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The University of Virginia Jefferson Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Jefferson Papers

Scope and Contents

This collection consisists of letters written by and addressed to Thomas Jefferson, as well as architectural plans and studies that were created or endorsed by Jefferson, created by other individuals associated with him, deeds, plats, and maps, some of which pertain to the subjects of the architectural studies, and other miscelleneous materials.

Dates

  • Creation: 1732 - 1898

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Users must use microfilm unless prior permission to use originals has been obtained from senior Special Collections staff.

Conditions Governing Access

N 545, MSS 9090-a RESTRICTED. No access without written permission of the owner.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright not Evaluated: https://rightsstatements.org/page/CNE/1.0/?language=en

More about Rights and Permissions at UVA: https://www.library.virginia.edu/policies/use-of-materials

Digital reproductions are available:

links to individual pages found under each scanned item in the calendar here: https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=uva-sc/viu00007.xml;query=;

Architectural Drawings here: https://static.lib.virginia.edu/rmds/nichols/index.html

Biographical / Historical

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was the third president of the United States, born in Goochland (now Albemarle County), Virginia. He was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses from 1769 to 1775, and with R. H. Lee and Patrick Henry initiated the inter-colonial committee of correspondence in 1773. He wrote the widely circulated Summary View of the Rights of British America in 1774. Jefferson was a member of the Continental Congress in 1775 and 1776, and was chairman of committee that prepared Declaration of Independence. Jefferson himself wrote and presented the first draft of Declaration to Congress on July 2, 1776. He then signed Declaration with other founding fathers. Jefferson was Governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781, and again a member of the Continental Congress from 1783 to 1785. He proposed decimal coinage, a series of provisions later embodied in Ordinance of 1787. He served as U.S. minister to France from 1785 to 1789, and as U.S. Secretary of State from 1790 to 1793. He served as Vice president of the U.S. from 1797 to 1801, and drafted the Kentucky Resolves in 1798, against the Alien and Sedition Acts.

Jefferson was President of the United States from 1801 to 1809, elected by the House of Representatives after a tie in electoral vote (with Aaron Burr, q.v.). His presidential administration is remembered for the purchase of Louisiana from France in 1803 and dispatch of Lewis and Clark to explore it; the war against Algerian pirates from 1801 to 1805; diplomatic trouble with Great Britain over "impressments" of American seamen (Embargo Act of 1807); and prohibition of the importation of slaves.

After retirement from presidency, Jefferson lived on his plantation at Monticello near Charlottesville, Virginia. He was instrumental in founding the University of Virginia in 1819. He was a noted naturalist, scholar, and architect, and author of Notes on the State of Virginia in 1785. Jefferson died 4 July 1826 and is buried at Monticello.

Epithet: actor, son of Joseph Jefferson

SNAC Cooperative. British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000544.0x00007c. https://snaccooperative.org/view/83449756

Extent

14.2 Cubic Feet (1 legal document box, 1 half-width legal document box, 6 oversize flat boxes, 2 filing cabinets (4 drawers each).)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

  • License: This record is made available under an Universal 1.0 Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons license. The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library of the University of Virginia makes its bibliographic records and the metadata contained therein available for public use under the [CC0 1.0 Public Domain Designation (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/).

Arrangement

Letters are arranged chronologically. Archtectural drawings, other oversized, and miscelleneous materials are arranged by Nichols (N) number where applicable, and by MSS number otherwise.

Other Finding Aids

Main finding aid for this collection, A Calendar of The Jefferson Papers of the University of Virginia:

https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=uva-sc/viu00007.xml;query=;

Digital images of the architectural drawings, Nichols Tiffs:

https://static.lib.virginia.edu/rmds/nichols/index.html

Other online catalog, UVA Catalog of Jefferson's Drawings:

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/wilson/drawings/uvacat.html

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acquired by gift and purchase, 1825-present.

Related Materials

Other institutions with significant collections of Thomas Jefferson and Jefferson family manuscripts:

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS (DLC):

Thomas Jefferson Papers, 1606 to 1827

MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY (MHI):

Coolidge Collection of Thomas Jefferson Manuscripts, Massachusetts Historical Society.

MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM (MOSHI):

Thomas Jefferson Collection, 1773-1826

HUNTINGTON LIBRARY (CSMH):

Thomas Jefferson collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA (PHI):

Thomas Jefferson Papers, 1766-1825

AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY (PPAMP):

Thomas Jefferson papers, 1775-1825, Mss.B.J35

COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY (VIW):

Thomas Jefferson Papers, 1761-1931

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY (NN):

Thomas Jefferson papers, 1766-1826, MssCol 1557

VIRGINIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY (VIHI):

Thomas Jefferson Papers, 1780-1826, Mss2 J3595

General

This is an artificial collection with multiple accession/manuscript numbers, as well as a variety of implemetned arrangement systems.

Processing Information

Like the rest of the material in this collection, the Architectural Drawings and other oversized materials are arranged intellectually by dates of creation in the larger Calendar of the Jefferson Papers of the University of Virginia. However, the Architectural Drawings and other oversized materials are physically arranged according to their Nichols (N) number. This resource record was created to reflect that arrangement in order to provide easier access to the Archictural Drawings and other oversized items.

Title
The University of Virginia Jefferson Papers finding aid
Status
Completed
Subtitle
A Calendar of the Jefferson Papers of the University of Virginia
Author
Joseph Azizi, Special Collections Staff
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library Repository

Contact:
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
P.O. Box 400110
University of Virginia
Charlottesville Virginia 22904-4110 United States