The thousand members of Peoples Temple who moved from California to Guyana in the summer of 1977 were allowed two or three piece of luggage – depending upon their size – to carry most of their worldly possessions and personal items. A limited number of additional items might or might not eventually go over, depending upon their use to the larger Jonestown community, upon available space for them in the large wooden crates that were transported by ship, and upon their weight. Émigrés from the U.S. had to pack light, frugally, and with little attention to items that would have no value in the Promised Land.
The following are three sets of instructions and lists “for yonder,” as one page is labeled. None are dated.
These documents are courtesy of Lela Howard, the niece of Mary Pearl Willis, who died in Jonestown.
Checklist and instructions for permanent residents
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Clothing List For Yonder
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List for Airplane Luggage
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