Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Preferred Citation
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Custodial History
Biographical / Historical
Scope and Contents
Processing Information
General
Related Materials
Existence and Location of Copies
Arrangement
Publication note
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Thomas Jefferson collection
Creator:
Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
Identifier/Call Number: mssJefferson
Physical Description:
47.3 Linear Feet
(39 boxes, 3 volumes)
Date (inclusive): 1764-1826
Abstract: The Thomas Jefferson collection
contains correspondence and documents; architectural drawings, plans, and surveys; accounts;
and notebooks dating from 1764 to 1826. The bulk of the collection is correspondence
pertaining to various aspects of Thomas Jefferson's political career, family life, and
interests. Architectural drawings, plans, and surveys primarily relate to land and
properties in Virginia, with many representing Monticello and the surrounding
area.
Language of Material: Materials are primarily in English;
several items are in French, Spanish, and Italian.
Conditions Governing Access
RESTRICTED. Available with curatorial approval. Requires extended retrieval and delivery
time.
Conditions Governing Use
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Thomas Jefferson collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Thomas Jefferson collection was assembled by the Huntington Library, with the bulk of
the material acquired through two sales from bookdealer George D. Smith of New York in 1916
and 1918. Material purchased in the 1916 sale had been held by Thomas Jefferson's
great-great-granddaughter Cornelia Jefferson Taylor and the 1918 material was acquired by
Smith from collector William K. Bixby. In addition, some items in this collection were
purchased by the Huntington Library through auctions and sales by Anderson Galleries, the
American Art Association, Maggs Bros., B.A. Brown, G.H. Hart and others, and several items
were donated by individuals. This summary is based on information from Huntington Library
legacy information files and summary reports, the Henry E. Huntington papers, manuscript
catalog cards, and legacy manuscript housing folders. Source of acquisition is noted in item
descriptions, when known.
Custodial History
Material purchased from William K. Bixby via dealer George D. Smith had been acquired by
Bixby from George P. Coleman of Richmond, Virginia.
The Thomas Jefferson collection also consists of a number of items transferred from other
archival collections held at the Huntington Library; item call numbers reflect these
removals and refer to the following collections: the R.A. Brock collection and papers (BR),
the Rufus King papers (RK), the William Jones Rhees papers (RH), the William Eaton papers
(EA), and the John Lorimer Graham papers (GM).
Biographical / Historical
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743-July 4, 1826), the third president of the United States,
was born at Shadwell, Virginia, the son of farmer, surveyor, and enslaver Peter Jefferson
(1707/08-1757) and Jane Randolph Jefferson (1720-1776). Jefferson attended the College of
William & Mary in Williamsburg from 1760 to 1762; he studied law following his
graduation and was admitted to the bar in 1767. From 1769 to 1775, he served in the Virginia
House of Burgesses. In June 1775, Jefferson became a delegate to the Second Continental
Congress, where he was tasked with drafting a declaration of independence from Great Britain
in June 1776. He was governor of Virginia during the Revolutionary War, from 1779 to 1781,
and in 1783 was elected to Congress as a delegate from Virginia. From 1784 to 1789,
Jefferson lived in France, first as a member of the commission appointed to negotiate
commerce treaties with European countries, then as U.S. minister to France, returning to the
U.S. as the French Revolution was underway. While in France, he published Notes on the State
of Virginia (1785). In 1790, he was appointed secretary of state in the George Washington
administration, serving until 1793. Jefferson was vice president of the U.S. from 1797 to
1801 in the John Adams administration.
Jefferson was elected president of the United States as a Democratic-Republican in a close
and contentious 1800 race which was not settled until February 1801; he served two terms
from 1801 to 1809. The purchase of the Louisiana territory from France in 1803 was the major
event of his first term in office; others include the First Barbary War and the ratification
of the 12th amendment to the Constitution in June 1804. Events of Jefferson's second term
include the Aaron Burr conspiracy and his 1807 treason trial, the 1807 Act Prohibiting
Importation of Slaves which ended the Atlantic slave trade, and the Embargo Act of 1807 and
subsequent trade embargo on foreign countries from 1807 to 1809.
Following his presidency, Jefferson returned to Virginia for an active retirement. He was
president of the American Philosophical Society for eighteen years. In 1815, he sold his
voluminous library to Congress, helping to create the Library of Congress. Jefferson founded
the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in 1819, designing the school's buildings and
creating its curriculum; the university opened in 1825.
Jefferson married Martha Wayles Skelton (1748-1782) in 1772; the couple had six children,
two of whom lived to adulthood: Martha ("Patsy") Jefferson Randolph (1772-1836) and Mary
("Maria," "Polly") Jefferson Eppes (1778-1804). Martha married Thomas Mann Randolph Jr.
(1768-1828) in 1790, and Mary married John Wayles Eppes (about 1773-1823) in 1797. Jefferson
had a decades-long relationship with Sally Hemings (1773-1835), an enslaved woman in his
household; Hemings had at least six children by him, four of whom lived to adulthood:
Beverly Hemings (1798-?), Harriet Hemings (1801-?), Madison Hemings (1805-1877), and Eston
Hemings Jefferson (1808-1856).
Jefferson inherited his father's property in Albemarle County, Virginia at age 21,
including the Shadwell plantation. He began construction of his home Monticello, designed by
himself, in 1769; building and renovations continued to 1808. The Monticello estate included
tobacco and wheat crops; vegetable and flower gardens; livestock; workshops for textiles,
woodworking, nail making, and blacksmithing; and mills. The property was divided into
separate farms named Monticello, Tufton, Shadwell, and Lego. In addition, Jefferson
inherited properties in Virginia from his father-in-law John Wayles around 1774, including
the plantations Elk Hill (or Elkhill) in Goochland County and Poplar Forest in Bedford
County, which became his retreat during his retirement.
