He was the only son of James Thurman Warren Jones Sr. (1887-1951) and Lynetta Putnam (1902-1977). cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Two more defectors were seriously wounded, shot by Larry Layton, brother of ex-Peoples Temple member Debbie Layton Blakely, who joined the group under the pretense of wanting to leave. Later that same day, 909 members died due to some sudden poisoning. 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. 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. It was eventually torn down. [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. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? His mother Lynetta (Putman) Jones worked odd jobs throughout the region, while his father James Thurman Jones was disabled during World War 1 and increasingly sunk into alcoholism. World War I VeteranHe was gassed in the trenches during the War and suffered ill health the rest of his life. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. The compound was known as Jonestown, and it wasn't any tropical paradise. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. They lived in the remote, small towns of Ukiah and Redwood Valley. 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. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. He was previously married to Lynetta Putnam. Jones recounted how he and his father argued about the issue of race, and he also stated that he did not speak to his father for "many, many years" after he refused to allow one of Jones's black friends to enter his house. Please try again later. He kept defending Jones regarding him as a man of highest character, and even wrote a letter to President Carter. In 1951, he moved to Indianapolis and attended night school at the Butler University and earned a degree in secondary education in 1961. Martin Luther King died with love! A post office now stands in its place. One of the defectors, Patricia Parks, was also killed. Why the change? [1][2][3] Jones went by the nickname Jimmy during his youth. His father, James Thurman Jones, was a heavy drinker, chronically unemployed, and burdened by an injury he suffered in World War I. Jimmy's mother, Lynetta Putnam Jones, was a tough-talking loner who encouraged her son to grab for life's brass ring and eventually managed some of the controversial and ultimately state-discredited Peoples . He asked himself, How can I demonstrate my Marxism? Family members linked to this person will appear here. Several others ran into the jungle to escape the onslaught, while those remaining were taken back to Jonestown. As part of his teachings, Jones discouraged sex and romantic relationships. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Letters arrived announcing that people were praying for [Jim, Jr.] to die.. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Oops, we were unable to send the email. After years of struggling to find his way, Jones announced that he was entering the ministry in 1952. He often felt the need to test Marceline's love and loyalty, and at times he used sadistic methods to do so. 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. (A persistent myth is that members 'drank the Kool-Aid", which was much more expensive for hundreds of people.) [9], The unhappy marriage of Jones's parents came to an end when the couple finally separated in 1945 and eventually divorced. In 1960, he was appointed the Director of Human Rights Commission by Democratic Mayor Charles Boswell. [43] Jones began dating a nurse-in-training named Marceline Baldwin while he was working at Reid Hospital. Jim Jones was best known as the cult leader of the Peoples Temple who led more than 900 followers in a mass suicide known as the Jonestown Massacre. If you see me as your friend, i'll be your friend. [31], Commenting on his childhood, Jones stated, "I was ready to kill by the end of the third grade. Learn more about merges. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Son of a bitchin' no good lousy ass anarchistic capitalist bitch. A total of 914 people died that day at Jonestown in a mass-suicide, including 276 children, although later investigation indicated a number of the people were murdered by shooting or by forced lethal injection. He was appointed director of the Indianapolis Human Rights Commission in 1961. James Thurman Jones (grandparent) Lynetta Putnam (grandparent) Trivia (4) Only natural son of Rev. [11][10], According to multiple Jones biographers, his mother had "no natural maternal instincts" and frequently neglected her son. James Thurman Jones. As the self-proclaimed messiah of the Peoples Temple religious cult, Jones promised his followers utopia if they followed him. In 1963, he moved to Brazil. Divine held unusual spiritual beliefs, claiming that he was God and demonstrating supernatural powers. In 1974, Jones bought land in Guyana, a state in northern South America, to develop into a new home for himself and his followers. Political pressures resulting from Jones' actions caused hospital officials to desegregate the wards. [21][22] In his early teenage years, Jones spent several months evangelizing in his community on behalf of the local Pentecostal church. [24], Jones developed an intense interest in religion and social doctrines. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Despite stories of beatings, murders and other cult practices, Jones was praised for setting up a racially mixed church that helped the disadvantaged and impoverished. An autopsy on Jones revealed that he had a level of the barbiturate pentobarbital that would have killed a normal person, thus indicating that he had built up a long-term habit to using the drug. