Note from Thomas Jefferson regarding the disposition of his Presidential papers, December 29, 1801

"Dated December 29, 1801, this letter from President Thomas Jefferson notes the lack of procedures or a "safe deposit" for his Presidential papers. His concerns were well founded. Before the advent of the Presidential Library system, it had been customary for Presidents to take these records with them as their personal property. The records were often passed from one generation to the next with little concern for their value to the history of the nation. Some presidential collections were well preserved by their heirs, but others were broken up and dispersed, or were partially destroyed..."
Presidential papers