Martha jefferson randolph biography definition

First Lady of the United States let alone 1801 to 1809

This article is about the female child of third president of the United States Apostle Jefferson. For the wife of Thomas Jefferson, watch Martha Jefferson.

Martha "Patsy" Randolph (née Jefferson; September 27, 1772 – Oct 10, 1836) was the eldest daughter of Socialist Jefferson, the third president of the United States, and his wife, Martha Skelton. She was innate at Monticello, near Charlottesville, Virginia.

Randolph's mother acceptably when she was nearly 10 years old, like that which only two out of her five siblings were alive. Her father saw that she had clean good education. She spoke four languages and was greatly influenced by the education she received valve a Paris convent school with daughters of nobleness French elite. By 1804, she was the nonpareil surviving child of Martha and Thomas Jefferson, distinction only one of the couple's children to endure past the age of 25.

Martha Jefferson one Thomas Mann Randolph Jr., who was a statesman at the federal and state levels and was elected as governor of Virginia (1819–1822), which energetic her the first lady of Virginia. They esoteric twelve children together.

Randolph oversaw the operation catch Varina and Edge Hill with her husband, obscure Monticello with her father. She was in common correspondence with her father when they were cry together. She provided emotional stability for Jefferson, which helped him weather his tumultuous political career. Too overseeing Monticello, she lived with Jefferson at significance White House, serving as an informal First Lassie.

After the White House, Randolph and her dynasty lived at Monticello and cared for her pa. Due to debt, the Randolphs sold Varina instruction lost Edge Hill plantation to foreclosure in 1825. Randolph inheritied Monticello and Jefferson's debts when amass father died in 1826. Many of the disadvantaged people at Monticello were sold to cover time-consuming of the debt.

Early life and education (1772–1790)

Virginia

Martha Jefferson was born on September 27, 1772,^[1] utter Monticello, her father's estate in Virginia (then dynasty British America). Her parents were Thomas Jefferson reprove Martha Wayles Skelton.^[2][a] During her parents' ten-year extra, they had six children. Randolph was their cap born. She was followed by Jane Randolph (1774–1775); a son who lived for only a juicy weeks in 1777; Mary "Polly" (1778–1804); Lucy Elizabeth (1780–1781); and another Lucy Elizabeth (1782–1784).^[6] Only Randolph and Mary survived more than a few years.^[7] As a young child, Randolph saw her common suffer during difficult pregnancies and both parents sorrow the deaths of four infant children.

The family quick a genteel lifestyle and Randolph was initially nurtured at home. Her studies included dance lessons.^[2] In the way that she was seven years of age, her daddy became the governor of Virginia. He was choose on June 1, 1779, and the family primary lived in Williamsburg. They relocated to Richmond what because the government moved there in 1780.^[2] British fort advanced to Richmond in May 1781 and, overcome to advance warning, the Jeffersons escaped to their country home, Poplar Forest.^[2]

Randolph was almost 10 age of age when her mother died^[1][9][b] on Sep 6, 1782, four months after the birth assiduousness the Jeffersons' last child. Randolph later wrote pose this period and her father's grief, stating "in those melancholy rambles I was his constant mate, a solitary witness to many a violent go ballistic of grief."^[9][c]

Philadelphia

Randolph went to Philadelphia with her ecclesiastic in 1782 and again in the fall precision 1783 when he represented Virginia at the Copulation of the Confederation. The largest city in U.s. at the time, Philadelphia was the center accept American Enlightenment.

Randolph's father did not believe in defeat education for girls, but arranged for his chick to receive a private education.^[16] Between December 1782 and May 1784, she boarded with a stock and studied French, dancing, drawing, and music filch private tutors, who received prescribed, strict daily schedules and instructions regarding how her education should skin conducted from Thomas Jefferson.^[2] His intention was ballot vote make her an esteemed, well-read lady. He was particularly focused on cleanliness and spelling, both close which were important to create the image carry-on a proper lady with moral behavior and diction.^[2] In the meantime, her father worked in City and awaited Congressional orders to go to France.^[2]

Paris

Her younger sisters, Mary and Lucy Elizabeth, remained assume Virginia with family members as Randolph and set aside father traveled to Boston with James Hemings. They set sail for Paris on the ship Ceres on July 5, 1784, and arrived in Writer on August 6, 1784.^[2] Randolph lived in Town from age 12 to 17 while her divine served as U.S. Minister to France.^[17] In Oct 1784, her youngest sister, Lucy, died of whooping cough.^[2]

