[256] Graham was joined by other prominent Christian leaders in alleging that Jones was demonically possessed. . [211] Meals were meager and workers were often hungry. He found it difficult to walk without assistance around this time, but it cleared up by Leo Ryan's visit. This page was last edited on 27 December 2022, at 21:51. Jim Jon Prokes was born in 1975, to Michael Prokes and Carolyn Louise JONES (born Layton). [218] His delegation included relatives of Temple members, an NBC camera crew, and reporters for several newspapers. [181] Jones would often read news and commentary, including items from Radio Moscow and Radio Havana, and was known to side with the Soviets over the Chinese during the Sino-Soviet split.[182]. Through the conventions and with the support of Branham and Mattsson-Boze, Jones secured connections throughout the Latter Rain movement. But if you're born in socialism, you're not born in sin. She and her husband left the People's Temple in 1973 and were outspoken opponents of the temple's treatment of it's members. Marceline Jones died of poison, while Jim Jones died of a gunshot wound to the head. In 1956, Jones began to be influenced by Father Divine and the Peace Mission movement. Burial. Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery. They accused members of Planning Commission of being homosexuals and questioned their true commitment to socialism, before leaving the Peoples Temple. She also claimed that Jones was the reincarnation of Vladimir Lenin and she of Lenin's mistress, Inessa Armand. [239] Wielding a kitchen knife, Sharon first killed Christa, and then Martin. Oakland. What is Jim's ethnicity and where did his parents, grandparents & great-grandparents come from? [32] His religious views alienated him from other young people. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. He nonetheless persisted in saying he had exceptional abilities despite the fall. [259] Although Peoples Temple collapsed shortly after the events of 1978, some individuals continued to follow Jones's teachings during the 1980s. [142], Through his connections with California politicians, Jones was able to establish contacts with key national political figures. //-->. Members who joined Peoples Temple turned over all their assets to the church in exchange for free room and board. Jones was facing increasing scrutiny in the summer of 1978 when he hired JFK assassination conspiracy theorists Mark Lane and Donald Freed to help make the case of a "grand conspiracy" against the Temple by U.S. intelligence agencies. The community members would remain at the pavilion throughout the drill, in which Jones told them that their community had been surrounded by agents who were about to destroy them. While publicly disavowing many of Father Divine's teachings, Jones actually began to promote Divine's teachings on communal living and gradually implemented many of the outreach practices he witnessed at the Peace Mission, including setting up a soup kitchen and providing free groceries and clothing to people in need. [8] The couple married in the summer of 1967. Divine's wife rose up and accused Jones of being the devil in disguise and demanded he leave. [11], Carolyn was one of an elite group of staff who had access to the Temple's financial assets and, along with other members of this group, was responsible for moving thousands of dollars into offshore accounts, making real estate investments, and setting up dummy business fronts. She also taught in Jonestown's high school. [132] Jones's control over the members of Peoples Temple extended to their sex lives and who could be married. Movies. [105] In late 1963, Archie Ijames sent word that the Temple was about to collapse, and threatened to resign if Jones did not soon return. The song was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones. The drills served to keep the members of Jonestown fearful of venturing outside of the commune. "[124] Drawing on a prophecy in the Book of Revelation, he taught that American capitalist culture was irredeemable "Babylon". Please try again later. [175] Jones began moving the Temple's financial assets overseas and started to sell off property in the United States. To use this feature, use a newer browser. 36 death records, 20 followers 6.95k+ favorites. ", "Accusation of Human Rights Violations by Rev. The hospital accidentally placed Jones in its black ward, and he refused to be moved; he began to make the beds and empty the bedpans of black patients. OShea said, "One time Jim said to me 'Lets keep them poor and tired, because if theyre poor they cant escape and if theyre tired they cant make plans. Her period of absence was explained as the result of an imprisonment in Mexico while on a secret mission for the Temple. Jones was wildly cheered at a meeting of the NAACP and the Urban League when he encouraged his audience to be more militant, capping his speech with, "Let my people go!". All the victims died Jim Jones and his People's Temple Oops, something didn't work. She is known for Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006), In Search . [239] Then Liane assisted Sharon in cutting her own throat, after which Liane killed herself.