Kimball, Jonathan Golden, 1853-1938

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Kimball was sustained as member of First Council 5 April 1892.

From the guide to the MS 1354 J. Golden Kimball journals 1883-1887; 1895-1908 (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Church History Library)

Mormon Church leader and member of the First Coucil of the Seventies for the Mormon Church.

From the description of Letter, 1919. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122494453

Member of the First Council of the Seventy in the Mormon Church.

From the description of Letter, 1900. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122497391

From the description of Ogden wild west show receipt, 1921. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122553388

From the description of Letter, 1902. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122550436

From the guide to the Jonathan Golden Kimball letter, 1902, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)

Latter-day Saint Church apostle.

From the description of Letter to W.M. McKendrick, 1915 November 10. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122550063

From the guide to the J. Golden Kimball letter to W.M. McKendrick, 1915, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)

J. Golden Kimball (1853-1938) was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the son of Apostle Heber C. Kimball and Christeen Golden Kimball. He was one of sixty-five children fathered by Heber C. Kimball. Kimball was one of the first generation of Latter-day Saints to be born after the Mormon Pioneer exodus to Utah in 1847, and was familiar with the pioneer experience and the expansion of Latter-day Saint settlements in the intermountain region.

Kimball was the oldest of three children and was only fifteen when his father died. To support the family, he left school and became a mule driver. His mother sewed for Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution or ZCMI, one of the first department stores in the United States, and kept boarders. In 1876, he and his brother Elias established a horse and cattle ranch in Meadowville, Rich County, and moved there with their immediate family. He cut timber during the winter for use in the construction of the LDS Church's Logan Utah Temple and also worked as superintendent of a lumber mill. After hearing an 1881 speech by the German-born educator Karl G. Maeser, Kimball and Elias decided to leave their ranch and return to school. They attended Brigham Young Academy in Provo.

After two profitable years of education, he was called as a missionary to the southern United States on 6 April 1883 by LDS President John Taylor. Kimball served in a time of great persecution and some violence in the South. He was serving in the mission office in Chattanooga, as mission secretary, when three LDS elders were killed by a mob as they held services on Sunday,10 August 1884. Although he developed a case of malaria, which troubled him for many years, Kimball remained active in the mission until his release in the spring of 1885.

Kimball returned to ranching in the Bear Lake Valley and married Jennie Knowlton, a daughter of John Q. and Ellen Smith Knowlton. The couple had six children, three boys and three girls. Due to his distinguished record as a missionary, he was called to return as president of the Southern States mission in 1892

In 1892, while still serving as mission president, Kimball was called to be an LDS General Authority as a member of the First Council of Seventy. He modestly and humorously attributed his new position to his father's influence Kimball served as an LDS general authority for forty-six years. During the time, it was customary for church leaders to frequently travel to Mormon communities in the western territories and states. Kimball gave hundreds of sermons, sparkling with humor and wit. He was well known for swearing good naturedly from the pulpit, sprinkling "damns" and "hells" into his speeches. Although the habit was of concern to other church leaders, and subjected him to counsel from his close friend LDS President Heber J. Grant on many occasions, this common touch made Kimball one of the most beloved leaders in the history of the LDS Church.

Kimball was acting as the senior President of the Seventy when he was killed in 1938, at the age of eighty-five, in a single-vehicle automobile accident in the Nevada desert fifty miles east of Reno.

