Ann Elizabeth Moore Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-0526

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Ann Elizabeth Moore Papers (1954-1978) consist of correspondence, schoolwork, photographs, artwork and memorabilia. All materials are organized alphabetically by document type, with correspondence further organized chronologically within its folders. The largest amount of material is correspondence, and within that category most letters are written to Ann from her friends. The earliest letters date from when Ann was only eight years old, and most correspondence continues until after her high school graduation, making the letters exceptionally noteworthy as a window into Ann’s girlhood and adolescence. Her friends wrote to her about boys, school, music, and other topics. Letters written from Ann to her parents after she immigrated to Guyana in 1976 as part of the Peoples Temple community in Jonestown are especially significant. Ann’s schoolwork spans her years at Davis Junior High School and Davis Senior High School. One of her school reports, about the 1960s pop musician Donovan, is particularly notable not only for its contents but also for the detailed marginalia that Ann drew. The collection contains a significant amount of Ann’s artwork, including small books she assembled and illustrated as well as her sketches and drawings.

Dates

Creation: 1956-1978

Creator

Moore, Ann Elizabeth (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The copyright interests in some or all of these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creator(s) of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of archival collections is such that multiple creators are often applicable and copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. In any case, the user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, obtaining publication rights and copyright infringement. When requesting images from Special Collections & University Archives for publication, we require a signed agreement waiving San Diego State University of any liability in the event of a copyright violation.

Biographical Note

Ann Elizabeth Moore was born on May 12, 1954 to parents John and Barbara Moore. She spent much of her adolescence in San Francisco and Davis, California. She had two older sisters - Carolyn and Rebecca - and her father served as a minister in the United Methodist Church. She lived with her sister Rebecca and her husband Patrick Clary in Washington, D.C. during the summer of 1971 and she volunteered her time at the Children’s Hospital of the District of Columbia. After graduating high school in 1972, Ann moved to Redwood Valley to live with her other sister, Carolyn, and work in the Peoples Temple church. Ann attended Santa Rosa Junior College and earned a degree in nursing in 1975. In the years to follow, Ann gradually became more involved with Peoples Temple, becoming a member of Jim Jones’ inner circle. She moved with the group to Jonestown, in Guyana, in 1976 where she helped to develop the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project. Ann and her sister Carolyn died in the tragedy at Jonestown on November 18, 1978.