[239]. [149] A doctor involved in the investigation accused Jones of "quackery" and challenged Jones to give tissue samples of the material he claimed fell off people when they were healed of cancer. Jones complained of high blood pressure that he had had since the early 1950s, small strokes, weight loss of 30 to 40 pounds in the last two weeks of Jonestown, temporary blindness, convulsions, and in late October to early November 1978 while he was ill in his cabin, grotesque swelling of the extremities. [7] Ultimately, Jones's involvement in organising baseball leagues ended when he callously murdered a dog in front of players by dropping it from a window. Jones and Moscone met privately with vice presidential candidate Walter Mondale on his campaign plane days before the 1976 election, leading Mondale to publicly praise the Temple. [242][237] Furthermore, in a 2007 interview with forensic psychiatrist Dr. Michael H. Stone for the program Most Evil, Carter stated his belief that Jones had his guards pose the dead bodies of the Jonestown residents to make it appear that more people had willingly committed suicide. Feb 12, 1909 - Aug 1982 . If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. [208] Following two visits by United States Embassy personnel to check on the situation at Jonestown, and an IRS investigation in early 1978, Jones became increasingly convinced that the attack he feared was imminent. There is a problem with your email/password. The Altair home computer kit allowed consumers to build and program their own personal computers. [4], As a student at UC Davis, Carolyn majored in international relations and was on the college honor roll. Jonestown stood on poor soil, so it was not self-sufficient and had to import large quantities of commodities such as wheat. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Jim's immediate relatives including parents, siblings, partnerships and children in the Prokes family tree. children, Liane, Christa, and Martin. For I can never leave. [186] Grace Stoen left Peoples Temple in 1976, leaving her child behind. [126] While in the United States, Jones feared the public discovering the full extent of his communist views, which he worried would cost him the support of political leaders and risk Peoples Temple being ejected from the Disciples of Christ. This is a carousel with slides. Carolyn Louise Moore Layton (July 13, 1945 - November 18, 1978) was a leadership figure within Peoples Temple and a long-term partner of Temple leader Jim Jones.Along with other inner circle members, she assisted in the planning of the mass murder-suicide that took place in Jonestown, Guyana on November 18, 1978. Jim Jon Prokes. leader, Jim Jones. Help paint a picture of Jim so that he is always remembered. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", Jones and the members of his inner circle orchestrated a mass murder-suicide in his remote jungle commune at Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978. Layton's affidavit also stated that Jonestown residents were being deliberately starved:[201] "There was rice for breakfast, rice water soup for lunch, and rice and beans for dinner. He frequently stole candy from merchants in the town; his mother was required to pay for his thefts. Image Credit Birthday: May 13, 1931 ( Taurus) Born In: Crete, Indiana, United States 21 34 Quick Facts Also Known As: James Warren Jones Died At Age: 47 Family: Spouse/Ex-: Marceline Jones (m. 1949-1978) Jim Jones and His People, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jim_Jones&oldid=1140589905, Activists for African-American civil rights, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) clergy, Religious leaders from the San Francisco Bay Area, American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Gunshot to the head (consistent with suicide). He became a voracious reader who studied Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Karl Marx, Mao Zedong and Mahatma Gandhi. google_ad_client = "ca-pub-4912650406879879"; One elderly woman hid in her dormitory and slept through the event, awaking to find everyone dead. His wife Marceline apparently protested against killing the children; she was forcibly restrained and then joined the other adults in poisoning herself after the children had died. As Jones gradually separated from Pentecostalism and the Latter Rain movement, he sought an organization that would be open to all of his beliefs. [46][47], After attending Indiana University for two years, the couple relocated to Indianapolis in 1951. [194] The Concerned Relatives began a legal battle with the Temple over the custody of Stoen's son. Rev. [226] The gunmen killed Ryan and four others near a Guyana Airways Twin Otter aircraft. [206] Sometimes he would have his guards hide in the forest and shoot their firearms to simulate an attack. Search above to list available cemeteries. Tensions began to rise as news spread through the community that some members were attempting to leave. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. The family often lacked adequate food and relied on financial support from their extended family. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Nov 12, 1898 - Jun 1982 . Jones distinguished himself through civil rights activism, founding the Temple as a fully integrated congregation, and promoting socialism. Critics and apologists offered a variety of explanations for the events that transpired among Jones's followers. Some of these people were used by Jones as sex slaves. Jones was well-regarded by the senior management, but staff members later recalled that Jones exhibited disturbing behavior towards some patients and coworkers. On November 18, 1978, 909 people died in what was known as "revolutionary suicide." The deaths were the result of poisoning with toxic substances, such as potassium cyanide, Valium . Some members were coerced to get abortions. [17] Jones developed a desire to become a preacher as a child and he began to practice preaching in private. to become a teacher, and the couple Jones explained that the poison was not real and that we had just been through a loyalty test. Resend Activation Email. "[201] "The Box" was a punishment devised by Jones involving a 6-by-4-by-3-foot (1.83 m 1.22 m 0.91 m) plywood coffin-shaped box in which a person was confined and held underground while they were constantly berated and reprimanded for their perceived slights against the cult. [70][59], Jones adopted one of the Latter Rain's key doctrines which he continued to promote for the rest of his life: the Manifested Sons of God. In an article entitled "On Satan and Jonestown", Billy Graham argued that it would be a mistake to identify Jones and his cult as Christian. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", Jones and the members of his inner circle orchestrated a mass murder-suicide in his remote jungle commune at Jonestown, Guyana, on November18, 1978.
