The Jones Family Memorabilia Collection (1948-2002) contains photographs, correspondence, and school records collected by Stephan Jones. The collection consists chiefly of photographs originally housed in photo albums and scrapbooks. There are photos of the Jones family as well as of Jim Jones and his work with Peoples Temple. Notable family items include drawings by Stephan when he was young, a letter from his mother, photos of the family, and poetry written by his grandmother. The collection also includes photographs of Jim Jones in the context of working with Peoples Temple and the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project (Jonestown).

Jim Jones was born in Lynn, Indiana in 1931 to parents James and Lynetta Jones. He was a passionate reader, interested in a wide range of religious beliefs. Jim Jones married Marceline (Marcie) Mae Baldwin in 1949 and they moved to Indianapolis the following year. A charismatic preacher, Jones founded Peoples Temple in the 1950s, a church based on principles of biblical preaching, racial equality, and apostolic socialism. In 1965, he relocated his family and Peoples Temple to Ukiah, California. Jim and Marcie had one biological child, Stephan Gandhi, and also adopted seven more: Jim Jr., Stephanie, Lew Eric, Suzanne, Agnes Pauline, John Moss, and Timothy Glen. Jim referred to his children as his "rainbow family."

1.26 Linear Feet

The copyright interests in these materials have been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine.  Requests for permission to publish must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

This collection is open for research.