From the guide to the J. Golden Kimball papers, 1883-1981, (J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf MS 14514, Lyman, Francis Marion 1840-1916. Francis M. Lyman papers 1849-1947 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Church History Library
creatorOf MS 8956, Kimball, Christeen Golden 1824-1896. Christeen G. Kimball letters 1845-1884 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Church History Library
creatorOf CR 256 1, Church Transportation Agent. Church Transportation Agent incoming correspondence 1885-1923 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Church History Library
creatorOf MS 23220, Thurman, Claudia Elaine Stokes 1909-2003. Claudia S. Thurman collection 1815-1995 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Church History Library
creatorOf J. Golden Kimball papers, 1883-1981 J. Willard Marriott Library. University of Utah Manuscripts Division
referencedIn PH 6248, General Authorities circa 1920s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Church History Library
creatorOf Kimball, Jonathan Golden, 1853-1938. Ogden wild west show receipt, 1921. Harold B. Lee Library
referencedIn AV 449, Willes, Joseph Simmons 1901-1984. Joseph S. Willes collection 1948-1976 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Church History Library
referencedIn Eric A. Eliason papers, 1994-2008 L. Tom Perry Special Collections
creatorOf AV 2500, Smith, Howard Grant 1921-2010. Howard Grant Smith audio recordings collection 1945-1973 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Church History Library
creatorOf Kimball, Jonathan Golden, 1853-1938. Letter, 1902. Harold B. Lee Library
referencedIn MS 18075, Barnes, John George 1881-1931. John G. Barnes papers 1903-1905 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Church History Library
creatorOf Jonathan Golden Kimball letter, 1902 L. Tom Perry Special Collections
creatorOf Kimball, Jonathan Golden, 1853-1938. Letter, 1900. Harold B. Lee Library
creatorOf Kimball, J. Golden, 1853-1938. Letter, 1903 February 18, Salt Lake City [to] James Lawson. Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
referencedIn Snow, Edward Hunter, 1865-1932. Additions to the Edward Hunter Snow papers, 1978-1932. Harold B. Lee Library
referencedIn Eliason, Eric A. (Eric Alden), 1967-,. Eric A. Eliason papers. Harold B. Lee Library
creatorOf Woodruff, Wilford, 1807-1898. letters, 1877-1903. Harold B. Lee Library
creatorOf Kimball, Jonathan Golden, 1853-1938. Letter to W.M. McKendrick, 1915 November 10. Harold B. Lee Library
creatorOf Bean, Willard Washington, 1868-1949. Papers, 1893-1978. Harold B. Lee Library
referencedIn Tanner, Becky, 1978-. A fly in holy ointment : an analysis of the trickster's roles, 1998. Harold B. Lee Library
creatorOf Phelps, William Wines, 1866-1945. William W. Phelps Papers, ca. 1903. Harold B. Lee Library
creatorOf Kimball, J. Golden, 1853-1938. Letter, 1903 February 18, Salt Lake City, to James Lawson. University of New Mexico, Los Alamos, UNM-Los Alamos Library
referencedIn USU student folklore genre collection of character legends, 1960-2011 Utah State University. Merrill-Cazier Library. Special Collections and Archives.Fife Folklore Archives
referencedIn Edward H. Snow papers, 1878-1932 L. Tom Perry Special Collections
creatorOf J. Golden Kimball letter to W.M. McKendrick, 1915 L. Tom Perry Special Collections
creatorOf MS 1354, Kimball, Jonathan Golden 1853-1938. J. Golden Kimball journals 1883-1887; 1895-1908 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Church History Library
referencedIn PH 2360, Rumel, Harold Stephen photographer 1909-1980. First Council of Seventy portraits 1835-1968 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Church History Library
creatorOf Kimball, Jonathan Golden, 1853-1938. Letter, 1919. Harold B. Lee Library
referencedIn Kimball, Newel Whitney. Diaries, 1882-1884. Daughters of the Utah Pioneers
referencedIn PH 3793, Kimball, Elias Smith 1857-1934. Southern States Mission photograph collection 1894-1905 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Church History Library
creatorOf Woodruff, Wilford, 1807-1898. Papers, 1873-1903. Harold B. Lee Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Barnes, John George 1881-1931 person
associatedWith Bean, Willard Washington, 1868-1949. person
associatedWith Budge, William, 1828-1919. person
associatedWith Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. First Council of the Seventy corporateBody
associatedWith Church Transportation Agent corporateBody
associatedWith Eliason, Eric A. (Eric Alden), 1967-, person
associatedWith Fife Folklore Archives corporateBody
associatedWith First Council of the Seventy (1835-1975) corporateBody
associatedWith Hart, James H., 1825-1906. person
associatedWith Kimball, Christeen Golden 1824-1896 person
associatedWith Kimball, Elias Smith 1857-1934 person
associatedWith Kimball, Jane Knowlton, 1866-1940 person
associatedWith Kimball, Newel Whitney. person
associatedWith Kirkham, Francis W., 1877-1972. person
associatedWith Lawson, James, 1820-1912. person
associatedWith Lyman, Francis Marion 1840-1916 person
associatedWith McKendrick, W. M. person
associatedWith McKendrick, W. M. (Wilford McGavin), 1870-1936 person
associatedWith Phelps, William Wines, 1866-1945. person
associatedWith Smith, Howard Grant 1921-2010 person
associatedWith Snow, Edward Hunter, 1865-1932. person
associatedWith Southern States Mission corporateBody
associatedWith Tanner, Becky, 1978- person
associatedWith Thurman, Claudia Elaine Stokes 1909-2003 person
associatedWith Willes, Joseph Simmons 1901-1984 person
associatedWith Woodruff, Abraham Owen, 1872-1904. person
associatedWith Woodruff, Wilford, 1807-1898. person
associatedWith Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association (1875-1972) corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Utah--Ogden
Ogden (Utah)
Arizona--Snowflake
Subject
Religion
Christian leadership
Church government
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Correspondence
Material Types
Mormon Church
Mormon Church
Mormon Church
Mormon Churc
Mormonism (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Mormons
Mormons
Mormons
Politics and government relations
Repentance
Rodeos
Seventies
Occupation
General Authorities
Missionaries
Activity

Person

Birth 1853-06-09

Death 1938-09-02

Male

English

Information

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