Finding aid to Peoples Temple miscellany, 1951-2013, MS
4126
Finding aid prepared by Frances Wratten Kaplan
California Historical Society
2011
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
reference@calhist.org
Contributing Institution:
California Historical Society
Title: Peoples Temple miscellany
Identifier/Call Number: MS 4126
Physical Description:
17.0 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1951-2013
Physical Location: Collection is stored onsite.
Language of Material: Collection materials are in English.
Abstract: Peoples Temple miscellany consists of
miscellaneous materials about Peoples Temple arranged by California Historical Society staff
into a single, ongoing collection. Acquired at different times from a variety of donors,
materials in the collection include correspondence, notes, scrapbooks, journals, clippings,
publications, audio recordings, realia and television documentaries about Peoples Temple and
Jonestown, its agricultural mission in Guyana.
Access
Publication Rights
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must
be submitted in writing to the Director of the Library and Archives, North Baker Research
Library, California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Consent
is given on behalf of the California Historical Society as the owner of the physical items
and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission
must be obtained from the copyright owner. Restrictions also apply to digital
representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Peoples Temple miscellany, MS 4126, California Historical
Society
Separated Materials
Photographs have been removed and transferred to Photographs from Peoples Temple
miscellany, 1966-1978, MSP 4126.
Related Collections
Manuscript Collections:
Peoples Temple records, 1922-1984, MS 3800
Federal Bureau of Investigation collection of Peoples Temple papers from Jonestown,
Guyana, 1931-1978, MS 3801
Moore family papers, 1968-1988, MS 3802
John R. Hall research materials on Peoples Temple, 1954-2003, MS 3803
Ross E. Case collection pertaining to Peoples Temple, 1961-1984, MS 4062
Margaret T. Singer materials on Peoples Temple, 1956-1998, MS 4123
Peoples Temple ephemera and publications, 1959-1979, MS 4124
Newspaper clippings on Peoples Temple: photocopies, 1953-1978, MS 4125
Photography Collections:
Photographs from Peoples Temple miscellany, 1966-1978, MSP 4126
Photographs from Peoples Temple records, 1941-1983, MSP 3800
Photographs of Peoples Temple in the United States and Guyana, 1967-1978, PC 010
Acquisition Information
Materials in Peoples Temple miscellany have been acquired at different times from a variety
of donors. Most of the materials in the collection were donated to the California Historical
Society by surviving members of Peoples Temple, their families, and friends. Other materials
were received from members of the general public and various media and production
companies.
Accruals
Additions to the collection are expected.
System of Arrangement
Peoples Temple miscellany is arranged in 8 series: Series 1: Members' and families' papers;
Series 2: Miscellaneous records and papers; Series 3: FBI releases; Series 4: Jonestown
memorials; Series 5: Television, film and audio recordings; Series 6: Realia; Series 7:
Ephemera; Series 8: Publications.
The arrangement of the collection was imposed by California Historical Society staff.
History of Peoples Temple
Peoples Temple began as a church founded by Jim and Marceline Jones and a small group of
parishioners in Indianapolis in 1955. As pastor, Jim Jones preached to a racially-integrated
congregation during Pentecostal-based services that included healings and sermons on
integration and class conflicts. Peoples Temple conducted food drives; opened a "free
restaurant" that served thousands of meals to the city's poor in the early 1960s; operated
nursing homes; and hosted weekly television and radio programs featuring their integrated
choir. The church became well known in the Indianapolis press for the members' integration
activities and for their assertions of their pastor's gifts as a healer. The church became
affiliated with the Disciples of Christ denomination in 1960.
In the summer of 1965, the Jones family and approximately one hundred Peoples Temple
members relocated to Redwood Valley, a rural community eight miles north of Ukiah in
Mendocino County. Peoples Temple conducted church services and meetings in rented and
borrowed spaces until 1969 when they finished building their own church with a swimming
pool, an animal shelter, gardens, and a community kitchen. By this time, the church's
membership had grown to three hundred.
