 1853 - 1938 (85 years) Submit Photo / Document
Has more than 100 ancestors and 6 descendants in this family tree.
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| Name |
Jonathan Golden Kimball |
| Birth |
9 Jun 1853 |
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Initiatory (LDS) |
5 Jan 1867 |
EHOUS |
| FamilySearch ID |
KWNX-N8Y |
| Death |
2 Sep 1938 |
Nevada Desert, United States |
| Burial |
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States |
| Headstones |
 Submit Headstone Photo |
| Person ID |
I88409 |
mytree |
| Last Modified |
25 Feb 2024 |
| Father |
Heber Chase Kimball, b. 14 Jun 1801, Sheldon, Franklin, Vermont, United States d. 22 Jun 1868, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 67 years) |
| Mother |
Christine Golden, b. 12 Sep 1823, Hopewell Township, Mercer, New Jersey, United States d. 30 Jan 1896, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 72 years) |
| Marriage |
3 Feb 1846 |
Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States |
| Family ID |
F19108 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family |
Jane Smith Knowlton, b. 13 Feb 1867, Skull Valley, Tooele, Utah, United States d. 25 Aug 1940, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 73 years) |
| Children |
| | 1. Jane Quincy Kimball, b. 11 Mar 1889, Logan, Cache, Utah, United States d. 26 Aug 1968 (Age 79 years) |
| | 2. Jonathan Golden Kimball, Jr, b. 20 Jun 1890, Logan, Cache, Utah, United States d. 9 Sep 1939 (Age 49 years) |
| | 3. Elizabeth Knolton Kimball, b. 24 Mar 1892, Logan, Cache, Utah, United States d. 17 Jul 1980 (Age 88 years) |
| | 4. Gladys Kimball, b. 31 Mar 1894, Logan, Cache, Utah, United States d. 30 May 1987 (Age 93 years) |
| | 5. Richard Heber Kimball, b. 29 Sep 1896, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 11 Aug 1941, Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, United States (Age 44 years) |
| | 6. Max Knowlton Kimball, b. 24 Dec 1901, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 3 Feb 1966, San Rafael, Marin, California, United States (Age 64 years) |
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| Family ID |
F29758 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
5 May 2024 |
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| Notes |
- J. Golden Kimball, one of the most colorful and beloved of the General A u thorities was one of the First Seven Presidents of Seventies from 189 2 un til his death in 1938. He was born in Salt Lake City, June 9, 1853 , "i n a palatial Utah home of half a century ago—a residence of his fath er's , Heber C. Kimball, erected in 1848-49. His mother's name was Christ een G olden Kimball, she being the only member of her family that ever jo ined t he Church.
Elder Kimball was carefully trained by his father, as he was livin g i n such close proximity to him that he was ever under his very watchfu l ca re. He had the privilege in his early years of accompanying his fath er wi th Pres. Brigham Young's large parties when visiting the settlement s of t he Saints. He was a student of the leading schools of Salt Lake Ci ty up t o 1868, and had a life scholarship paid in what is now the Univer sity o f Utah. He was also a student of the "Morgan Commercial College."
His father died June 22, 1868, and being the eldest child of his mot h er's family, unfortunately and against his mother's wishes he became at ta ched to the vocation of driving a team—hauled wood from the canyons, o r e from the mines, etc. To follow a profession of any kind was not urge d u pon young people in those days, and notwithstanding every effort wa s mad e by his mother to secure more elevating employment, it failed; an d the m other went out the second time, in 1875, as a pioneer, and with h er famil y located in Meadowville, Rich county, Utah, where Brother Kimba ll and hi s brother Elias S., who became his partner in business, purchas ed four hu ndred acres of farm and meadow land, and in that cold, norther n clime est ablished a ranch and farm, and for fifteen years followed th e horse and c attle business. They were successful and accumulated consid erable means.
From the time of his father's death, and up to the fall of 1881, h e w as under no restraint of any kind, but was as free as the birds tha t fl y in the air; no man's hand was stretched out to guide him in the fo otste ps of his father until that man of God, Elder Karl G. Maeser, was d irecte d by the Spirit of the Lord to the isolated little settlement, mad e up la rgely of eleven of Heber C. Kimball's sons and their families. Th is grea t and good man called the people together in a log school house a nd testi fied of God, and spoke in the interest of the Brigham Young Acad emy. Th e Spirit of God awakened and aroused Brother Kimball and his brot her Elia s, and for the first time they realized there was something els e to be ac complished in life besides looking after cattle and horses. Th ey repente d of their weaknesses, reformed, and after great sacrifices an d the overc oming of many difficulties they both attended the Brigham You ng Academy f or two years, and were guided and tutored by Dr. Maeser an d his associat e teachers.
While it is true they did not graduate or attempt to do so, they rep e nted, reformed, and gained a testimony that God lives, and they were lo ya l and true to the Brigham Young Academy from that day forth. At the ex pir ation of the school term, Elder Kimball was called, April 6, 1883, b y Pre s. John Taylor, to fill a mission to the Southern States. In eigh t days a fter receiving his call he was set apart by Brother Moses Thatch er. Toget her with twenty-four Elders he landed in Chattanooga, Tennessee , and wa s appointed by Pres. Brigham H. Roberts to labor in Virginia, wh ere he jo ined his companion as a traveling Elder and labored absolutel y without pu rse or scrip. After laboring one year he was appointed to ac t as secretar y of the Southern States Mission at Chattanooga under the d irection of Pr es. Roberts.
