American Philosophical Society Library & Museum Dataset documentation: Meteorological Journal vol. 2, 1789-1793 (Mss5515M26-02) --- Contents: Document type Dataset identifier File format Abstract Time Period, Start Date of Data Coverage Time Period, End Date of Data Coverage Date of this version Source(s) Data description Column structure and contents Damage and lost data Assumptions Normalization and data standards Related dataset(s) License Caveat Emptor Preferred citation Process & Attribution --- Document type: Dataset Dataset identifier: Mss5515M26-02 File format: CSV Abstract: "This is the second of two volumes of manuscript tables recording daily weather and other data, such as notes on plant sowing, harvesting, bird migration, and other seasonal phenomena at James Madison's plantation, Montpelier. Some notes are in Dolley Madison's hand." Time Period, Start Date of Data Coverage: 1789 Time Period, End Date of Data Coverage: 1793 Date of this version: July 2020 Source(s): Item title: Meteorological Journal vol. 2, 1789-1793 Item collection: Meteorological journals, 1784-1788, 1789-1793, American Philosophical Society. Item call number: Mss 551.5 M26 (Volume 2) Finding aid: https://search.amphilsoc.org/collections/view?docId=ead/Mss.551.5.M26-ead.xml Digital surrogate location: https://diglib.amphilsoc.org/islandora/object/text:275669 Data description: This dataset contains the information from volume 2 (1789- 1793) and is fully interoperable with Mss5515M26-01 (1784-1788). The manuscript entries were originally transcribed into database/tabular form by Dr. Daniel Druckenbrod. His organization scheme and annotations remain in the columns 'Druckenbrod Sort ID' and 'Druckenbrod Notes'. With the permission of Dr. Druckenbrod, these datasets were reviewed, edited, and restructured when necessary to ensure interoperability with similar datasets being created at UVA from Thomas Jefferson's weather records. Specific alterations are noted in the "Normalization and Data Standards" section of this documentation. These changes as well as other notes from the process at APS are found in each dataset's 'APS Notes' column. Each row has been assigned a numerical ID ('Sort ID') to allow sorting while preserving the data's context. Temperature is recorded in Fahrenheit, and any volume is recorded in inches. Column structure and contents: This documentation is extensive and can be found in the accompanying JSON file. Damage and Lost Data: This dataset, for volume 2, ends on April 12, 1793. Any damage to the document or placement of the data that is not aligned with the original hand-written table is noted in 'APS Notes'. Assumptions: Any instances of ditto, Do. or Ib., are corrected and assumed to refer to the information in the row above in the dataset. Any instance of sunrise in 'Time Transcribed' is assumed to correspond with sunrise time marked in contemporary Virginia almanacs. The St. George Tucker almanacs are referenced for the sunrise time data. The almanacs are part of the Tucker-Coleman Papers at the William and Mary Special Collections Research Center, and are accessed through their Digital Archive. The 1788 and 1789 almanacs are not present in the Digital Archive and those corresponding data points are left blank in 'Time Transcribed'. Normalization and Data Standards: Wind and precipitation data is normalized in the equivalent “Data” sections (ie: 'Wind Direction Transcribed' is normalized in 'Wind Direction Data'). 'Date' follows a YYYY-MM-DD format. Any temperature, when it is not directly transcribed, is recorded to the tenths place in Fahrenheit, and any presence of “999” in the temperature data is replaced with a blank data point. 'Wind Direction Data' uses the four cardinal points and any reference to that direction in the transcribed data is converted to either of the four points in the data column (e.g.: southerly is noted as S). The exception to this is the presence of veering wind, which is normalized as “null”. Precipitation amount is recorded to tenth of an inch. Any additional temperature recordings in the 'Meteorological Transcriptions' section (e.g.: 77 at 5 O’Clock) are moved to the 'APS Notes' column. If the extra temperature comment is lengthy, it is moved to 'Other Observations' and the change is noted in 'APS Notes'. When a note on plant growth includes various dates (e.g.: April 10 planted peas / 25 peas blossoming / 29 first peas at the table [all written in for April 10]), the relevant information is redistributed to each date (ie: relevant note moved to April 10, 25, and 29). The division and originating date (e.g.: April 10) is recorded in APS Notes. Related Dataset(s): Mss5515M26-01 License: These datasets are available for anyone to evaluate, share, reuse, and remix as they wish under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Please attribute APS Library & Museum. Caveat Emptor: These datasets were created as part of the American Philosophical Society's Open Data Initiative (Learn more at http://diglib.amphilsoc.org/data). Although contributors took care to minimize mistakes and inconsistencies in the creation of these items, and have included any assumptions or choices made on their part that may affect interoperability or integrity of the data, APS cannot guarantee that they are free of instances of human error. They are offered "as is," and researchers are encouraged to consult the original records in digital or physical format in the event of uncertainty. If you have feedback or notice errors in the data, please contact us at digitalprojects@amphilsoc.org. Preferred Citation: Chicago (16th ed., bibliography): Druckenbrod, Daniel and Molly E. Nebiolo. Meteorological Journal, 1789-1793. Dataset Mss5515M26-02. Distributed by Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society Library & Museum, 2020. [url] Process: Phase One, March 2020: Digitization by Bayard Miller at APS. Transcriptions of volumes obtained from Dr. Daniel Druckenbrod in database form, with permission to reuse, remix, and redistribute contents. Interoperable data model obtained from Meteorological Project partner, the Center for Digital Editing at the University of Virginia. Phase Two, May-July 2020: Data evaluation, cleanup, restructuring, and refinement by Molly E. Nebiolo (Northeastern University Experiential PhD Fellow) at APS. Phase Three, July 2020: Documentation created. Dataset edited for clarity and uploaded to APS Digital Library by Cynthia Heider.