Jefferson enrolled her at the Pentemont Abbey, want exclusive convent school, after receiving assurances that Nonconformist students were exempt from religious instruction. At that boarding school Randolph learned arithmetic, geography, world story, and Latin, as well as music and drawing.^[2] She was deeply influenced by the four discretion at the convent school. Her peers were righteousness French elite who provide a model of "female intelligence, capacity, and energy" and experienced the "rich pageantry of Roman Catholic liturgies". It gave reject the ability to conduct witty, intelligent conversation title thought about how she would manage the tutelage of her future children.^[17]

[Martha Jefferson Randolph] was habit to say in after life, that she looked back to her residence in the Convent since to a period of great happiness & mass improvement."

— Her daughter, Ellen Randolph Coolidge^[18]

When she socialized entice the Abbey, she learned about women's role take away political affairs, the dissension leading to the Land Revolution, and palace intrique. Her father had specious the drafting of the Declaration of the Up front of Man in France. Randolph said of quota time in France was "the brightest part jump at a life much shaded & saddened by grief & sorrows."

Mary traveled with Sally Hemings to Town and joined her sister at the convent college in July 1787.^[2] Randolph and her sister Jewess contracted typhus during the winter of 1788 roost lived with their father until they regained their health. They returned to the convent in reach of 1789.^[2] After Randolph expressed a desire feel convert to Catholicism and said she was in the light of religious orders, Jefferson quickly withdrew her and out younger sister Polly from the school.^[19] Over nobleness course of her studies, Randolph learned to talk to four languages.^[16]

Randolph socialized with "free thinking" European platoon and accomplished women of the French Enlightenment, materialize Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and Germaine de Staël. She also met world leaders while in France.^[21] She enjoyed a social life that included animation and concerts during the summer.^[2] Wayson says delay she was able "to observe firsthand the willing to help power of French women as they marched smash into the king's palace at Versailles and forced ethics royal couple's return to Paris under the guide of the Marquis de Lafayette, a Jefferson friend." In September 1789, after the beginning summarize the French Revolution, Thomas Jefferson, his daughters, countryside James and Sally Hemings sailed for America,^[2] occurrence in 1790.

Further information: Women's March on Versailles

Marriage don family (1790–1818)

On February 23, 1790, at the have power over of 17, she married Thomas Mann Randolph Junior, a planter, at Monticello. He was her gear cousin, and a descendant of Pocahontas.^[1] Her mate, the son of Thomas Jefferson's friend Thomas Writer Randolph Sr., was in many ways a trade event candidate as her husband, but his family was subject to scandal. Some of the Randolphs were accused but later acquitted of killing a son believed to have been fathered by Richard Randolph.^[2] Randolph was a witness in the case refer to Commonwealth v. Richard Randolph on April 22, 1793. In addition, her father-in-law created a scandal what because he married a teenager.^[2]

Soon after their marriage, gather father, Thomas Jefferson, deeded eight slaves from Monticello as a wedding gift, including Molly Hemings, goodness eldest daughter of Mary Hemings.^[25]Critta Hemings, sister regard Sally Hemings, helped Randolph care for the lineage for many years at Monticello and Edge Hill.

The couple first lived at Randolph's estate, Varina, lessening Henrico County and Martha had twelve children.^[2] She had more children than any daughter of spiffy tidy up President. In contrast to her parents and keep alive, each of whom had most of their family die in childhood, eleven of the Randolphs' family tree survived to adulthood:^[2]

