. Attended and graduated from Richmond High School in Richmond, Indiana in 1948. Ordained as a Fundamentalist minister, he later joined with the Disciples of Christ denomination and started his own congregation, the People's Temple Christian Church, which later turned into a cult. Jim's father, James Thurman Jones, died on May 29, 1951. Try again later. After 45 minutes or so, the members were told that they were not going to die, that they had just passed a loyalty test. Jim and Marceline Jones adopted three children of Korean-American ancestry named Lew, Suzanne and Stephanie. Please try again later. He married Marceline after his first term on June 12, 1949. Jones ran the site like a prison camp. [30] Jones played dictator with the other children, forcing them to goosestep in unison and hitting the children who failed to obey his orders. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. [8][9][10] In Lynn, the family attempted to earn an income through farming, but again met with failure when Jones's father's health further deteriorated. Phyllis Wilmore, who dated him in high school, remembered a pep rally before a basketball game. Soon Jones branched out on his own, forming the Wings of Deliverance church in 1955. Very soon after, Jones had begun making plans to move his congregation to the socialist nation of Guyana in South America. Due to his commitment for school activism, Jim was appointed to the San Francisco Housing Authority by Mayor George Mascone in 1976. He led the Peoples Temple, a doomsday cult, between 1955 and 1978. In September 1977, Jones threatened mass suicide to force the Guyanese government from taking action against him. "I was born Jan.3 1968 and privately adopted. The result was a childhood spent in the hands of babysitters who often allowed Jones to roam the streets unsupervised. The Temple ran a free restaurant, and homes for the elderly and mentally ill. Research blog about Jim Jones, cult leader, creator of Peoples Temple and infamous for the Jonestown massacre. John Victor Stoen; (grandchildren) William Dillon Dean Jones; James Arthur (Jimbo) Bishop Jones; Stephanie Jones aka Stephanie Lynn Bishop; Michael Ray Jones; Stephanie Brown aka Stefanie Jamelle Morgan; Chaeoke Warren Jones; Monyelle Maylene Jones; Marchelle Jacole Jones. In 1976, he was appointed to the San Francisco Housing Authority by the Mayor George Moscone for his commitment to social activism. He got up and started preaching and did an incredible job. . From left to right - John Paul Jones (Jim's uncle), Sarah Florence Jones (Jim's aunt), James Thurman Jones (Jim's father), John Henry Jones (Jim's . He preached integration and racial equality, and his own family reflected these beliefs. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. According to Jones and a childhood friend, Jones' father was associated with the Ku Klux Klan. Minister and leader of the People's Temple. [52] In 1950, the couple unofficially adopted Marceline's nephew Ronnie, who moved into their home for four years. Yes! After graduating early from high school in December 1948, Jones started at Indiana University the following January. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Jonestown was a means to create a paradise for socialists and a place far away from media scrutiny. He and Marceline adopted a part-Native American child named Agnes, three Korean children, Stephanie, Lew and Suzanne, and in 1961 were the first white couple in Indianapolis to adopt a black child, a boy they named James Warren Jones, Jr. He was a mason in the construction industry prior to retirement. The next day, the entire community of 914 'followers' (including 276 children) drank a deadly potion of Fla-Vor Aid laced with cyanide poison. Astrological Sign: Taurus. [13] As a result, Jones's parents were frequently absent during his childhood. The stories of his early life are now shrouded in the haze of lost and constructed memories. He referred to them as his "rainbow family" and would later use the term in reference to his religious followers. Sign up for the American Experience newsletter! [5], Although his strange religious practices stood out the most to his neighbors, they also reported that he misbehaved in more serious ways. He then moved to San Francisco's Fillmore district in 1965. Letters arrived announcing that people were praying for [Jim, Jr.] to die.. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Jones was able to quote Bible passages from an early age. Jones, on the other hand, chose a different way out. Failed to delete flower. There is no Heaven up there, so we're going to have to make Heaven down here. Born in 1931, James Warren Jones, the only child of James Thurman Jones and Lynetta Putnam, was raised in a small Indiana town in the middle of the Great Depression. [17][18], As Jones grew older, he attended services at most of the churches in Lynn, often going to multiple churches each week, and he was also baptized by several of them. Over the next 10 years, his 'flock' of believers reached a peak of 3,000. [36] His religious views alienated other young people. "Jones, Jim (19311978) American Cult Leader", "Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple", "Jonestown: Jim Jones: Mastermind American Cult Leader", "Mass Suicide & the Jonestown Tragedy: Literature Summary", Raven: The Untold Story of Rev. | Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Despite being a Pentecostal pastor and preaching "apostolic socialism," he later preached that Christianity had lied to its followers. Pacifica, California [December 2008] He is a businessman in Northern California, married, with three . There was an error deleting this problem. By 1955 he had renamed it the People's Temple Full Gospel Church. Sujit R. Varma, Other Works As the head of the Indianapolis Human Rights Commission, Jones desegregated movie theaters, restaurants, the telephone company, hospitals and the city police department. Thanks for your help! You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Try again later. James Thurman Jones: Birthdate: October 21, 1887: Birthplace: Indiana, United States: Death: May 29, 1951 (63) Lynn, Randolph County, Indiana, United States Immediate Family: Son of John Henry Jones and Mary Catherine Jones Husband of Lynetta Jones Father of Jim Jones Brother of Emma Estella Moore and Ina Platt. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. We do know that his father was present but largely disconnected: James Thurman Jones was a World War I veteran, and according to The New York Times, exposure to gas had left him severely disabled. [7] In 1934, in the midst of the Great Depression, the Jones family was evicted from their home for failure to make mortgage payments. He started setting stings catching restaurants refusing to serve black customers or hospitals refusing black patients. A riveting account of the event that helped give rise to the modern American militia movement. He got a job as a student pastor at the Somerset Methodist Church in a poor, predominantly white neighborhood in Indianapolis. When Jones was accidentally placed in the black ward of a hospital after a collapse in 1961, he refused to be moved; he began to make the beds and empty the bed pans of black patients. He was described as a really weird kid as he was obsessed with death. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? There they were attacked by Peoples Temple gunmen sent by Jones. Jones also began moving the church away from the mainstream church teachings, adopting traditional cult teachings, such as making the church the solution to all of the problems of society, and making belief in Jones himself as their savior. To use this feature, use a newer browser. [28][29] At times, he would put other children into life-threatening situations and tell them he was guided by the Angel of Death. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Jim Jones was born during the Great Depression. When Guyanese authorities arrived at Jonestown on November 19, 1978, the only survivor present was Hyacinth Thrash, a 76-year-old black woman who had joined Peoples Temple in Indianapolis. Jimmy decided to stage an elaborate funeral for the other school. cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. [14][15] Many women in Lynn felt sorry for Jones, and he was frequently invited into the homes of his neighbors who provided him with meals, clothing, and other gifts. Childhood Jones' parents were James Thurman Jones, a veteran of the Great War and victim of mustard gas who lived on disability payments, and the much younger Lynetta Jones, a feisty,. Year should not be greater than current year. Jim graduated from high school with an interest and aptitude for medicine. Try again later. ). However Jones was becoming more and more of a dictator. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Jones had six adoptive children and one biological son with his wife, Marceline Baldwin Jones. By the time the shooting stopped, there were five people dead, including Congressman Ryan, NBC correspondent Don Harris, NBC cameraman Bob Brown, and San Francisco Examiner photographer Greg Robinson. Publicity Listings The top result for your search is Thurman Le Jones living in Kinston, NC . Try again. Jones' wife was among them. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? Sorry! Resend Activation Email. -- just outside of Lynn -- on May 13, 1931. He used to set up stings to catch restaurants refusing to serve black customers and wrote to American Nazi leaders and then leaked their responses to the media. There he observed racism and the isolation of poverty, in Richmond he also encountered Pentecostal Christianity, a vibrant, exciting and accepting faith that drew the young Jones into the community and values of heartland religion. After years of struggling to find his way, Jones announced that he was entering the ministry in 1952. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. He had that coal black hair and piercing eyes that would look right through you.. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. He developed many unusual behaviors as a youth and became increasingly disliked by his community. The new home, where Jones grew up, lacked plumbing and electricity. The couple married in 1949 before moving to Indianapolis where Jones continued his education at Butler University and became a member of the Communist Party and began his ministry. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. In the 1950s, he became a preacher and founded a church in Indianapolis, Indiana, called the "Wings of Deliverance," which he later renamed the "Peoples Temple Full Gospel. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. James Thurman Jones (grandparent) Lynetta Putnam (grandparent) Trivia (4) Only natural son of Rev. You can always change this later in your Account settings. I'll fight! As a result of this, a dead cat was found thrown in his house, a swastika was drawn at the church, dynamite was thrown in the coal pile at a temple and many such events occurred. At various points he admitted to being an atheist and agnostic, though he declared himself a prophet, an avatar for various religious figures, or a god himself so he wasn't truly an atheist. Jim Jones is known for being the leader of the Peoples Temple religious group and for the Jonestown Massacre, when he led the mass murder-suicide of more than 900 members of the group at their commune in Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978. [42] To support himself, Jones began working as an orderly at Richmond's Reid Hospital in 1946. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. However, the guilt of leaving behind the Indiana struggle of civil rights made him return. In the late 1950s, Jones made visits to see Father Divine, a charismatic black preacher with a multiracial congregation. [30] One childhood acquaintance recalled that Jones gave the Nazi salute and shouted "Heil Hitler!" The Joneses also had a biological son, Stephan Gandhi, and later adopted a white son named Tim from a Peoples Temple mother. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Some of the church members complained to relatives in the US that Jones was drug addicted and was keeping them from leaving under threat of death. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. This page is not available in other languages. Responsible for the largest mass suicide in human history (909 dead). To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. While Jones quoted and used the Bible extensively, visitors to the Jones household were surprised to find no Bibles or religious pictures anywhere in the house, and the family never said grace at mealtimes. Jones parents were James Thurman Jones, a veteran of the Great Warand victim of mustard gas who lived on disability payments, and the much younger Lynetta Jones, a feisty, independent woman who would eventually follow her son to Guyana. He explored every church in town Quaker, Nazarene, Methodist, Apostolic and the Church of Christ throwing himself into their particular rituals before becoming disillusioned and moving on to the next. He always wore them, outdoors or indoors, day or night. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Jones also claimed to be the father of Grace Stoen's son John Victor. (A persistent myth is that members 'drank the Kool-Aid", which was much more expensive for hundreds of people.) Jones was getting richer and more popular.In the early 1960s, during the height of the Cold War, Jones had a vision of apocalyptic destruction. He always wore them, outdoors or indoors, day or night. I mean, I was so aggressive and hostile, I was ready to kill. By the early 1970s, Jones had expanded his recruitment efforts. While working as a hospital orderly, Jones met Marceline Baldwin, a nursing student, and they married in 1949. [16] Jones often stayed overnight in the Kennedys' home to be cared for. But if you're born in socialism, you're not born in sin. 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