He was very familiar with the details of the martyrdom of Elders Gib b s and Berry, as well as with the mobbing, shooting at and whipping of " Mo rmon" Elders during the year 1884. The last year of his mission his he alt h and constitution were broken; he was troubled with malaria, which c onti nued to afflict him for many years. In the spring of 1885 he receive d a n honorable release, and returned via New Jersey, where he preached , an d visited his mother's relatives.
On his return he continued in the ranch business, and was ordain e d a Seventy by President C. D. Fjelsted, July 21, 1886. On his retur n t o Bear Lake he traveled as a home missionary in that Stake, and was a ppoi nted to preside over an Elders' quorum, after which he was chosen an d se t apart as superintendent of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Asso ciati ons of the Bear Lake Stake, and visited the associations until he m oved t o Logan city. The Kimball brothers partook of the spirit running r ife i n the world and commenced to worship the "Old Gold Calf," hoping t o gai n honor and renown by becoming rich.
Elder Kimball did partake of the more refining elements of life wh e n he married on September 22, 1887, Miss Jane "Jennie" Smith Knowlton . Th e couple would have six children.
Elder Jonathan G., together with Newel and Elias, entered into the i m plement business under the name of "Kimball Brothers," establishing pla ce s of business at Logan and Montpelier. They signed notes for the firs t ti me for over thirty thousand dollars. They labored hard for four year s, an d lost their investment, but saved their good name and paid their d ebts . Their ranch was exchanged for Cache valley property, and their cat tle a nd horses invested in real estate. They were not yet convinced of t he dan ger of speculation, but went into the real estate business durin g the boo m, and bought everything almost that was for sale, and wound u p their car eer as business men by investing in a company that had purcha sed 119,00 0 acres of land in Canada. What they failed to lose their frie nds helpe d them out of, and they were for the time being prevented fro m chasing af ter the golden calf. Moral: "Don't go in debt."
The Lord again came to the rescue, and Brother Jonathan G. was the n c alled, Aug. 1, 1891, by Pres. Wilford Woodruff to succeed Elder Willi am S pry as the president of the Southern States Mission. Notwithstandin g hi s health was seriously impaired, and he was about to graduate in a b usine ss way, the Prophet of the Lord promised him he should regain his h ealt h and be blessed of the Lord, which was literally fulfilled. Brothe r Kimb all labored three years as president of the Southern States Missio n, an d was succeeded by his brother, Elias S. Kimball.
On April 6, 1892, he was chosen one of the First Council of the Seve n ty, and was ordained by Apostle Francis M. Lyman, two days later. Broth e r Kimball was called to be one of the aids in the General Board of th e Yo ung Men's Mutual Improvement Associations in the year 1896, and too k an a ctive part in filling appointments, as directed by the General Boa rd, i n nearly every Stake in Zion, visiting the young men's conferences , youn g men's and young ladies' conjoint conferences, and conventions.
In January, 1901, Brother Kimball was appointed by President Snow a n d given the privilege, in company with his wife and Elder Heber J. Gra n t and family, to visit the California Mission, the object of the call b ei ng chiefly that he might become acquainted with that field of labor. H e h ad the privilege of meeting with the Elders and Saints and listened f or t he first time to the "Mormon" Elders preach on the street corners. E lde r Kimball was very much impressed with that country and people and ca me t o believe a Stake of Zion would yet be established in the State of C alifo rnia.
It was as a General Authority that J. Golden Kimball became best kno w n to the saints. For the speech patterns he had picked up during his wi l d years as a drover and cattleman came to the fore to the embarrassmen t o f some and the amusement of many. Many a "hell" and "****" came fro m hi s lips during the stake conferences at which he was called upon to s pea k and even occasionally from the pulpit at General Conference. But wh il e some may have felt him crude, no one ever doubted that Elder Kimbal l co uld drive home a point with the best of them. Asked how he could ge t awa y with the way he spoke, Elder Kimball is said to have replied, "He ll, th ey can't excommunicate me. I repent too damned fast."
After a long and colorful career as a General Authority during whi c h he rose to become the Seventh (senior) President of the Seventy, Eld e r Kimball died as a result of injuries incurred in an automobile accide n t September 2, 1938 near Reno, Nevada. He will long be remembered wit h lo ve and affection.
The Salt Lake Tribune which in those days often wrote bitterly of t h e Church and especially its General Authorities, editorialized on the o cc asion of Elder Kimball's death: "The Church, of which he was an honore d m ember and high official, may never have another like him. He was fran k, o utspoken, and fearless in his utterances. His discourses scintillate d wit h original observations which occasionally disturbed some of his he arers , but never failed to convey his honest thoughts. Rich and.erasabl e are t he stories told of his apt retorts and pointed remarks. His genia l, whole some nature will be remembered long and his quaint sayings repea ted afte r many solemn visages and doleful homilies are forgotten.
There was but one J. Golden Kimball. He was respected, beloved, and en j oyed by all with whom he made contact. His passing is a distinct los s t o his circle, his Church, his community, and his commonwealth. "
Bibliography
Jenson, LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p.210
Brooks, LDS Reference Encylopedia, p.247
2005 Church Almanac, p.72
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Has more than 100 ancestors and 6 descendants in this family tree.
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