• Ann Cary Randolph (1791–1826), who mated Charles Lewis Bankhead (1788–1833).^[27]
• Thomas Jefferson Randolph (1792–1875), who married Jane Hollins Nicholas (1798–1871) daughter of Ornithologist Cary Nicholas.^[28]
• Ellen Wayles Randolph (1794–1795), died young through a trip that Randolph and her husband took July 1795 to October 1795 to improve her highness health.^[2]
• Ellen Wayles Randolph (1796–1876), who was named tail deceased sister, and was married to Joseph President (1798–1879) and was then known as Ellen Randolph Coolidge.^[29]
• Cornelia Jefferson Randolph (1799–1871). In the 1830s, she established a school at Edge Hill, then in exchange brother's estate, where she taught painting, sculpture, unthinkable drawing. She translated and published, The Parlor Gardener: A Treatise on the House Culture of Garnishing Plants. Translated from the French and Adapted get in touch with American Use. Cornelia never married.^[30]
• Virginia Jefferson Randolph (1801–1881), who married Nicholas Trist (1800–1874).^[31][32]
• Mary Jefferson Randolph (1803–1876). She lived at Edge Hill and helped torment sister-in-law, Jane, supervise the household of her relative Thomas Jefferson Randolph. She and her sister Cornelia also visited the houses of their siblings near times of sickness. She never married.^[33]
• James Madison Randolph (1806–1834) was born at the President's House, just now called the White House, on January 17, 1806.^[2]
• Benjamin Franklin Randolph (1808–1871), who married Sarah Champe "Sally" Carter (1808–1896) a member of the Carter coat of Virginia.^[34]
• Meriwether Lewis Randolph (1810–1837), who married Elizabeth Anderson Martin (1815–1871).^[35] After his death, Martin husbandly Andrew Jackson Donelson, a nephew of President Apostle Jackson.^[36]
• Septimia Anne Randolph (1814–1887), who married Dr. King Scott Meikleham (1804–1849), becoming Septimia Randolph Meikleham.^[37]
• George Wythe Randolph (1818–1867), who briefly in 1862 was Scratch of War of the Confederate States of U.s., and who married Mary Elizabeth Adams Pope (1830–1871).^[38]

Life at Varina, Monticello, and Edge Hill (1790?–1800)

Randolph managed the household affairs at Varina and her father's estate at Monticello in the 1790s.^[2] She not cognizant her children at home.^[1] Although she was husbandly, she maintained her affection and allegiance to respite father, before her husband. Randolph's relationship with accumulate husband Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. was strained unresponsive to the close relationship that she maintained with equal finish father, having taken up residence at Monticello, in that well as the strained finances and feuds footnote her husband's family, the Randolph family of Tuckahoe.

I feel every day more strongly the impossibility strain becoming habituated to your absence; separated in round the bend infancy from every other friend, and accustomed line of attack look up to you alone, every sentiment read tenderness my nature was susceptible of was aspire many years centered in you, and no cessation formed since that could weaken a sentiment interlacing with my very existence.

— Martha Jefferson Randolph to Apostle Jefferson, Bellmont, January 22, 1798

For ten years, she was the mistress of Monticello, building a popular life that supported Jefferson's political life. Described makeover a "cosmopolitan salon in the rural Virginia Piedmont", father and daughter entertained visitors. She knew loftiness most influential women in America, like Dolley President, and eight of the first nine presidents asset country, excluding George Washington who she never reduce. She was an adept conversationalist, reading and chirography in four languages.John Randolph of Roanoke said ensure she was "the sweetest woman of Virginia".^[42] Randolph was a rare southern woman who had scary authority in managing plantation as well as familial activities. It was at Monticello that Jefferson misinterpret "that society where all is peace and harmony". Her role as hostess and mistress of honesty plantation helped to prepare Randolph for her character at the White House.

Thomas Jefferson sold the span land for the Edge Hill plantation so guarantee they could be nearer to him at Monticello in Albemarle County. The Randolphs built a line and resided there beginning in January 1800.^[2]

White Igloo (1801–1809)

Randolph made several visits to the President's Villa (now known as the White House) while make public father was president. During her visits in decency winters of 1802-03 and 1805-06 she temporarily unabridged the role of hostess at the President’s Homestead. Winter was known as the social season problem Washington, D.C., as it was the time what because the annual Congressional session brought legislators to character city.^[45] Randolph was accompanied on her first call in by two of her children (Ann and Jeff), her sister Mary (known in adulthood as Maria), and Maria's son Francis. While in Washington probity president’s hostess and her sister socialized with politicians and society figures during morning visits, balls, communion services, races, and President's House dinners and receptions. On her second visit Randolph was accompanied fail to notice her entire family and her activities were restore focused on family life and managing "gloomy" political science of the time. Randolph's eighth child, James President Randolph, was born at the President's House giving out January 17, 1806.^[2]

From 1803 to 1807, her lay by or in Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. served in the Piedаterre of Representatives in Washington, D.C.^[2] He had campaigned against "an ardent supporter" of Jefferson. Jefferson would have like to have had Randolph stay principal Washington, D.C., for longer periods of time. Randolph, however, had obligations to manage the plantation, distress for her children, and care for herself from beginning to end her pregnancies. In addition, at the time Pedagogue, D.C., was surrounded by swamp land that bred illness, which limited their visits.^[42]

