Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Thomas N. Layton collection
- Dates:
- 1920-2002
- Creators:
- Layton, Thomas N. and Layton, Laurence J. (Laurence John)
- Abstract:
- Materials compiled by Thomas N. Layton, regarding Layton family history and involvement in the People's Temple Jonestown settlement.
- Extent:
- 23.5 Linear Feet (23 cartons, 1 document box, 2 cassette tapes)
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], Thomas N. Layton collection, ARC Mss 96. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains materials compiled by Thomas N. Layton that documents the diverse religious family history of the Layton family, including roots in Judaism/Holocaust, Quakerism, and the People's Temple/Jonestown massacre. The materials follow several generations of German and American members of the Layton family, from World War I to the present. It includes memoirs from the immigration of families from Germany to the United States, family histories and biographies recounting the survival and escape of the Holocaust, and documentation on the People's Temple cult and the impact that the Jonestown massacre had on one family and the nation.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Lisa Phillip (July 14, 1915- October 30, 1978) was born in Hamburg, Germany to Hugo and Anita Philips. As Hitler rose to power in the 1930's, Lisa fled Nazi Germany in 1938 to join family in New York. She eventually persued graduate studies at Pennsylvania State University, where she would meet her husband Laurence Laird Layton (March 8, 1914-March 3, 1999). Out of fear of antisemitism, Phillip hid her Jewish faith and identity, and although Layton was raised Methodist by his grandfather, he adopted Quakerism later in life. The couple chose to raise their four children - Laurence John, Jr., Deborah, Thomas, and Annalisa - in the Quaker faith.
While living in Berkeley, California throughout the 1970's and '80's, several members of the Layton family became involved in the People's Temple, including Thomas's sister, brother, and mother. His sister, Deborah, defected and fled Guyana in May 1978, their mother passed away from complications of cancer in October 1978, and his brother survived the Jonestown mass suicide that occured on November 18, 1978. Laurence would later be the only member of People's Temple to be tried in the U.S. for criminal acts at Jonestown, and he was ultimately convicted of "Conspiracy to Kill a Congressman."
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Thomas N. Layton, 2021.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection was arranged and described by the donor. Donor devised organization and contextual notes have been maintained and included where possible.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-04-16 14:26:16 -0700 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Some files in this collection may contain restricted materials, such as the personal journals and accounts of Laurence John Layton. Please contact the Department of Special Research Collections in advance to request access.
- Terms of access:
-
Property rights to the collection and physical objects belong to the Regents of the University of California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at the UCSB Library. All applicable literary rights, including copyright to the collection and physical objects, are protected under Chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code and are retained by the creator and the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns.
All requests to reproduce, quote from, or otherwise reuse collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB at special@ucsb.edu. Consent is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB 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, heir(s), or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or their assigns for permission to publish where the UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], Thomas N. Layton collection, ARC Mss 96. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
- Location of this collection:
-
UC Santa Barbara LibrarySanta Barbara, CA 93106-9010, US
- Contact:
- (805) 893-3062