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Daily Observation Records

Eight sets of manuscripts containing parts of Jefferson’s tables of daily meteorological observations have been identified. They make up Jefferson’s weather diaries from July 1776 to June 1826, with gaps and some duplication. Three of the manuscripts are in the Coolidge Collection of Thomas Jefferson Manuscripts at the Massachusetts Historical Society; others are in the collections of the Library of Congress, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the New-York Historical Society, and the New York Public Library; and one was in private hands when photostats were acquired by the Papers of Thomas Jefferson editorial project in 1947. Five of the records are in bound volumes that include other memoranda by Jefferson, such as financial accounts.

The daily observation records have been transcribed in full and constitute the primary body of data drawn on for searches and visualizations on this site.

For a detailed description, images, and transcription of any of these records, click on its image or label below.

  • Daily Record, 1 July 1776-10 January 1777, pg. 1

    Daily Record, 1 July 1776-10 January 1777

    Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS)

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  • Daily Record, 1 July 1776-18 December 1799, pg. 1

    Daily Record, 1 July 1776-18 December 1799

    Library of Congress (LOC)

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  • Daily Record, 10 July-9 September 1778, pg. 1

    Daily Record, 10 July-9 September 1778

    Historical Society of Pennsylvania

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  • Daily Record, 4 January-15 April 1779, pg. 1

    Daily Record, 4 January-15 April 1779

    New York Historical Society

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  • Daily Record, 1 January 1784-28 February 1790, p. 1

    Daily Record, 1 January 1784-28 February 1790

    Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS)

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  • Daily Record, 1 January 1791-9 April 1794 p. 1

    Daily Record, 1 January 1791-9 April 1794

    New York Public Library (NYPL)

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  • Daily Record, 25 July-14 August 1792, pg 1

    Daily Record, 25 July-14 August 1792

    Privately Owned

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  • Daily Record, 1 November 1802-29 June 1826, p. 1

    Daily Record, 1 November 1802-29 June 1826

    Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS)

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Other Weather and Climate Documents

A second category of texts includes documents from Jefferson’s papers that relate to climate or weather but are not part of his ongoing register of daily observations.

Several of these texts have been extracted from the pages of the daily observation records. Some are notes Jefferson made regarding his observation procedures (for example, Note on “Rejected” Temperatures, ca. June 1799), and some record data from a period of time (such as Recapitulation of Depth of Snows, 1802–1803 to 1808–1809). Two of the documents record daily observation data but can best be understood apart from the main weather diaries. One of these is a table of observations from Jefferson’s voyage across the Atlantic in July 1784 on his way to France. The other document, labeled Bedroom Temperatures, 1802–1804, consists of columns of data that Jefferson incorporated into his observation record for a little more than a year beginning in December 1802. Those entries consist of readings from a thermometer placed in an unheated interior room, with notes of how far the room’s window was open overnight (not all of Jefferson’s notations in these entries are understood). Although he incorporated this data with his daily weather observations for the period, these entries really constitute a discrete set of experimental data.

Additional Notes on Rain and Snow Gauges, Winter 1810
Atlantic Crossing, July 1784
Bedroom Temperatures, 1802-1804
Calculations of Precipitation, January-March 1811
Explanation of Rain Gauge, Summer 1809
Explanation of Terms, February 1784
Note on Temperatures in Wine Vault and Icehouse at Monticello, 11 June 1806
Note on “Rejected” Temperatures, ca. June 1799
Rainfall, July 1809-June 1810
Recapitulation of Depth of Snows, 1802-1803 to 1808-1809

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