January 10, 1898
Clarkston, Utah
Dear Brother F. D. Richards,
I, J. J. Keep write these few lines to you to give the history of my life if you think its worthy to record in your office for historical purposes.
I will state my life as nearly as I can. I was born in the month of September 25, 1804 in London, Middlesex, England, and my Father died in London when I was only five years old, and left my Mother with four children. He was only 28 years old when he died. I was brought up by my Grandfather & Grandmother for a few years. I had but little schooling, I had to go to work to keep myself, as my Mother married again, I was put to keeping sheep & cows. When a little boy I had no home, only to stay with friends till I grew up to be a young man, then I engaged with a gentleman to look after his horses & cows for a long time, then I engaged with a farmer and florist, plowing for a time, after which I took to any work I could get to do. Finally I apprenticed as a bricklayer to learn the trade.
At 21 years of age I married and began to seek for a religious life. I joined the Wesleyan, or Methodist Church, and was with them for nine years until they had to break up because they could not pay the rent, but I never could tell what was nor what the kingdom of God was. I was then left alone for a time, not knowing which church to join. My wife’s Father asked me to go to the Baptist Chapel to sing & play the flute, I went there to meetings for seven years, but as I could not believe in water to wash away sin, I never joined them. I remained with them until the arrival of a new Minister, who did not desire a special singer, wishing the congregation to sing. After my Father-in-law had announced the hymns, I told him that I would not stop to hear the Minister ‘s preaching any longer. My wife & I left that chapel and went to the Independent Chapel, where we remained four years.
Two young men came near my house preaching the true gospel, and my wife
told me to go out and hear them. I soon found out what baptism was
for. I went into the house and searched my Bible to ascertain the
truths of what they said; I found that baptism was to be born of Water
and not my Mother’s Womb.
When they came again to preach, I took a long bench for them to sit
on. That night I engaged a meeting house for our use.
I saw John Bank at one of the meetings and heard the Saints speak in tongues a brother, that knew me well, talked with me and said “You have been seeking a long time but have not found the right way yet.” I made up my mind to go with him Sunday Morning a 5' o clock and I was baptized. That was on the 25th of July 1848, I did not hear a word about the prophet Joseph Smith or Brigham Young until I had been in the Church for some time but I soon found it was all right. I can say that I never knew what God was until I came into this Church. I was called into the Priesthood, being ordained a Deacon first. I made the Wine for the Sacrament for nearly 2 years, providing the fruit myself and charging nothing for my services. I was next ordained a Priest, but was soon afterwards ordained an Elder, and set apart to travel and preach the Gospel in the open air. I traveled many miles on Sunday, sometimes as many as fifteen miles. I used to take some bread and butter in my coat pocket, and would sit by the road side to eat it; I would then go to some houses and ask for a cup of water to drink, and proceed to another place to preach, getting home at 10' 0 clock. I preached the gospel in England for 19 years, before I came to the Valley of Salt Lake. I came in 1866 and was ordained a High priest in 1867.
I stayed in Salt Lake City 3 years and received my Endowments there. I moved to Clarkston, Cache Co. and then to Newton having been here 30 years.
I have my second Endowments, been baptized for my dead, and I have sealed forty-one together as man and wife. I have had nine wives sealed to take up in the resurrection. I have been a polygamist for twenty-two years, obeyed the laws of Polygamy when it was enforced, as I have also obeyed the law prohibiting its practice. I believe that everyone should obey it, for God had as much right to stop the practice of Polygamy as he had to reveal it.
I have been in the Church fifty one years. I came on Earth one year and 3 months before the Prophet Joseph Smith. I am in my 94th year and I am the Father of eleven children, all brought up in the church and 8 have gone to their resting place. All my wives have gone to rest and left me behind but I do not care how soon my time will come to follow them. I am kept on the Earth to preach the gospel a little longer. I have the great blessing to preach; still, I can stand up for an hour now and talk of the truth of the Gospel.
I have come to a knowledge of Jesus Christ and know that he is the Father of us all and that he is the God of us all, but I have been told not to say so. I believe the time has come to know all about Christ in its fullness; it ought to be known to every good Saint. I came into the church in 1848 and have stood firm until this day. The Lord has opened the way and I have brought many into the Church and the fold of Jesus Christ and have reared many branches. I was in Newbury, Berkshire [England] but I had to move to London to get to work to keep my family. I traveled many miles preaching the gospel, I traveled in London for fourteen years preaching on the streets, I was called out every summer by the president of the London Branch. I have traveled in Kent, Essex, Sussex, and down where the king was beheaded and reared a branch of the Church there. I traveled also in Berkshire and Devonshire, and Wiltshire.
I will close, hoping you will make it all out. My pen and ink were so bad that I wrote with pencil. I knew you well in London many years ago. I should like to receive a few lines from you at your leisure time to hear what you say about Jesus Christ.
I remain your Brother in the Gospel of Christ.
James Joseph Keep Clarkston,. Cache Co. Utah
Written 10 Jan 1898 by me J. J. Keep
James Joseph Keep died 14 March 1899 in his 94th birthday. He died in Lehi, Utah. He was brought to Clarkston to be buried by his wife in the Clarkston Cemetery and young daughter Maria Jane Wilson.
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