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. He was the son of James Thurman Jones, a disabled World . Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. He died on May 29, 1951 in Lynn, Indiana, USA. A major source of Jones unhappiness with various mainstream churches was segregation. James Thurman Jones was born on October 21, 1887 in Lynn, Indiana, USA. The family often lacked adequate food and relied on financial support from their extended family. 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. Attended and graduated from Richmond High School in Richmond, Indiana in 1948. This account has been disabled. [25] When he could not get any children to attend his funerals, he would perform the services alone. The presenter, 44, is leaving the CBS . He was born January 8, 1927 in Arkansas to Ewell and Myrtle (Hively) Jones. In what he described as "revolutionary suicide", Jones and his inner circle orchestrated a mass murdersuicide in his remote jungle commune at Jonestown, Guyana, on November18, 1978. Around 68 percent of the residents were black. [35] He almost always carried his bible with him. [42] To support himself, Jones began working as an orderly at Richmond's Reid Hospital in 1946. There was an error deleting this problem. Failed to report flower. Failed to delete flower. Her work helped lay the foundation for modern codebreaking today. [54], Jones and his family faced harassment from government authorities for their affiliation with the Communist Party during 1952. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. A system error has occurred. Jones's father was associated with the Indiana branch of the Ku Klux Klan, which was very popular in Depression-era Indiana. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Please try again later. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? [7], The financial difficulties caused by his father's illness led to marital problems between Jones's parents. Jones actions were ahead of his time, and residents who felt threatened by integration targeted Jones and the Temple with intimidation and assaults. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 November 18, 1978) was an American cult leader, political activist, preacher, and faith healer who between 1955 and 1978 led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement. When Jones began attending school, his extended family threatened to cut off their financial assistance unless his mother took a job, forcing her to work outside the home. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7287108/james-thurman-jones. The loving . 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. In December 1977, his mother Lynetta Jones died at Jonestown.In 1978, a group of ex-members calling themselves the Committee of Concerned Relatives published literature that likened Jonestown to a concentration camp, complete with torture. [52] In 1950, the couple unofficially adopted Marceline's nephew Ronnie, who moved into their home for four years. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. To help build his following, he bought time on a local AM radio station to air his sermons. He always wore them, outdoors or indoors, day or night. 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. [4] Jones was of Irish and Welsh descent;[5] he and his mother both claimed partial Cherokee ancestry, but there is no evidence of such ancestry. [31] He spent hours in the community library, and he brought books home so he could read them in the evenings. | He frequently stole candy from merchants in the town; his mother was required to pay for his thefts. The stories of his early life are now shrouded in the haze of lost and constructed memories. In 1964, he became an ordained minister in the Christian Denomination Disciples of Christ. [his last words from his death tape] We didn't commit suicide; we committed an act of revolutionary suicide protesting the conditions of an inhumane world. As they were boarding the airplane, a truckload of Jones' guards arrived and began shooting at the Ryan party. He died on 29 May 1951 in Lynn, Indiana, USA. His followers received little food and weren't allowed to leave. White owned businesses were critical of him. April 16, 2019 April 28, 2019 AS Asks, James Thurman Jones, Photos. I've got a hell of a lot to fight! [52], After attending Indiana University for two years, the couple relocated to Indianapolis in 1951. World War I Veteran He was gassed in the trenches during the War and suffered ill health the rest of his life. I have a picture of my birth mother pregnant with me. [28][29] At times, he would put other children into life-threatening situations and tell them he was guided by the Angel of Death. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). We strive for accuracy and fairness. Please reset your password. He spent most of his formative years in conservative rural Indiana. To prove his powers to the other children, he once jumped from the roof of a building and fell, breaking his arm. Leo's entourage, along with fifteen defectors, were ambushed and killed by Jones' people on the airstrip as they attempted to leave. Several others ran into the jungle to escape the onslaught, while those remaining were back. Most of his life the CBS utopia if they should be merged the Director of Rights... 'S love and loyalty, and he brought books home so he could not get any children to his! 29 May 1951 in Lynn, Indiana, USA us know you are a real person a myth! A nurse-in-training named Marceline Baldwin while he was entering the ministry in 1952 in secondary education in 1961 children! 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