In 1970, Jim Jones began to preach in cities throughout California. Recruiting drives in
African American communities in San Francisco and Los Angeles increased Peoples Temple
membership to over twenty-five hundred by 1973. Some members lived in communal housing and
worked full time for Peoples Temple. Others contributed significant portions of their income
and property to the church. The church's operations included real estate management; home
care facilities for seniors and youths; publishing and bookkeeping services; mail order
services; and maintenance of a fleet of buses to transport members to services throughout
the state and across the country. Tens of thousands of people, including politicians and
members of other congregations, attended Peoples Temple services between 1970 and 1977.
The leadership of Peoples Temple voted to establish an agricultural and rural development
mission in Guyana, South America in the fall of 1973. Over the next two years, members
traveled to Guyana to scout a location for the mission; establish a residence in Georgetown,
the capital of Guyana; clear the land; and begin construction at the site. The building
plans for the community which became known as Jonestown included farm buildings, a large
communal kitchen, medical facilities, schools, dormitory-style housing, small cabins, a day
care center and a large open-air pavilion that became the community's central meeting
place.
By 1976, Peoples Temple had moved its headquarters from Redwood Valley to San Francisco
and had become involved in citywide electoral politics. They published their own newspaper,
Peoples Forum; staged rallies and events for local and
national political figures; and were vocal in their support of causes such as freedom of the
press, affirmative action, and gay rights. In the fall of 1976, recently elected Mayor
George Moscone appointed Jim Jones to the San Francisco Housing Authority. Jones served as
its chairman until he left for Guyana the following year.
In 1977, former members and relatives organized a group called the Concerned Relatives to
protest Jones's treatment of church members. Child custody issues and living conditions in
Jonestown were at the center of the conflict between Peoples Temple and the Concerned
Relatives. Both sides filed lawsuits, sought public support through the media, and appealed
to government officials for protection. Media coverage of Peoples Temple practices and
political activities led the government to investigate the church's financial and social
welfare programs. Peoples Temple began to close many of their businesses, sell their
properties, and relocate hundreds of their members to Guyana.
In response to issues raised by the media and former members, California Congressman Leo
Ryan scheduled a trip to Jonestown in November 1978. By this time, more than a thousand
Peoples Temple members were living in Guyana. His staff, members of Concerned Relatives,
Embassy officials, and journalists accompanied Ryan on an overnight visit to Jonestown. As
the congressional party left for the airstrip at Port Kaituma, sixteen disaffected Jonestown
residents accompanied Ryan. As the group boarded two small airplanes at the airstrip,
Peoples Temple members drove up on tractors and began shooting. They killed Ryan, three
journalists, and a Peoples Temple member. That same day, November 18, 1978, more than nine
hundred people died, most by cyanide poisoning, in Jonestown; four other members died in
Georgetown.
More than eighty Peoples Temple members survived the deaths in Guyana: people who lived
through the airstrip shootings; Jonestown residents who left the community before and during
the poisonings; and members who were in Georgetown and on boats. Hundreds of Peoples Temple
members had remained in the U.S., many of them in California.
Scope and Contents
Peoples Temple miscellany consists of miscellaneous materials about Peoples Temple arranged
by California Historical Society staff into a single, ongoing collection. Acquired at
different times from a variety of donors, materials in the collection include
correspondence, notes, scrapbooks, journals, clippings, publications, audio recordings,
realia, and television documentaries. The collection includes records pertaining to
individual members of Peoples Temple, the activities of the church, life in Jonestown, and
the aftermath of the events of November 18, 1978.
Materials in Series 1, Members' and families' papers, were received from surviving members
of Peoples Temple or from families and friends of members who died in Jonestown. Records in
this series include an unpublished college paper by the son of a former member; stories and
artwork created by children of Peoples Temple members; letters between Guyanese and U.S.
embassy staff and parents seeking information about their children in Jonestown; and some of
Jim Jones' personal papers, including newspaper clippings, academic records, and
certificates.
Series 2, Miscellaneous records and papers, consists of miscellaneous records created by
or concerning Peoples Temple or associated organizations and individuals. Records in this
series includes high school journal writings by children of Peoples Temple members who
attended Opportunity High School in San Francisco; papers from a theatrical production about
Peoples Temple; personal correspondence between the American and Guyanese lawyers for
Peoples Temple; lists of supply orders from Jonestown transmitted by radio to the
headquarters of Peoples Temple in San Francisco; Bible teaching materials created by Peoples
Temple members; and a signed petition to Congressman Leo Ryan opposing his visit to
Jonestown.