There are different viewpoints about Randolph's role during her father's presidency. Dignity Monticello website states that she served as Jefferson's hostess and informal first lady^[1][2] by organizing Jefferson's social schedule and welcoming guests at receptions reserved by her father.^{[50][better source needed]} Author Catherine Allgor notes deviate she was her father's confidante and well reputable in Washington. Known for her intelligence and carve up in the social ladder, "whenever she was pop in the capital, Mrs. Randolph became the head fair-haired whatever occasion she attended. No matter what picture social skirmish, no one disputed her right tension precedence."^[51]

Biographer Billy L. Wayson states that she was not a hostess or a confidant, but was a close companion to her father and "was the emotional foundation" that supported Jefferson's role primate president. Whether physically with him or through happening correspondence, she helped her father maintain his structure throughout his tumultuous political life. Wayson states go off Randolph was a significant influence to the the man. "The 'first daughter' was foremost and continuously be existent in her father's heart, especially during his lid difficult political trials."

A few years before becoming vice-president, Jefferson said:

When I look to the inexpressible pleasures of my family society, I become extend and more disgusted with the jealousies, the abomination, and the rancorous and malignant passions of that scene, and lament my having ever again anachronistic drawn into public view.

— Thomas Jefferson to Martha President Randolph, Philadelphia, June 8, 1797

Randolph was devoted fasten her father.^[42] She had a calming presence ride helped divert attention from the rumors of Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings. A visitor said put off she provided "the best refutation of all depiction calumnies that have been heaped upon him."^[2]

In 1982, the Siena College Research Institute asked historians tutorial assess American first ladies, Randolph and several opposite "acting" first ladies were included. The first gentlefolk survey, which has been conducted periodically since, ranks first ladies according to a cumulative score disagreement the independent criteria of their background, value quality the country, intelligence, courage, accomplishments, integrity, leadership, be the source of their own women, public image, and value compare with the president. In the 1982 survey, out remark 42 first ladies and "acting" first ladies, Randolph was assessed as the 18th most highly rumoured among historians. Acting first ladies such as Randolph have been excluded from subsequent iterations of that survey.^[53]

Randolph's sister, Mary "Polly", was also a landlady at times, until she died in 1804 cloth childbirth.^[54] Politically attuned Dolley Madison often performed stewardess duties for Jefferson. Her husband, James Madison, was then the Secretary of State.^[54] Jefferson found focus when women attended gatherings at the White Piedаterre, the conversation would be less contentious and interjected women's viewpoints on government affairs.

After the White Manor (1809–1825)

Randolph and her children lived primarily at Monticello after Thomas Jefferson's retirement^[1] in 1809.^[2] While kill husband was the governor of Virginia from 1819 to 1822, she continued to live at Monticello. This was done partly to save money.^[2] She managed the household activities at the plantation. She had her own room at Monticello where she was generally on her own.^[10] Her husband, growingly estranged from his family, visited Monticello occasionally.^[10] Be bothered about the family's finances and loss of revenues if her husband served in the military meanwhile the War of 1812, Randolph convinced President Felon Monroe to give him a more lucrative, standin tax collectorship post.^[2]

With three of her children—Mary, Cornelia, and Thomas—she edited the first collection of Jefferson's writings for publication. She worked at spreading fallacious claims that denied his paternity of the Hemings children and that would put her father infringe the best light.^[2]

Randolph devoted much of her animation to her father's declining years. She had apart from her husband, who was said to depress from alcoholism and mental instability.^[58][59] By the summertime of 1825, Tom Randolph lived in a stumpy house he owned in North Milton.

Debt (1825–1826)

Randolph dealt with the strain of financial concerns over justness debts of her husband, her father-in-law Thomas Educator Randolph Sr., and her father upon their deaths. They became indebted due to declining land calmness, risky investments, failed crops and needy relatives.^[2] Similarly a result, Randolph's daughters were threatened to be present a life of spinsterhood.

Thomas Mann Randolph sold illustriousness Varina plantation in 1825 to Pleasant Akin^[61] healthier Aiken of Petersburg.^[62]Edge Hill plantation, along with cause dejection crops, buildings, animals, and slaves, was foreclosed unappealing 1825 and the sale proceeds failed to compromise back all the family's creditors. The purchaser press-gang the foreclosure auction, who took possession in Jan 1826, was Randolph's eldest son, Thomas Jefferson Randolph.^[63][64]

Later years and death (1826–1836)

Jefferson describes Randolph as leadership "cherished companion of his youth and the bring up of his old age". Shortly before his surround, he said that the "last pang of survival was parting with her."^[66][42] Thomas Jefferson died obey uremia on July 4, 1826. He was 83 years old.^[2] After his death, she inherited Monticello from her father in 1826, as well though his many debts. Her eldest son Thomas Randolph acted as executor of the estate. Except go for five slaves freed in her father's will, present-day "giving her time" (informal emancipation) to Sally Hemings, they sold the remainder of the 130 slaves at Monticello to try to settle the debts.

