Timeline of Jefferson's Life and His Libraries

 
 Shadwell Library (1757 to 1 February 1770)
 
 Monticello Library Eventually Sold to Congress in 1815 (1770 to 1815)
 
 Poplar Forest Library (1809 to 1826)
 
 Retirement Library at Monticello (1815 - 1826)

Date Library Mss / Print Catalogue Public Life Private Life
1743                             Inventory of the Estate of Peter Jefferson (1757)   Thomas Jefferson born on April 13 at Shadwell plantation in Goochland (later Albemarle) County, Virginia.
1748   Attends the English school at age 5.
1752-1757   Attends Reverend William Douglas' Latin school from age 9, and learns the rudiments of Latin, Greek, and French.
1757   His father, Peter Jefferson, dies on August 17, when Jefferson is 14 years old.
1758-1760 No surviving Jefferson mss   Attends Reverend James Maury's school in Fredericksville Parish, twelve miles from Shadwell. Most likely begins his literary commonplace book during this time, in which he copies extracts from Greek, Latin, and English literature.
1760-1762   Attends College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia from age 17, and comes under the tutelage of Scotsman, William Small, professor of natural philosophy and mathematics.
1762   Begins reading law under George Wythe in Williamsburg.
1764   Comes into his inheritance at age 21.
1765   Passes his bar examination and returns to Shadwell. Favorite sister Jane dies on October 1.
1765-1766   Probably begins his legal commonplace book and equity commonplace book during this time, in which he records notes of judicial decisions and other legal authorities in the course of his reading and study.
1767   Admitted to practice law before the General Court of colonial Virginia, and begins practicing as a lawyer in Albemarle and Augusta counties.
1768 Elected as Albemarle delegate to the House of Burgesses. Levels Monticello mountaintop. Acquires books from the estate of Philip Ludwell.
1769-1774 Serves as Albemarle delegate in the House of Burgesses.  
1769   Begins construction of a small dwelling (later the south pavilion) at Monticello.
1770   Fire at Shadwell destroys most of his papers and his library on February 1. Moves to south pavilion at Monticello on November 26.
1770                                         1783 Catalog   Begins to rebuild his library. Acquires books from Nathaniel Walthoe's "valuable collection of English, Latin, French, and Italian books."
1771   Draws up a list of recommended books for Robert Skipwith in August 1771.
1772   Marries widow Martha Wayles Skelton on January 1. Daughter Martha born on September 27.
1772   Acquires books from the estate of his wife, Martha's deceased first husband, Bathurst Skelton.
1773   Records inventory of William Byrd II's Westover library in his Memorandum Book, from which he later acquires a number of titles.
1773   Records in his Memorandum Book a count of 669 books from the estate of his father-in-law, John Wayles, which he later receives in 1774.
1773   Records in his Memorandum Book a count of 1,256 volumes in his Monticello library as at August 4, 1773.
1774 Writes A Summary View of the Rights of British America. Retires from legal practice. Second daughter Jane Randolph born on April 3. Acquires books from the estate of Dabney Carr.
1775 Elected to the Continental Congress. Daughter Jane Randolph dies in September.
1776 Drafts Declaration of Independence. Mother Jane Randolph Jefferson dies on March 31.
1776 Elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Appointed to the Committee to revise the laws of Virginia. Acquires books from the libraries of Richard Bland, James Horrocks and Peyton Randolph.
1776-1779 Serves in the Virginia House of Delegates.  
1777 Drafts the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which is submitted to the General Assembly in 1779, and adopted in 1786. Unnamed son is born on May 28, and dies on June 14.
1778 Drafts the Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge. Daughter Mary (or Maria) is born on August 1.
1778   Acquires books from the library of Samuel Henley, and a near complete set of the Virginia Gazette from the estate of Reverend William Willie.
1779-1781 Serves as Governor of Virginia.  
1780 Begins his Notes on the State of Virginia. Elected member of the American Philosophical Society. Daughter Lucy Elizabeth (I) born on November 3.
1781 British troops arrive at Monticello on June 4. Retreats with family to Amherst County and eventually to Poplar Forest until July 24. Daughter Lucy Elizabeth dies on April 15.
1782   Daughter Lucy Elizabeth (II) born on May 8. Wife Martha dies on September 6. First Monticello house substantially completed.
1783-1784 Serves in the Continental Congress as delegate from Virginia. Records a count of 2,640 volumes in his Monticello library as at March 6, 1783 in his 1783 Catalog of books.
1784-1789                                               1789 Catalog /
1783 Catalog 		Serves in France as minister plenipotentiary to negotiate treates of amity and commerce with foreign powers, and later replaces Benjamin Franklin as minister to France. Draws up his 1789 Catalog listing the over 2,000 books he acquires during his time in Europe between 1784 - 1789. It is unclear when he begins his 1789 Catalog, probably during the second half of the period. The book entries in the 1789 are also found in the 1783 Catalog - it is unclear whether these entries were entered in his 1783 Catalog in Europe, or after his return to the United States.