Series 3, FBI releases, consists of three compact discs obtained from the FBI by the
California Historical Society under the auspices of the Freedom of Information Act. The CDs
contain information regarding the FBI's investigation into the murder of Congressman Leo
Ryan on November 18, 1978.
The records in Series 4, Jonestown memorials, concern various installations and events
planned, designed, or created to memorialize those who died in Jonestown. Records in this
series include donation forms for a planned Jonestown Memorial Wall at Evergreen Cemetery in
Oakland, California, ephemera and reviews of Laura Baird's art installations about Peoples
Temple,
Jonestown Carpet and
Jonestown
Dead
, and a 30th anniversary reading of the names of all those who died on November
18, 1978.
Series 5, Television, film, and audio recordings, consists of Peoples Temple choir
recordings of
He's Able, the album produced in 1973 at
Brotherhood Records in San Francisco, and video tapes and DVDs of television documentaries
produced after the events of 1978. The series also includes a feature film, video-taped news
and press conference footage, and ephemera and articles relating to the 2006 documentary
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple.
Series 6, Realia, consists of objects created or used by Peoples Temple members. Objects
include a choir robe worn by Jim Jones, a wooden crate made to transport materials between
the United States and Guyana, and a wooden sign engraved with the name of Dr. Laurence
Schacht, head of the medical clinic in Jonestown. Other objects were used to raise funds for
Peoples Temple and include a handmade candle sold through the Peoples Temple mail-order
department, as well as toys and jewelry created in Jonestown and meant for sale to help
support the settlement.
Series 7, Ephemera, consists of ephemera about Peoples Temple created by other sources.
This series contains a set of
Cult of Death trading cards
published by Carnage Press in 1988.
Series 8, Publications, is made up of published articles and newsletters about Jonestown
and Peoples Temple.
Processing Information
The collection was re-processed by Frances Wratten Kaplan in 2011.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Audiocassettes
Jonestown (Guyana)
Jonestown Mass Suicide, Jonestown, Guyana, 1978
Phonograph records.
Scrapbooks
Video recordings.
Jones, Jim, 1931-1978
Peoples Temple.
Ryan, Leo J.--Assassination.
Box 1, Folders 1-12, Boxes 3-4, Box 11
Members' and families' papers Series 1:
1951-2011
Box 1, Folder 1
Marceline Jones' correspondence to Joy Scala and other papers
1975-2006
Scope and Contents
Collection of letters from Marceline Jones to Joy Scala, an adoption placement worker
for the Marion County adoption system in Indiana. Also includes clippings collected by
Scala about Peoples Temple and Jonestown.
Box 1, Folder 2
Peoples Temple children's stories
Scope and Contents
Stories and drawings produced by the children of Peoples Temple members.
Box 1, Folder 3, Box 11
Grunnet family papers
1978
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence and artwork by Pat Grunnet.
Existence and Location of Copies
Copies of Pat Grunnet's correspondence to her brother Bob are in pdf format on
compact disc in box 11 of the collection.
Box 11
Patti Chastain Haag art images from
Speed of Light
exhibition
Physical Description: 1 compact disc
Scope and Contents
Art images produced by Patti Chastain Haag for her exhibition
Speed of Light.
Box 1, Folder 4
Chuck Kirkendoll papers
1979
Box 1, Folder 5
William Sheldon Oliver and Tanya Rena Cox Garcia marriage license,
Guyana
1977
Box 1, Folders 6-9
Sines family papers
1972-2011
(bulk, 1972-1979)
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence from Nancy and Ron Sines, Peoples Temple members living in
Jonestown, to their parents Barbara and Paul Sines. Also includes letters to Barbara
and Paul Sines from the U.S. Embassy in Guyana, and newspaper clippings concerning
Peoples Temple and Jonestown.
Boxes 3-4
Jim Jones papers
1951-1968
Scope and Contents
Consists of two scrapbooks, containing mostly newspaper clippings collected by Jones;
Jones' personal papers and some correspondence; his California teaching credential;
and a copy of his academic record from Indiana University.
