HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jane Randolph Jefferson (February 10, 1720 – March 31, 1776) was the wife of
Peter Jefferson Peter Jefferson (February 29, 1708 – August 17, 1757) was a planter, cartographer, and politician in colonial Virginia best known for being the father of the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. The "Fry-Jefferson Map", cre ...
and the mother of
US president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
. Born in the parish of Shadwell, near
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, she was the daughter of Isham Randolph, a ship's captain and a planter. Jefferson was proud of her heritage and brought customs of aristocracy to her family. Jefferson was revered within her family's household and positively influenced her son, Thomas Jefferson.


Early life and education

Jane Randolph was born on February 10, 1720, at Shakspear Walk, in Shadwell, then a maritime village about a mile east of the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
. She was the daughter of Isham Randolph, a mariner and planter born in Virginia, and his wife Jane Rogers, who were married in St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate, London in 1717. The Randolphs lived in London and at Randolph's estate in Goochland County, Virginia. File:Jane Randolph Jefferson baptism record.png, 1 File:St Paul Shadwell , the font.png, 2 File:St Paul Shadwell interior 1800.jpg, 3 File:Strype St Paul's Shadwell map.png, 4 # Baptism recordBaptism records for St Paul's, Shadwell. showing she was baptised at St Paul's, Shadwell on February 25, 1720, aged 15 days, the daughter of Isham Randolph of Shakspear Walk, mariner and Jane, his wife. # The font where Jane was baptised, painted in about 1810. # St Paul, Shadwell as it still was in about 1800. The only church in the London area to have been founded while England was a republic, its interior reflects the Puritan style, influenced by Dutch Calvinism. Many sea captains are buried in the churchyard. # The hamlet of Shadwell at the time of Jane Randolph's birth. The street where she was born and her church are marked blue. Forthright place names echo the rumbustious maritime environment: B. ''Maidenhead Lane'' C. ''Codpeic'' odpiece''Row'' D. ''Cock Hill'' E. ''Cut throat Lane''. F. ''Labour in Vain Street''. The Randolphs lived in Virginia by October 1725, when Jane's sister, Mary, was born in Williamsburg. As was common in the eighteenth century, she received her education entirely at home. Jane was the oldest of eight children and was raised in the
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
faith. The Randolph family was described by a merchant in 1737 as a "very gentle, well-dressed people."


Marriage and family

Randolph married Peter Jefferson in Goochland County, Virginia on October 3, 1739. More specifically, she may have been married at her father's plantation, Dungeness. For a year or two following her marriage, the couple lived at Peter's plantation and house, Fine Creek Manor. in present-day
Powhatan County, Virginia Powhatan County () is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,033. Its county seat is Powhatan. Powhatan County is included in the Greater Richmond Region. The James River forms the coun ...
, near Fine Creek. (It is now part of Fine Creek Mills Historic District). In 1741 or 1742, they established a home along the Rivanna River, which they named Shadwell, after her London birthplace. In 1745, they moved to
Tuckahoe Plantation Tuckahoe is a Native American word that may refer to: Plants and fungi *''Peltandra virginica'', also called tuckahoe; the rhizome was cooked and used as food by Native Americans *''Orontium aquaticum'', also called tuckahoe; the seeds and rhiz ...
, upon the death of William Randolph, a widower and Jane's cousin, to raise the Randolph children. The Jeffersons returned to Shadwell in 1752 when Thomas Mann Randolph came of age. Jane and Peter offered a privileged life for their family whether in established areas of eastern Virginia or, later, as they settled in the Shadwell plantation of the Piedmont. They ate on fine dishware, frequently entertained, enjoyed classic books and music, and attended dances. The family was considered prosperous and cultured. While Thomas Jefferson rarely mentioned his mother, much is known of her from extant records, including public records and inscribed family bibles. She was particularly known for her ability to manage the family's finances. Peter died in 1757 at Shadwell, after which Jane inherited the Shadwell plantation and house. Jane managed the affairs of the household and raised her eight surviving children. The children ranged in age between 17 years and 22 months of age, the eldest a daughter and the youngest were a set of twins. Thomas, the eldest son, became the "man of the house" and assumed his father's business responsibilities. At the time of Peter's death, the estate included 2,750 acres, 66 slaves, and a staff that included hired laborers. In 1770, the main house at Shadwell was destroyed in a fire, and Jane had a smaller house built as a replacement. Thomas lived at Shadwell until the fire, at which time he removed to Monticello. By 1773, Thomas had taken responsibility for settling Jane's debts. Unable to reimburse him, she provided Thomas with deeds to her remaining slaves. Her health declined, requiring a number of visits by physicians and periodic convalescence with Thomas and
Martha Martha (Aramaic language, Aramaic: מָרְתָא‎) is a Bible, biblical figure described in the Gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John. Together with her siblings Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is descr ...
at Monticello. Her final years were lived under the strain of the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. She died suddenly due to
apoplexy Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...
on March 31, 1776. She was 56. Jane was buried in the
Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...
family graveyard.


Children

Jane had the following children: * Jane Jefferson (1740–1765) - close to her brother Thomas, she died unmarried at age 25. * Mary Jefferson Bolling (1741–1803) - her husband John Bolling III served in the Virginia
House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses () was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States in the Colony of Virginia in what was then British America. From 1642 to 1776, the Hou ...
. *
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
(1743–1826), third president of the United States, married Martha Wayles Skelton. * Elizabeth Jefferson (1744–1774), died unmarried. * Martha Jefferson Carr (1746–1811) - her husband Dabney Carr, Thomas Jefferson's best friend and a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, helped launch the intercolonial Committee of Correspondence in Virginia in March 1773 * Peter Field Jefferson (1748) - died as an infant. * unnamed son (1750) - died as an infant. * Lucy Jefferson Lewis (1752–1810), married Charles Lilburn Lewis * Anne Scott Jefferson Marks (1755–1828) - twin of Randolph, married Hastings Marks. * Randolph Jefferson (1755–1815) - twin of Anna Scott, married Anne Lewis, later Mitchie Ballow Pryor.


Relationship with Thomas

Over time, speculation arose regarding the nature of Thomas Jefferson's relationship with his mother. Some look to the lack of remaining correspondence with his mother to mean that there was a lack of affection for his mother. Yet, Jefferson did not retain correspondence with many people important to him, such as his wife and best friend. There is evidence that Jane was "revered" in family remembrances and 19th century biographers. Author William Judson Hampton and others credited Jane for her son's success as a statesman and his writing abilities. She also instilled in her son her love of music and the finer things of life, as well as her religious beliefs. Jon Meacham finds that Thomas lived with his mother at Shadwell "long into Jefferson's adulthood" to indicate his affection for his mother. He did not move to Monticello until the main house at Shadwell was destroyed in a fire. His first daughter was named Martha, and his second daughter was named Jane Randolph Jefferson for his mother.


Ancestry

Ancestor William Randolph established the Randolph family in Virginia. He established a residence at Turkey Island and his descendants included General
Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...
and Mary Isham Randolph, the grandmother of Chief Justice
John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American statesman, jurist, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth chief justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remai ...
(1755 – 1835). Jefferson, said by historian Jon Meacham to have been proud of her British heritage, descended from gentry of England and Scotland, said to include the "powerful Scot Earls of Murray" (also spelled Moray). The Randolph family traced their heritage to Lord Regent of Scotland Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray of the 14th century.


Notes


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jefferson, Jane Randolph 1720 births 1776 deaths 18th-century American women British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies Jefferson family Randolph family (Virginia) People from colonial Virginia People from Shadwell Burials at Monticello Mothers of presidents of the United States Mothers of vice presidents of the United States