Peter Legaux maintained two volumes of meteorological records between 1787-1800 in Spring Mill (what is today the Whitemarsh Township just outside of Philadelphia). The first volume features his correspondence with the American Philosophical Society—addressed to the society's then-president, Thomas Jefferson—in which he explains his methods for recording data, excerpted in Selected Quotations (2/25/1801). The second volume contains the data, including records from Philadelphia (c.1740-1770) that are believed to have been conducted by Phineas [or possibly Israel] Pemberton. Notably, when Legaux discusses the "Extraordinary cold for the season of the year" on 6/16/1816, he appears to describe what would later became known as the "year without summer," following the eruption of the volcano Tomboro in 1815. Researchers seeking further Legaux recordings—and other weather-related data from this period—may consult the Meteorology Collection (Mss.551.5.M56).
 

The meteorological observations contain at least 30 volumes spanning 1748-1822. Maintained by William Adair, Peter Legaux, James Madison, Phineas Pemberton, and other prominent figures from the early national period, these volumes capture meteorological data, thermometer readings, winds, and occasionally longitudes, latitudes, graphs, and miscellaneous notes. Phineas Pemberton recorded approximately half of the volumes, in or around Philadelphia during colonial and revolutionary period (August 1748-December 1776). Other volumes record meteorological data from New England (Samuel Williams), Natchez (William Dunbar), and Peru and northern Chile (Samuel Curson). Scholars researching late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth weather conditions will be well-served by this collection.
 

The "Contents" section of journal highlights key events in Sullivan's service and travels. Extracts from the journal were printed in the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography in 1910. The complete journal, edited by Joseph Lee Boyle, was published by Heritage Books in 1997.

In a fragile, single-volume journal (split in two), a non-commissioned British soldier named Thomas Sullivan records his experience fighting in the American Revolution (1775-1778). Sullivan offers a first-hand account of the earlier years of the war, including the evacuation of Boston, New Jersey campaign, and occupation of Philadelphia. He studiously documents significant early battles, including Bunker Hill (p.12) and Brandywine (229), as well as reports of events he did not personally witness. Notably, before Sullivan deserts the British Army and joins the Continental Army—serving under Nathanael Greene—he describes in a lengthy entry his shifting loyalties and common cause with the colonists as an Irish citizen (404-6). Interspersed between accounts of battles, Sullivan offers descriptions of indigenous peoples in Nova Scotia (52), American loyalists in New York (71), and a peculiar lightning strike en route to Philadelphia (229-230). Sullivan maintains his journal in an ornate script, suggested that he may have intended it for publication, and stops writing abruptly after he joins the Continental Army (422). This fascinating volume ought to particularly interest scholars researching turncoats and loyalists during the American Revolution.
 
The "Contents" section of journal highlights key events in Sullivan's service and travels. Extracts from the journal were printed in the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography in 1910. The complete journal, edited by Joseph Lee Boyle, was published by Heritage Books in 1997.