Box 1, Folder 10
Laura Johnston [Kohl] papers
1977-1979
Scope and Contents
Includes letters to Laura Johnston from Deborah Touchette and the United States
Department of State; letters from the United States Embassy in Guyana to Mrs. Virginia
Reid, Laura Johnston's mother; and a memorial flyer for Barbara Faye Hoyer, a Peoples
Temple member who died in Jonestown on November 18, 1978.
Box 1, Folder 11
Lewis family papers
1981-2010
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence, notes, and an unpublished student paper by Chris Lewis,
Jr.
Box 1, Folder 12
Grace Stoen notary public certificate
1975
Box 2, Folders 1-6, Box 5
Miscellaneous records and papers Series 2:
1956-2005
Box 2, Folder 9
Slain in the Spirit theatrical production
papers
1995
Box 5
Petition to Leo Ryan from Peoples Temple members protesting his visit to
Jonestown
1978
Physical Location: Petition is oversized and is located in
the handmade wooden trunk (box 9).
Box 2, Folder 1
Supply orders from Jonestown
1978
Box 2, Folder 2
State of California Franchise Tax Board correspondence
1978
Box 2, Folder 3
Lionel Luckhoo correspondence with Charles Garry
1977
Scope and Contents
Personal letter from Lionel Luckhoo of Luckhoo & Luckhoo Legal Practitioners, the
Guyana-based law firm retained by Jim Jones to represent Peoples Temple interests in
Guyana, to Charles Garry, the U.S.-based lawyer for Peoples Temples. The letter
discusses Luckhoo's work and writings and Charles Garry's biography. Contains a
reference to their "mutual client".
Box 2, Folder 4
Bible study papers
1956-1957,
2005
Scope and Contents
Consists of teaching notes and lesson plans for Bible study classes taught by Harold
Cordell at a Bible college created by Peoples Temple. Also includes a flyer,
The Open Door, produced by Peoples Temple, promoting their
services and radio broadcasts. The April 1956, vol. 1, no. 4, issue lists William
Branham as a special speaker.
Box 2, Folder 5
Opportunity High School papers
1976-1977, 2005
Scope and Contents
Consists of student writings from
In Small Dreams, a
publication of the creative writing class of Opportunity High School in San Francisco,
December 13, 1976.
Box 2, Folder 6
Guyana Council of Churches papers
1978
Box 11
Freedom of Information Act releases
Scope and Contents
Series of three compact discs received from the FBI. The contents are part of the
FBI's investigation into the assassination of Leo Ryan.
Box 2, Folders 7-8, 17, Box 15, Folder 4
Series 4:
Jonestown memorials
1981-2018
Box 2, Folder 7
Jonestown Memorial Wall, Oakland
1993
Box 2, Folder 8
Laura Baird:
Jonestown Carpet and
Jonestown Dead installations
1981-1994
Box 2, Folder 17
The Mary Pearl Willis Foundation
2008
Scope and Contents
Consists of papers about
Speaking Their Names, a
memorial to those who died in Jonestown on November 18, 1978. Organized by Lela
Howard, founder and president of the Mary Pearl Willis Foundation, the memorial
included a congressional reading of the names of the dead, as well as other events
that commemorated the 30th anniversary of the deaths in Guyana.
Box 15, Folder 4
Jonestown Memorial programs
2011-2018
Scope and Contents
Includes programs for the following memorial events: the service of dedication for
the Jonestown Memorial, Evergreen Cemetery (2011 May 29); the fortieth anniversary
service, Evergreen Cemetery (1978 November 18); and the fortieth anniversary
homecoming service in the Fillmore (2018 November 18).
