The following is the story of Mr. Joseph Isaac King,
the Great Uncle of Dr. Martin Luther King.
Joseph Isaac King was a believer and follower of the teaching of FATHER DIVINE.
Roger Klaus stated that Martin Luther King was aware of FATHER DIVINE'S Teaching and in order to establish this as fact, Mr. Eli Diana and Mr. Hezekiah Craig were asked for more information.. These two brothers live in California and for a time they, lived in the same home with Brother Joseph Isaac King who was a great uncle of Martin Luther King. The following was their response.Joseph Isaac King, from what he told us, was born in 1870 in the house of Robert E. Lee. In fact at his burial in Los Angeles in the late seventies (Joseph King died of a heart attack ), some of the descendants of R.E. Lee, came to the funeral. This shows that the family where he had been raised as a boy never lost contact with him for over a hundred years. The tie must have been very strong.
As a young man he worked in the coal mines around Birmingham, Alabama, and this is where, one day, coming out of the mine, in 1903, he saw FATHER for the first time. Even though FATHER kept a meek and insignificant appearance, King was strongly attracted, and he told us that the Message FATHER was giving then was consistent to what He kept telling us up to the sixties. He knew about MOTHER DIVINE in the First Body at the turn of the Century. King said that when he met FATHER for the first time, FATHER was wearing a little beard.
In 1906 he went to look at the devastation in San Francisco and he told me that he was with FATHER at the time.
The brothers questioned if we here in Philadelphia had a record of FATHER DIVINE being in San Francisco in 1906. We have no record of that but it is quite possible and even probable because at that time the Holy Ghost descended on California and FATHER would be there stirring things up.
Joseph used to voluntarily enlist for a period of time in the Army, to take a rest from the coal mines. The last time he did it, the first World War broke up. He must have been in such good shape that they never checked on his age. And so he was shipped to France, and the only memory he would talk about was: "Too many dead".
At the Divine Lorraine Hotel, in the fifties, on one Anniversary, while with a group of followers from California and passing in front of FATHER and MOTHER, he caught FATHER'S attention and FATHER kept looking at him in recognition.
King, with his stories that covered a full century, was 108 when he passed. . I wish I could have talked with him more, but by then the only place I saw him was at the Church Banquets on sundays. He had seen lots of changes in this country, and remembered Philadelphia when there were cobble stone streets and fields, and horses and buggies. Television fascinated him.
From Mr. Melchizedec who lived with him, we know his fortune, coming from real estate, surpassed at the time, one million dollars. And he received a substantial income of some twenty thousand dollars a month from rented apartment buildings he owned in Saint Louis and Chicago. He had purposely not raised the rent since the forties, and the grateful tenants took care of their own repairs and painting.
Looking at his bank book, he would tell Hezekiah right at the little table in the kitchen here where we are now, "Your money can make more money than you can,"- meaning the interest. His son,- and his grand sons, or great grand sons whom he brought to the Church on one occasion, inherited the estate. He had made some contributions to the Church, and to Martin Luther King as well, who was a relative of his and with whom he shared a striking resemblance. When Martin Luther King came to Los Angeles, in the sixties, he went personally to see Mr. King in his apartment on the West side.
Joseph Isaac King drove a station wagon up to his last days, and the Department of Motor Vehicles could not understand how he could pass the test without eyeglasses. FATHER blessed him with longevity and good health. Hezekiah recalls seeing him, on one of the paint jobs he helped him with, carrying two wooden ladders on his shoulder- and he was about one hundred years old then ! He was a very good physical specimen and in his youth must have had the strength of two men. He lived with Hezekiah at our brother's quarters, on 37th Drive, for some two years. Roger met him there. He loved to testify at the Church.
Thanking FATHER and MOTHER, we send our Peace and Love to All.
Eli / Hezekiah
Peace Philip,
The complementary information, especially about Martin Luther King's visit to Mr. King in L.A. authenticates their relationship.
Mr. King, in his later years, contrary to Mr. Job Patience who was very sweet and of about the same age, seemed to have become more headstrong, and this probably affected his heart. And he had been married three times too,- as he told Hezekiah- his first wife being Anglo-Saxon, which at that time was unheard of.
Anyway, all this gives all those who are living the Life more courage and determination, seeing the Love FATHER has blessed us with. What HE did for one, HE can do for All, and more.
Thanking FATHER and MOTHER Dear.
Peace Philip Elie
P.S.- Forgot to mention King told us FATHER saved his life while being trapped in a mine after a gas explosion. All the other miners were killed. Unconscious for a while he managed to crawl through the debris up to the surface and was pulled out, unhurt,- the only survivor.
Peace, E and H
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Mr. Roger Klaus submitted this additional information about Joseph Isaac King:
I lived with Mr. King and 3 or 4 other brothers under FATHER DIVINE'S Peace Mission at 1137 W. 37th Drive, Los Angeles, California from late 1964 to April of 1967.
Mr. Joseph King, the great uncle of Martin Luther King was, to the best of my knowledge, the oldest licensed driver in Los Angeles and an only survivor of a coal mine collapse that killed 120 men. His stories of his discovering FATHER'S Deity were fascinating. He was unable to keep it to himself and was abused by disbelievers when he continually voiced his conviction.
His mother was a slave under Robert E. Lee and he told of a tent that was in the Lee household which George Washington used. The tent is now at the Valley Forge Visitors Center.
Although Mr. Kings education was limited, his life experiences were full of wisdom that came out in his sometimes humorous recollections such as "I was growed up before they had sidewalks."
Mr. King was the only person I knew of that could give an eyewitness account of FATHER'S activities in the early 1900's. I regret not having written down the many "matter of fact" stories that were in front of me while living with Mr. King. FATHER obviously touched his heart deeply and blessed him to a long fruitful life.
He liked to debate and challenge whatever whatsoever was current or past. He was very independent but liked me because I would avoid argument but simply listen to his point of view i.e. such as when man walked on the moon Mr. King didn't believe the television coverage. "That's made up stuff." But he readily recognized the miracles FATHER worked daily.
When I moved to Philadelphia in 1967 Mr. King was still climbing 40 foot ladders and painting exterior buildings with a 6 inch brush at a very good speed using oil based enamel.
Roger Klaus
The Civil Rights Movements of that era were truly the Work of GOD
and the Work goes on until that Perfect Day when the Dream is fulfilled.
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