“The Early Days of the Jefferson Society” (1871)
This article was clipped from the December 1871 publication of the University of Virginia Magazine (Vol. 10, No. 3), and provides a brief description of the Society’s origination and early years of existence. It states that the Jefferson Society was formed by sixteen members of the now-defunct Patrick Henry Society in 1825, and includes the names of the “leading secessionists” responsible for the creation of this new Society. Notably, the article also includes an excerpt from Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Society, written in response to him being named an honorary member at their inaugural meeting (according to the writer, the original letter “cannot now be found,” but luckily it was transcribed into the minutes by the Society’s secretary at that time).
