Ron Sines, his younger sister Nancy Sines, and his wife Debbie Sines were young adults who joined Peoples Temple and who worked on the Ranch in Redwood Valley before Ron and Nancy left for Jonestown in mid-1977. Both Ron and Nancy died on November 18, 1978.
The letters below give a snapshot of two middle class white people who were devoted to the utopian ideals that the Temple espoused. It is unknown if either of the siblings wrote additional letters which have been lost, whether any other letters they may have written were censored at the source, or whether they were just sporadic in their habits.
It should be noted that Barbara Sines – the mother of Ron and Nancy – was one of the early advocates for a permanent memorial to the Jonestown dead at Evergreen Cemetery. Her writings appear here. Those of Susan Ashby, a cousin of Ron and Nancy, appear here.
These letters were transcribed by Lori Wortham. The editors gratefully acknowledge her invaluable assistance.
Letters of Nancy Sines
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Letters of Ron and Debbie Sines
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Letters from the U.S.Embassy post-November 18, 1978
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