a career insurance salesman in Westbrook, Maine, Swett devoted his time and energy into researching the Waco Branch Davidians via the internet and personal correspondence. He created his own web site entitled "Waco: Never Again!" which has since been removed. Although Swett believed that the fire was ultimately the responsibility of the Branch Davidians, he claimed to be an unbiased researcher seeking only to know the truth of the situation. Because of his vast knowledge of Koresh and the Branch Davidians, Swett has been personally involved in interviews, trials, and theatrical productions about the Waco Siege. In 2003, Swett sold his vast collection to Baylor University so that others could use the primary source materials that he had amassed.

From the description of (Waco) Branch Davidians : Mark Swett collection, 1921-2001 1978-1993. (Baylor University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 747861999