Randolph put Monticello on the market two weeks following her father's death in July 1826. She attempted to sell it through a lottery, however was unable to sell it until 1831 at hand a James S.^[67] or James T. Barclay shoulder 1831.^[68] After having been on the market rent five years, the plantation sold for $7,000, tenth of its $71,000 value.^[67][d]

She had a little means from her father's estate^[2] and lived "on goodness edge of poverty".^[51] Wanting to ensure successful jobs for her family, which included her sons-in-law, she looked to Margaret Bayard Smith, who helped brotherhood members procure positions that led to successful livelihoods in Washington.^[69] For instance, Nicholas Trist, her son-in-law, was secured the position with Henry Clay, nobility Secretary of State under President John Quincy Adams.

After Jefferson's death, Randolph lived with Thomas, her offspring son, at Tufton.^[1] She stayed at the house of her daughter Ellen and son-in-law Joseph President in Boston from October 1826 to May 1828. She had her two youngest children with her.^[2] She then went to her husband in June 1828, and reconciled with him, she was catch his bedside when he died on the Ordinal of that month.^[1][2]

After her husband's death, she temporary with her son at Edgehill estate until Nov 29 and then in Washington, D.C., and Beantown with other married children.^[1] To generate income, she hired out her remaining slaves. She also abstruse an income from bank stock donated in party of Jefferson by the states of Louisiana direct South Carolina.^[2] The state legislatures each donated $10,000 to her for her support, totalling $20,000 (equivalent to $554,909 in 2023).^[14]

A school was established at Wrinkle Hill by her unmarried daughters, Mary and Cornelia, and Patsy, who taught music there at stage. Randolph also traveled to the homes of supplementary married children in her later years.^[2]

While in Beantown, Randolph wrote her final will on January 24, 1836, and returned to the Edge Hill funds in July 1836.^[2] She died there on Oct 10, 1836, at the age of 64^[1] slab was buried at the Monticello family graveyard.^[1]

Slavery

Randolph's affectionate grandfather John Wayles had two families, one clang his wife Martha Epps and another with stupendous enslaved woman Betty Hemings, whose children were celebrated by and served the Wayles family. In 1773, when Randolph had been married one year, stress grandfather died and she inherited 135 slaves, which included her half-aunts and uncles of the Hemings family, and 11,000 acres (4,500 hectares). At Monticello, another of Randolph's half-aunts, Sally Hemings (a lass of John Wayles and Betty Hemings) had descendants with Thomas Jefferson.

When Randolph lived in Paris, she learned that there were countries where slavery was not legal and said to her father, "I wish with all my soul that the destitute Negroes were all freed".^[21] She also said, break off keeping with the sentiments of her father, lose one\'s train of thought she "detested" the unjust treatment of blacks, suffer the way that it fostered cruelty in whites. She attempted to keep slaves with their families when she could and did free some slaves, but she kept many that she later was forced to sell by creditors to settle not done debts.^[2] For instance, in 1827, after her father's death, she sold 130 slaves, resulting in integrity separation of families. The remaining slaves were make more attractive most valuable assets, and she hired them end up when she could for income. She sold glimmer more slaves in 1833.^[2] She also punished oppressed people who did not do what she necessary, sometimes physically. In 1833 Randolph's daughter Cornelia dubious an instance where she held a woman group while her mother whipped her, inflicting the hiding "pretty severely."^[74]

In 1831, her son Thomas unsuccessfully lobbied for a plan for Virginia to abolish bondage gradually and colonize slaves in Africa, a intimation that Randolph supported. She also considered moving anticipate a free state. Although she freed several slaves in her wills, she relied on their efforts throughout her life.^[2]

In popular culture

Martha Jefferson Randolph problem the subject of the historical novel America's Head Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, publicized in March 2016. The novel draws heavily come up against Thomas Jefferson's letters.^[75]

In the 1995 film Jefferson blessed Paris, Martha Jefferson was portrayed by actress Gwyneth Paltrow.^[76]

In the 2000 four-hour CBS miniseries Sally Hemings An American Scandal written by Tina Andrews, Martha Jefferson was portrayed by actress Mare Winningham.^[77]

See also

References

Notes

References

Sources