Jefferson enslaved over 600 persons, primarily at his Monticello and Poplar Forest
plantations. Enslaved laborers worked in the fields and gardens and undertook much of the
skilled labor in the various workshops and mills on the property, including in the building
trades, and constructed portions of Monticello and Poplar Forest. Enslaved persons also
performed numerous domestic labor tasks in Jefferson's household, including the influential
chef, James Hemings.
Thomas Jefferson died at home at Monticello at age 83.
Scope and Contents
The Thomas Jefferson collection contains correspondence and documents; architectural
drawings, plans, and surveys; accounts; and notebooks dating from 1764 to 1826. The bulk of
the collection is correspondence and includes letters to Jefferson as well as letters from
him, which are mostly letterpress and polygraph copies of outgoing letters created by him.
Correspondence pertains to Jefferson's political career as governor of Virginia, minister to
France, secretary of state, vice president, and president; most letters from his
post-presidency concern the founding of the University of Virginia. Also present are
numerous letters to various family members, especially daughters Martha Jefferson Randolph
and Mary Jefferson Eppes and their husbands Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. and John Wayles Eppes,
which discuss family activities, education, travel plans, and health. Many items in this
collection relate to Jefferson's properties and estates, especially Monticello and Poplar
Forest; letters, documents, and account books concern horticulture, crops and tobacco, and
seeds, as well as household expenses, finances, and goods. Several items pertain to or
mention slavery and enslaved persons as well as Native Americans—see Scope and Contents
notes for more information.
The architectural drawings, plans, and surveys in the collection primarily depict land and
properties in Virginia, with many representing Monticello and the surrounding area.
Architectural drawings also include those created by Jefferson for the College of William
& Mary in Williamsburg, the Virginia capitol and the city of Richmond, and the Hôtel de
Langeac in Paris. Volumes in the collection include account books, a memoranda book, legal
case and fee books, and a daybook of market accounts kept by Jefferson's maître d'hôtel
Étienne Lemaire during his second presidential term. Also present are parts for Jefferson's
polygraph machine.
Processing Information
The Thomas Jefferson collection was reprocessed in 2021-2022 by Melissa Haley as part of
the American Presidential Papers Project. The items had been physically assembled and
arranged by former Huntington Library staff; material was rehoused during reprocessing.
Previously assigned item-level call numbers have been retained.
The number of pages for each item is noted in parentheses in item-level Scope and Contents
notes; page totals include enclosures if present. Document measurements are included at the
item level for drawings, surveys, and oversize items.
Previously assigned legacy terminology regarding autograph, endorsement, and franking
status of items was retained. Items marked
autograph indicate
the item is in the handwriting of the author of the letter or document.
Endorsement usually refers to a signature of the addressee or
individual authorized to read and respond to a letter and indicates that they have done so.
In Jefferson's case, he endorsed letters received with the sender's name, date of letter,
and date received; he also endorsed copies of his outgoing letters with name of recipient
and date sent.
Franking indicates the presence of an authorized
signature for mailing purposes.
General
Item HM 5721 (4) has been missing since at least February 1987; receipt for shoes purchased
from John Minchin, 1801 March 5, with note and signature of Jefferson.
Related Materials
Related collections at the Huntington Library:
Existence and Location of Copies
Arrangement
Arranged into the following series: 1. Correspondence and documents; 2. Architectural
drawings, plans, surveys; 3. Volumes; 4 Polygraph machine parts.
Publication note
Most Jefferson letters and documents have been published in
Founders Online, National Archives ;
in Julian P. Boyd et al, editors, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson (Princeton: Princeton
University Press, 1950-); and/or in J. Jefferson Looney et al, editors, The Papers of Thomas
Jefferson: Retirement Series (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004-). Letters
acquired from William K. Bixby via dealer George D. Smith were published in the
limited-edition Thomas Jefferson Correspondence: Printed from the Originals in the
Collections of William K. Bixby (Boston, 1916). Some architectural drawings and a memoranda
book have been published—see item descriptions in series 2 and 3.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Families -- United States --
History
Families -- Virginia -- History
Slavery -- United States -- History --
18th century
Slavery -- United States -- History -- 19th century
Elk Hill (Va.)
Monticello (Va.) -- History -- Sources
United States -- Foreign relations -- 1789-1809
United States -- Politics and Government
-- 1775-1783
United States -- Politics and Government
-- 1783-1809
United States -- Politics and Government
-- 1809-1817
United States -- Politics and Government -- 1817-1825
Virginia -- History -- 1775-1865 -- Sources
Virginia -- Politics and Government -- 1775-1783
Account books -- United States -- 18th century
Account books – United States – 19th century
Architectural drawings (visual works)
Architectural drawings (visual works) -- United States -- 18th
century
Architectural drawings (visual works) -- United States -- 19th
century
Commonplace books -- United States -- 18th century
Land surveys -- Virginia -- 18th century
Land surveys -- Virginia -- 19th century
Letterpress copies -- United States -- 18th century
Letterpress copies -- United States -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 18th century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Receipts (financial records) -- 19th century
Bacon, Edmund, 1785-
Barnes, John, 1730-1826
Brockenbrough, Arthur S., 1780-1832
Carr, Martha Jefferson, 1746-1811
Cocke, John Hartwell, 1780-1866
Eppes, Elizabeth Wayles, 1752-1810
Eppes, Francis
Eppes, Francis, 1747-1808
Eppes, John Wayles, 1773-1823
Eppes, Maria, 1778-1804
Randolph, Martha Jefferson, 1772-1836
Randolph, Thomas M. (Thomas Mann), 1768-1828
Poplar Forest (Va.)
University of Virginia
University of Virginia. Library