Jim Cobb was born in Indiana, where he was first introduced to the teaching’s of Jim Jones. Cobb’s mother would take him and his siblings to attend the services to hear Jones speak. At first, Jim Cobb was enthralled by the scene at the People’s Temple. “A lofty dream perhaps, envisioning the United States of America’s people united, no more poverty, no more racism, no more war.” The diverse group that attended the services gave Cobb hope for a better future, and inspired him to want to make a change in the world.
At age 17, Jim Cobb and his family members followed Jim Jones and the People’s Temple to California. Cobb later defected from the group fives years before the time of the mass suicide in Guyana. However, Cobb’s mother and siblings remained in the People’s Temple and followed Jim Jones to Guyana.
Leading up to the mass suicide in Guyana, Jim Cobb joined forces with other concerned family members to launch an investigation into Jonestown. They traveled to Guyana in hopes of being able to save their family members and take them home with them. One of the members of the concerned families group ended up being loyal to Jim Jones and defected from the group. Upon entering Jonestown, this member, Larry Layton, opened gunfire and killed members of the concerned relatives. Despite the attack from Layton, Jim Cobb was able to escape to the surrrounding trees and stay there overnight. He remained hidden in the trees overnight, hearing continuous gunfire and chaos insuing just below.
Cobb would later come to find out that this was the night of the mass suicide of the People’s Temple members and their leader, Jim Jones. Unfortunately, Jim Cobb was not able to save his family members from the mass suicide. In addition to his mother, sisters, and brother, Cobb also lost nieces, nepews, and friends.
Years after the tragedy in Guyana, Jim Cobb reflected on the events leading up to the mass suicide, and what life was like for him and the other relatives afterwards. “In the long days, weeks, and months after Jonestown, each of us – attempting to overcome our isolation and shock – took our own nightmarish journey back to some kind of normalcy, each of us trying to reconnect the pieces of our shattered lives.” Despite losing numerous loved ones and friends, Jim Cobb has found peace by keeping them alive in his memories and remaining devoted to his passion of instilling change in the world.
Turner, Wallace. “A Survivor Who Hid in a Treetop All Night Tells of the Shootings.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Nov. 1978, https://www.nytimes.com/1978/11/22/archives/a-survivor-who-hid-in-a-treetop-all-night-tells-of-the-shootings.html
“Address by Jim Cobb.” Alternative Considerations of Jonestown Peoples Temple, https://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=29309