Jim Jones
Kei'Lyn Catoe
Biological Information
James Jones a disabled war veteran who just retired from war
Lynetta Putan, was a hard work mother working two jobs as a waitress and a factory worker. James Jones also backed up the Klu Klux Klan. Jim Jones was born ( Nov. 13, 1978) in his hometown of Crete,Indiana. When Jim was born his parents didnt pay alot of attention to him when he was younger. His mom couldn't pay attention to him because she was always at work.
Jim Jones Road to Ministry
For years, Jim's neighbor would always take him to church every chance they got. By the age of 10 he was on his own religion quest. He visited small churches in the town of lynn. He began to take things he saw in the small churches and began preaching to children in the community. After Jim's Parents split up the moved to Richmond , Indiana. Jim then continued to work at a hospital as a orderly. After graduating high school early in December of 1948 Jim wen straight to college (Indiana University) as early as January. He the proceeded to have a family and get married to his wife Marceline Baldwin (Jones) on June 12,1949. (They both adopted several children.)
The Peoples Temple
In 1952 Jim Jones was finally enter himself in ministry. It took him awhile to get a rep. for himself but he did it. He was known in the town as a healer and evangelist. By 1955 he then branched out on his own making his own church called the Wings of Deliverance, it then eventually changed to The Peoples Temple. He then moved to North California where he had a church full of 100 peoples. He began branching out to San Francisco where he began top preach. With his trademark dark sunglasses and slick hair he began to pull in more recruiters to the Peoples Temple. Not only the people fall for his talk, they also gave everything they had to him. But it all went in to Jones pocket. He discourage sexual acts and romantic relationships but on the other hand he was going against his own word by have both with church administrators.
The Move to Jonestown
In 1974, Jones bought some land in Guyana. It was a new home for himself and his followers. While he was down there he became very paranoid and moved to the Peoples Temple compound with 1,000 other people. It was called Jonestown but it wasn't a fun place to be. The followers were given little food and they were not allowed to leave. Jones ran it like a prison camp. Jones often preached over a loudspeaker afraid the someone was plotting to kill him. He would also conducted suicide drills which he would wake up the followers in the middle of the night and give out flavor-aid that was told it contained poison. The followers were told to drink it and 45 min. or so he then tell them they were not going to die. They passed the loyalty test if they did so...
Mass Suicide...
In September of 1977 Jones threatened the guyanese government that he wold commit a mass suicide in they try to take any action against him. When word got out Leo J. Ryan (Congressman) decided to investigate for himself. Nov. 18, 1978 Ryan and a television crew began investigating , hr invited anyone who wanted to the leave to follow him. That afternoon Ryan took the escapees to an airstrip nearby with a plane waiting. They were then attacked by surprised by gunmen sent by jones from the Peoples Temple. When the shooting stopped there were 5 people who died...even congressman Ryan. Back at the camp they poisonous flavor-aid was made ...it was called a revolutionary suicide. Children began to drink first along with parents next. Parents were to told to lay by their child as they died on the ground. 900 People died...276 of that were children. Jones was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head....no one knows if its suicide or if he had been killed.