Ursula Granger (c. 1738 – 1800) was a woman enslaved by

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

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 ...

for over 27 years, who described her as a person who "unites trust & skill." She worked as a cook, dairymaid, laundress, and

wet nurse A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeding, breastfeeds and cares for another's child. Wet nurses are employed if the mother dies, if she is unable to nurse the child herself sufficiently or chooses not to do so. Wet-nursed children may be known a ...

, and has been referred to as the "Queen of

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 ...

" and as a pioneer of Black

cidermaking Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest per capita consumption, as w ...

in America.

Life

Granger was born around 1738. In January 1773, she was purchased in a bidding war and enslaved by Thomas Jefferson, and she became a highly trusted domestic servant within Jefferson's household.

Martha Jefferson Martha Skelton Jefferson ( ''née'' Wayles; October 30, 1748 – September 6, 1782) was the wife of Thomas Jefferson from 1772 until her death. She served as First Lady of Virginia during Jefferson's term as governor from 1779 to 1781. She died ...

had specifically written that she was "very desirious to get a favorite house woman of the name Ursula." Granger was purchased along with her sons and, later, her husband, George Granger Sr. Her husband became referred to as "Great George," and was a farm foreman and Monticello's only African American

overseer Overseer may refer to: Professions *Supervisor or superintendent; one who keeps watch over and directs the work of others *Plantations_in_the_American_South#Overseer, Plantation overseer, often in the context of forced labor or Treatment_of_slaves ...

. Granger is frequently mentioned in the papers of Thomas Jefferson. She served as a pastry cook (later head cook for a period) and laundress, with duties including meat processing and preservation and supervising the bottling of cider at Monticello. Granger was also the

for Jefferson's eldest daughter,

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 ...

, who later served as the Acting

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

. After Jefferson was elected

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The Governor (United States), governor is head of the Government_of_Virginia#Executive_branch, executive branch ...

in 1779, he took Granger and her family with him to

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

when he was elected

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Death and descendants

Granger fell ill in late 1799 and died in the spring of 1800, aged 61 or 62. Granger, her husband, and her son George Granger Jr. all died within months of each other in 1799 and 1800. Granger's youngest son,

Isaac Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...

, using the surname Jefferson, survived into the 1840s as a free man in

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458 with a majority bla ...

, and his recollections of life at Monticello were recorded. Her granddaughter, Ursula Granger Hughes, was named after her and briefly served as an enslaved

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

chef when Jefferson became president. The last surviving recorded interview of a person enslaved by Thomas Jefferson was in 1949 with Fountain Hughes, a descendant of Granger."Interview with Fountain Hughes, Baltimore, Maryland, June 11, 1949"
American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, World Digital Library, accessed 26 May 2013

Legacy

The excavated and restored first kitchen of Monticello, referred to as the ''"Granger/Hemings Kitchen,"'' is exhibited with details about the life of Ursula Granger,

Sally Hemings Sarah "Sally" Hemings ( 1773 – 1835) was a Black people, black woman Slavery in the United States, enslaved to the third President of the United States Thomas Jefferson, inherited among many others from his father-in-law, John Wayles. Hemi ...

, and "other enslaved cooks and chefs who helped create early American cuisine."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Granger, Ursula 1730s births Year of birth uncertain 1800 deaths People from Monticello 18th-century American slaves 18th-century African-American women 18th-century African-American people American women slaves People who were enslaved by Thomas Jefferson

Life

Death and descendants

Legacy

See also

References