1784   Arrives in Paris with daughter Martha on July 5. Daughter Lucy Elizabeth dies in October.
1785 Publishes 200 copies of his Notes on the State of Virginia in Paris for private distribution.  
1786 In London to negotiate foreign commercial treaties from March 11 to April 26. Tours English landscape gardens with John Adams from April 4 to 9.  
1787 Tours southern France and northern Italy from February 28 to June 10. Daughter Mary arrives in Paris on July 15.
1788 Travels to Amsterdam to negotiate American funding plans, and makes tour of the Rhine River Valley.  
1789 Leaves France with his family to return to the United States on home leave, and receives his appointment as Secretary of State by George Washington.  
1790   Daughter Martha marries Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr. at Monticello on February 23.
1790   Books acquired in Europe arrives in Philadelphia from Paris.
1790-1793 1783 Catalog Serves as Secretary of State of the United States in New York City, and then in Philadelphia.  
1791   First grandchild, Anne Cary Randolph, is born on January 23. Acquires books from John Carey's library.
1794   Books in Philadelphia return to Monticello.
1796   Begins remodeling and enlarging Monticello.
1797-1801 Serves as Vice President of the United States.  
1797-1815 Serves as president of the American Philosophical Society.  
1797   Daughter Mary marries John Wayles Eppes at Monticello on October 13.
1800 Prepares his Manual of Parliamentary Practice for the Use of the Senate of the United States, which is published in 1801.  
1800-1808   Collects newspaper clippings of poems and prose, including political, sentimental, and humorous songs, satires, parodies, and ballads.
1801-1809 Serves as third President of the United States in Washington, D.C.  
1802 Prepares a catalogue of books to be acquired for the Library of Congress.  
1803 Concludes Louisiana Purchase. Launches the Lewis and Clark expedition to the Northwest.  
1804   Compiles from the Gospels his The Philosophy of Jesus. Daughter Mary dies at Monticello on April 17.
1806 Wythe Library List /
1783 Catalog 		  Inherits the library of George Wythe. Begins construction on his octagonal retreat at Poplar Forest in Bedford County, Virgnia.
1809             1783 Catalog / No surviving Poplar Forest library mss Retires from the presidency. Returns to Monticello on March 15. Begins visits to Poplar Forest where he begins a library collection as well. Completes remodeling of Monticello and construction of dependencies during the year.
1811   Sister Martha Jefferson Carr dies at Monticello.
1812 1812 Catalogue (lost mss)   Creates a fair copy of his 1783 Catalog, referred to here as the 1812 Catalogue.
1814 Named a trustee of Albemarle Academy.  
1815 Sells 6,707 volumes of his personal library to Congress after the British destroy the United States Capitol and the Library of Congress in 1814. Brother Randolph Jefferson dies.
1815                       Retirement Library Catalogue/
No surviving Poplar Forest mss		   Begins his third and final library at Monticello.
1816 Writes introduction and revises translation of Destutt de Tracy's A Treatise on Political Economy.
Named a visitor of Central College (which later becomes the the University of Virginia). 		 
1817   Has his granddaughters, Cornelia Jefferson Randolph and Ellen Wayles Randolph, label his books in his Poplar Forest library.
1818 Attends the Rockfish Gap conference from August 1 to 4 to choose the site for the proposed University of Virginia.  
1819 University of Virginia chartered on January 25. Named to the Board of Visitors on February 13, and elected rector on March 29. Begins his second compilation from the Gospels, his The Life and Morals of Jesus.
1821 Writes his Autobiography at age 77.  
1823 Trist Catalogue   Has his secretary, Nicholas Philip Trist, re-create a catalogue of books that he sold to Congress in 1815.
1825 1825 UVA Library Catalogue University of Virginia opens on March 7. Draws up a list of 6,860 volumes to be acquired for the University of Virginia Library.  
1826 Retirement Library Catalogue/
No surviving Poplar Forest mss		   Draws up will on March 16, and in a codicil on March 17, bequeaths his library to the University of Virginia.
1826   Dies at Monticello on July 4 at age 83.
1826 His grandson and executor, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, obtains permission on October 7, 1826 from the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia (UVA) to have Jefferson's Retirement Library books temporarily stored at UVA for safekeeping, on the understanding that these may need to be withdrawn and sold to settle Jefferson's debts.  
1827       Monticello's furniture and slaves are sold at auction in January 1827.  
1828       Thomas Jefferson Randolph reclaims Jefferson's Retirement Library books from UVA in December 1828.  
1829     Poor Catalogue His 1,600-volume Retirement Library is sold at auction by Nathaniel P. Poor in Washington, D.C. from February 27 to March 11, 1829.  
1831       The Monticello house and property are sold in 1831.  
1873     Leavitt Catalogue The 675-volume Poplar Forest library bequeathed to his grandson, Francis Eppes, is put up for sale, and is sold at auction by George A. Leavitt in New York City, New York from November 5 to 6, 1873.