Box 2, Folder 10, Boxes 10-11, Box 14
Television, film, and audio recordings Series 5:
1973-2008
Box 10
He's Able, by the Peoples Temple
choir
1973
Physical Description: 1 phonograph record
Box 11
He's Able, by the Peoples Temple
choir
1973
Physical Description: 1 compact disc
Box 2, Folder 10
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple
papers
2006
Box 11
Purple Haze, television documentary directed by
Mary Anne Alton
2001
Physical Description: 1 video tape
Box 11
Outside the Lines - Jonestown: The Game of Their
Lives
, television segment from ESPN
2007
Physical Description: 1 video tape
Box 11
Most Evil: Cult Followers, television
documentary by Optomen Productions, season 2, episode 5,
2007
Physical Description: 1 DVD
Box 11
Witness to Jonestown, television documentary by
MSNBC
2008
Physical Description: 1 video tape
Box 11
Escape from Jonestown, television documentary by
CNN
2008
Physical Description: 2 compact discs
Box 14
Jim Jones and Peoples Temple documentaries,
undated
Physical Description: 1 video tape
Box 14
NBC raw footage and
The Onliest One
Alive
undated
Physical Description: 1 video tape
Box 14
Purple Haze and
The
Tragedy of Jonestown
, television documentaries
1998
Physical Description: 1 video tape
Box 14
Jonestown: Mystery of a Massacre, television
documentary by A
1998
Physical Description: 1 video tape
Box 14
Guyana: Cult of the Damned, movie
1979
Physical Description: 1 video tape
Box 14
Jim Jones: Journey into Madness, television
documentary by A
1996
Physical Description: 1 video tape
Box 14
Jimmy Carter press conference
30 November 1978
Physical Description: 1 video tape
Box 14
Children of Jonestown
undated
Physical Description: 1 video tape
Box 14
Jonestown: Time and Again, NBC news coverage of
Jonestown
undated
Physical Description: 1 video tape
Box 14
The Sensational 70s: 1978, television
documentary
1980
Physical Description: 1 video tape
Box 14
Guyana Tragedy: The Jim Jones Story, television
movie directed by William A. Graham
1980
Physical Description: 2 video tapes
Box 2, Folders 11-13, Boxes 6-9, 12-13, 16-17
Realia Series 6:
1973-2005
Box 6
Brooch and necklace made in Jonestown; Fla-Vor-Aid packet
circa 1973-1978
Box 2, Folder 11
Cottage industries sign
circa 1973-1978
Box 2, Folder 12
Annointed candle flyer and description
1973, 2005
Box 8
Choir robe worn by Jim Jones
undated
Box 9
Handmade wooden trunk
circa 1973-1978
Box 12
Laurence Schacht medical clinic sign
circa 1973-1978
Acquisition Information
Gift of Derek A. Braithwaite: "In memory of the children whose cheerful spirits, joy
and laughter were abruptly stilled at Jonestown on November 18, 1978."
Box 2, Folder 13
Laurence Schacht medical clinic sign documentation
20 November 2008
Scope and Contents
Consists of a letter written by Derek A. Braithwaite to the California Historical
Society detailing the circumstances surrounding the removal of the medical clinic sign
from Jonestown.
Boxes 13, 16-17
Wooden toys made in Jonestown
circa 1973-1978
Box 2, Folder 16
Ephemera Series 7:
1988
Scope and Contents
The materials in this series include ephemera about Peoples Temple. For ephemera
produced by Peoples Temple, see Peoples Temple Ephemera and Publications, MS 4124.
Box 2, Folder 16
Cult of Death set of trading cards from Carnage
Press
1988
Box 15, Folders 1-3, Box 2, Folders 14-15
Publications Series 8:
1978-2013
Scope and Contents
The materials in this series include publications about Peoples Temple. For
publications created by Peoples Temple, see Peoples Temple Ephemera and Publications, MS
4124.
Box 2, Folder 14
Magazine and journal articles
1979-2005
Box 2, Folder 15
"Songs Primarily in the Key of Life" by Brian Kevin,
Colorado Review, Vol. 37.2, Summer,
2010
Box 15, Folder 1
Jonestown Report
2006-2013
Scope and Contents
An annual publication edited by Fielding M. McGehee III and Rikke Wettendorff that
provides primary souce information and updates on ongoing research about Peoples
Temple.
Box 15, Folder 2
DisciplesWorld
November 2008
Scope and Contents
November 2008 issue (volume 7, issue 9) of
DisciplesWorld, a journal produced by the Christian organization, Disciples
of Christ. This issue, dedicated to reports and stories on Peoples Temple, was
published on the 30th anniversary of the deaths in Jonestown and Guyana.
Box 15, Folder 3
"Fade to White" by Scott Saul,
BookForum, Vol.
12, Issue 3
October-November, 2005
Scope and Contents
Article on Jonestown by Scott Saul in the October/November issue of
BookForum, Vol. 12, Issue 3, a publication by Artforum
International.
Box 15, Folder 5
Who died prototypes, compiled by Kathryn
Barbour, and order form
2012, 2014