The backbone of the book I’ve described in my companion piece – not surprisingly – considers the individual residents of Jonestown. In this piece, I want to introduce you to some of these people, based upon the research that I have taken from this site, from genealogical records, and from other primary sources. It will also give you an idea of how the entries will appear for each of them.
Who They Were
Jerome Dwayne Anderson
Date of Birth: 10/30/1960
Age at Death: 18
Race and Gender: Black Male
Place of Birth: Los Angeles California
Family in Temple: Child of Richardell Evelyn (Perkins) Anderson. Brother of Maurice St. Martin Anderson, Marcus Anthony Anderson, Tommy Lee Anderson, Carlos Bell and Laketta Lashun Franklin
Occupation in Jonestown: Worked Security at the Front Gate
Jerome seemed to be your typical teenager, always goofing off and getting in trouble with his brother and friends, always pushing the limits, and always up for pulling a prank. But the thing that stood out most about Jerome wasn’t his willingness to play around, but his kindness. He was sweet and bright, with kind eyes and a big smile. He was also talkative and welcoming and well-liked by pretty much everyone lucky enough to meet him.
Bette Jean Guy (Byrd) Johnson
(aka Coty Johnson)
Date of Birth: 11/23/1954
Age at Death: 23
Race and Gender: Black Female
Place of Birth: Seattle, Washington
Family in Temple: Partner of Robert Stroud. Mother of Koya Tynisa Johnson.
Bette was truly a remarkable woman. She was an activist through and through, believed in standing up for the voiceless, and thought that it was the most important priority a human being could have. She took her baby to every demonstration, protest or march she could, and made sure to never miss one. She wanted her child to learn from her that the world could be a better place and that through hard work and believe you are the one that could help that happen. She wanted to be a part of it and was proud every day of the work they were doing.
Genealogical Background
Irma Lee Gill
Date of Birth: 2/5/1912
Age at Death: 66
Place of Birth: Arkansas
Race and Gender: Mixed Female
Family in Temple: Mother of Bessie Marie Jance Johnson (Martin). Grandmother of Betty Jean Gill. Joe Johnson Jr. Carma Lisa Johnson. Maisha Danika Johnson
Irma married Army private Harvey Gill Jr in November 1929, and it seems they stayed in Arkansas until at least 1953. They had one daughter, Bessie (born in the 1930’s). After that Irma disappears for a bit in the records until 1977, when she shows up in San Francisco with her family after divorcing her husband from all those years ago. Due to how the Temple functioned, it is presumed that she was being moved to Guyana, and he either didn’t approve of the Temple or wasn’t a member. Irma looks like a strong, capable and wonderful woman from her photographs and her story.
What We Don’t Know
Princeola Bryant
Date of Birth: 10/12/1912
Age at Death:66
Place of Birth: Brinkley Arkansas
Race and Gender: Black Female
Isabell Minnie Davis
Date of Birth: 12/23/1925
Age at Death: 52
Place of Birth: Oakland, Mississippi
Race and Gender: Black Female
Kids
David Anthony “Ant” Sanders
Date of Birth: 5/1/1969
Age at Death: 9
Place of Birth: California
Race and Gender: Black Male
Family in Temple: Child of Betty Jewell Fountain. Sibling of Frankie Jay Fountain. Jewell Lynn (Tiny) Fountain. Grandchild of Lenora M Perkins. Nephew of Versie Lee Perkins (Connesero). Cousin of Angela Maria Connesero
Mary Margaret Wotherspoon
Date of Birth: 11/7/1970
Age at Death: 8
Place of Birth: Santa Barbara, California
Race and Gender: White Female
Family in Temple: Child of Mary Beth Wotherspoon and Peter Andrew Wotherspoon
Non-Jonestown Residents
Don Harris
Date of Birth: 11/8/1936
Age at Death: 42
Race and Gender: White Male
Family: Husband of Shirley. Father of Claire, Lauren and Jeffrey.
Occupation: NBC news correspondent
Born as Roy Darwin Humphrey in a small Georgia town, Don Harris started his career at radio stations in Georgia, North Carolina and Florida, eventually working his way up to become an NBC War Correspondent. He reported live from the trenches of Vietnam and covered the fall of Saigon. The soldiers often called him “Mr. Lucky” because he had a way of dodging bullets and landmines better than everyone else. He was, for lack of better phrasing, a complete badass, the kind of reporter that rarely exists now, the kind that put himself in danger if he needed to in order to get you the real story, always keeping a “go get ‘em” positive attitude while at tough locations and always ready for the next adventure.
While in Jonestown, a resident confused him with Congressman Ryan and gave him a note asking for help to get out. Don didn’t hesitate to let the congressman know that not everyone was happy there, and that they needed to do whatever they could to help everyone who felt stuck. He was a brave man.