Resources Available at Thomas Jefferson University

Since the University Archives holds records dating from the establishment of Jefferson Medical College in 1824 to the present, the Department contains several collections useful for genealogical research. At the very least, we can determine whether your ancestor graduated from Jefferson, the years he attended, and place(s) of residence. Other information which MAY be available includes:

• the title of his thesis (a requirement until 1885);
• the name of his preceptor (a physician with whom the individual studied);
• education prior to attendance at Jefferson;
• activities while at Jefferson;
• place of internship;
• professional activities after graduation; or
• an obituary notice.

Contact the University Archives for Assistance

The University Archives can provide a quick reference check of our resources for information about your ancestor. To submit a reference question, please use the Online Reference Request Form and be sure to provide complete contact information for yourself and any information you already have regarding your ancestor. Again, this is only a cursory search.

For the non-Jefferson community we can provide more in-depth reference research as outlined in the Absentee Reference Fee Service Policy under Policies and Forms.

For information about the history of Jefferson Medical College and Thomas Jefferson University, see the list of published histories under Research Sources. Visit the historical section of the Jefferson Digital Commons for access to digitized materials.

Available Resources

Collections within the University Archives useful for genealogical research include:

Matriculation registers, 1828-1838 and 1849-1900

The registers contain an entry for each student that matriculated at Jefferson. Entries include the student’s name; place of residence by city, county, and state; and the name of the student's preceptor (a physician with who the individual studied). Some entries may include other colleges the student attended.

Student Record Books, 1894-1948

These are alphabetical listings, by graduation year, of each class of students and often include where the individual graduated from high school or college.

Catalogs and Announcements, 1825-present, with gaps

These publication contain a list of matriculated students including their place of residence, a list of graduates for the year including the title of their thesis (a requirement until 1885) as well as general information about Jefferson's curriculum, requirements for graduation, suggested or required books, and a list of faculty and facilities at the College.

Some catalogs are available online.

The Clinic (student yearbooks), 1899-present. Also reunion issues for the classes of 1908, 1910, 1912-1917, 1922, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1944S, 1944J, 1945, 1949, 1959, 1964, 1967, 1979, and 1984

Information on each student varies from volume to volume but MAY include the graduate's age, previous education, membership in societies while at Jefferson, place of internship, as well as a photograph. The yearbooks only list this information for that year’s graduates.

Some Jefferson Medical College yearbooks are available online.

Alumni Association Necrology Files for the classes of 1851-present (Strongest after 1880)
Obituary files from the College and Clinical Record, 1880-1899
Obituary files from the Jeffersonian, 1901-1907

At the very least, these files contain a date of death and may also contain an obituary or other clippings pertaining to the graduate and their medical career.