Related Materials

Other Jefferson Holdings at the Massachusetts Historical Society

A number of other manuscript collections at the Massachusetts Historical Society contain Thomas Jefferson papers. Among the collections that include substantial Jefferson correspondence are the papers of Elbridge Gerry and his descendants, the Robert Treat Paine papers, and, most notably, the Adams family papers. Jefferson's extensive correspondence with John and Abigail Adams, much of which can be found in the Adams family papers, has been edited and published by Lester Cappon in The Adams-Jefferson Letters (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1959, 1988). Other smaller collections of additional Jefferson documents and correspondence include: letters given by William Bixby, a noted Jefferson collector, in 1913 and 1915; a letter to James Brown, 1792, given in 1929 by Grenville H. Norcross; letters to Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Smith covering the years 1786-1787, donated by Heyliger de Windt in 1938; and a collection of autograph letters presented in 1957 by four donors.

The Massachusetts Historical Society also holds a 31-reel microfilm set of the papers of Thomas Jefferson filmed in 1944 with funds from Thomas Jefferson Coolidge III (now the "duplicate positive" set at the MHS). Some of the additional Jefferson documents and correspondence mentioned above can be found on Reel 31 of this set. Other microfilms held by the MHS include the 236 bound volumes of Thomas Jefferson manuscripts at the Library of Congress (101 reels of 16mm film), also funded by Thomas Jefferson Coolidge III; the Jefferson collection at the University of Virginia (10 reels); and the control file of all extant Jefferson documents compiled by the editors of The Papers of Thomas Jefferson at Princeton University (52 reels).

Also located at the MHS are early editions of many of Jefferson's published works, including Notes on the State of Virginia; the Manual of Parliamentary Practice for the Use of the Senate of the United States, 1801; and A Summary View of the Rights of British America, 1774. The MHS also holds copies of the following pamphlets: "Proceedings of the Government of the United States in Maintaining the Public Right to the Beach of Mississippi Adjacent to New Orleans Against the Intrusion of Edward Livingston," 1812; "Jefferson Against Madison's War," 1812; and "A Supplementary Note on Mouldboard," described in a letter to Sir John Sinclair, March 23, 1798, published in the American Philosophical Society Transactions, Vol. 4.

Other Collections of Jefferson Manuscripts

The Coolidge Collection contains almost 9,500 of the approximately 50,000 Jefferson-related manuscripts that are extant. While many are in the hands of private collectors, the bulk of the manuscripts are held by twelve major repositories.

1. Library of Congress (ca. 25,000 items, bound in 236 volumes)
Contains correspondence and documents from 1763-1826, most notably Jefferson's "public" papers, a draft of the Constitution of Virginia, letters on the University of Virginia, and several memoranda books.
On microfilm, 101 reels.

2. National Archives (number of items unknown)
Mostly transcripts of official correspondence dealing with the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention.
On microfilm, 12 reels.

3. University of Virginia (ca. 1,400 items)
Includes the Edgehill Randolph papers, the Carr and Cary papers, and the Maury deposit. Many documents and letters concern the University; there are 62 architectural drawings of the University.
There is a published calendar of this collection.

4. Missouri Historical Society (ca. 1,100 items)
Bixby-Jefferson collection.
On microfilm, 3 reels.

5. Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, California (ca. 800 items)
Covers the years 1764-1826. Includes estate papers of Jefferson's father Peter and documents of his own legal career.

6. New York Historical Society (ca. 700 items)
Letters from 1779-1826. Highlights include Jefferson's correspondence with General Von Steuben and Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
Partial microfilm, 2 reels.

7. College of William and Mary (ca. 300 items, part photocopies)
There are about 600 additional items in the Tucker-Coleman papers.

8. Historical Society of Pennsylvania (ca. 650 items)
Includes incoming and outgoing correspondence.

9. American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia (several hundred items)
Covers the years 1775-1826. Five boxes of miscellaneous letters and writings, some official papers of the American Philosophical Society when Jefferson acted as president.

10. Virginia Historical Society (80 items)
Covers the years 1771-1826. Letters found in several collections.

11. Virginia State Library (55 items)
Papers cover the period in which Jefferson served as a state legislator and governor: drafts of bills and resolutions, land grants, patents, and tax rolls.
On microfilm, 5 reels.

12. University of Michigan (45 items)
Mostly letters sent to Jefferson.

Other small collections of Thomas Jefferson manuscripts are located at the New Jersey Historical Society, the Princeton University Library, the University of South Carolina Library, and the South Carolina Historical Society.