Sarah Nicholas Randolph (October 12, 1839 – April 25, 1892) was an American educator, school principal, historian, and an author. She wrote ''The Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson'' and ''The Life of General Thomas J. Jackson''.

Early life

Sarah Nicholas Randolph was born on October 12, 1839, at Edge Hill,

Albemarle County, Virginia Albemarle County is a United States county (United States), county located in the Piedmont region of Virginia, Piedmont region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, Virginia, Charlottes ...

. She was the daughter of Jane Hollins Nicholas and

Thomas Jefferson Randolph Thomas Jefferson Randolph (September 12, 1792 – October 7, 1875) of Albemarle County was a Virginia enslaver, soldier and politician who served multiple terms in the Virginia House of Delegates, as rector of the University of Virginia, ...

. Her great grandfather was

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 ...

. Her father accepted the debts of Thomas Jefferson's estate, which greatly impaired his ability to support his family. He was a farmer and politician, drafting a bill for the gradual emancipation of enslaved people, before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. It was not enacted. His financial circumstances worsened during the war.

Educator

Randolph, her mother, and her sisters, Carolina Wayles Randolph, Ellen Wayes Randolph Harrison, and Mary Buchanan Randolph ran the Edge Hill School for Girls. The school was established in 1836 by Jane Nicholas Randolph, Randolph's mother. In 1869, after her mother died and following the end of the

, the school was re-opened and managed by Randolph and her sister, Mary B. Randolph. As the school grew, a frame house on the estate was used for music and art classes. The school had a good reputation, known for its academic program as well as instilling character in the girls. In 1879, she moved to the Ellicott Mills, Maryland, area, where she was the principal of the Patapsco Institute. She established the Miss Randolph's School of Girls in Baltimore in 1884. She ran the school until her death. It was located at Eutaw Place and Lanvale Street. The school continued on after her death as The Sarah Randolph School, which was operated by the principal A. L. Armstrong.

Historian and author

Martha Jefferson Randolph - Smithsonian First Ladies

She corresponded with Hugh Blair Grigsby, a historian, about details and accuracy of ''History of the Life and Times of James Madison'' by William C. Rives and John Smith's ''Pocahontas''. Her letters to and from Grigsby were published in ''Letters of Sarah Nicholas Randolph to Hugh Blair Grigsby''. In 1870, her chapter about "

Martha Jefferson Randolph Martha "Patsy" Randolph (Maiden and married names, ''née'' Jefferson; September 27, 1772 – October 10, 1836) was the eldest daughter of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, and his wife, Martha Jefferson, Martha Wayles ...

", her grandmother, was published in ''Famous Women of the Revolution''. Jefferson-peale

She wrote about her great grandfather in ''The Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson: Compiled from Family Letters and Reminiscences'' that was published in 1871. It discusses the relationship between

and his maternal grandfather

. Historian

Dumas Malone Dumas Malone (; January 10, 1892 – December 27, 1986) was an American historian, minister, and biographer. A professor by occupation, Malone spent the majority of his career teaching at the University of Virginia (UVA), where he served as the T ...

stated that "nobody has given a better picture of effersonas a family man than Sarah N. Randolph." Her work, ''The Lord Will Provide'', was published in 1872. She also wrote ''The Life of General Thomas J. Jackson'', who was also known as

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general and military officer who served during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in nearly all military engagements in the eastern the ...

. It was published in 1876. She found southern figures of the

"no less loved, no less honored, and no less brilliant … obert E.Lee and tonewallJackson" than

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. In 1877, her work, "Mrs. Thomas Mann Randolph," was published in ''Worthy Women of Our First Century'', which was edited by Mrs. O. J. Wister and Agnes Irwin. "The Kentucky Resolutions in a New Light" was published in ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

'' on May 5, 1887. She represented the Randolph and Nicholas families, as well as Thomas Jefferson, when people performing research. Randolph contributed to magazines. She helped establish monuments of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

and

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 ...

Personal life and death

At some point she owned Underhill, a 500-acre tract and a house, near Edge Hill and

Shadwell, Virginia Shadwell is a census-designated place (CDP) in Albemarle County, Virginia. It is located by the Rivanna River near Charlottesville. It was the birthplace of Thomas Jefferson, the central intellectual force behind the American Revolution, author ...

. She was ill with

consumption Consumption may refer to: * Eating *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically known as consumption * Consumer (food chain), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of n ...

for several years, and spent the last several weeks of life in bedrest at her home. She died on April 25, 1892, in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, and she 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 ...

cemetery.

References

External links