Jane Randolph Jefferson
Encyclopedia
Jane Randolph Jefferson, née Jane Randolph (1721–1776,) was the wife of Peter Jefferson
and the mother of president Thomas Jefferson
. Born February 9, 1721 in Shadwell
Parish, Tower Hamlets, London, she was the daughter of Isham Randolph and Jane Rogers, and a cousin of Peyton Randolph
.
There is almost no mention of her in historical records or Thomas Jefferson's extensive writings. According to historian Dumas Malone
, Jefferson had an "almost complete failure to mention her name" outside of his financial records. She "remains a shadowy figure."
The only reference to her in Jefferson's correspondence is in his June 1776 letter to his uncle William Randolph (Jane's brother), a merchant in Bristol, England. Among a host of other issues, Jefferson writes William, "The death of my mother you have probably not heard of. This happened on the last day of March after an illness of not more than an hour. We suppose it to have been apoplectic
."
, a poor maritime neighborhood of London
. It is most likely that she emigrated to Virginia as a child with her family and that her education was received entirely at home. Little is known of her, for Jefferson rarely mentioned his mother in his extensive writings. According to the 20th-century biographer Merrill Peterson, she represented "zero quantity" in her son Thomas's life, although more recent scholarship questions Peterson's conclusions.
Jane Randolph Jefferson died of what was described at the time as an "apoplexy" on March 31, 1776, a few months before Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence
.
Peter Jefferson
Peter Jefferson was the father of American President Thomas Jefferson . A surveyor and cartographer, his Fry-Jefferson Map of 1751 accurately depicted the Allegheny Mountains for the first time and showed the route of "The Great Road from the Yadkin River thro Virginia to Philadelphia distant 455...
and the mother of president Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
. Born February 9, 1721 in Shadwell
Shadwell
Shadwell is an inner-city district situated within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets located on the north bank of the Thames between Wapping to the south and Ratcliff to the east...
Parish, Tower Hamlets, London, she was the daughter of Isham Randolph and Jane Rogers, and a cousin of Peyton Randolph
Peyton Randolph
Peyton Randolph was a planter and public official from the Colony of Virginia. He served as speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses, chairman of the Virginia Conventions, and the first President of the Continental Congress.-Early life:Randolph was born in Tazewell Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia...
.
There is almost no mention of her in historical records or Thomas Jefferson's extensive writings. According to historian Dumas Malone
Dumas Malone
Dumas Malone was an American historian, biographer, and editor noted for his six-volume biography on Thomas Jefferson, for which he received the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for history...
, Jefferson had an "almost complete failure to mention her name" outside of his financial records. She "remains a shadowy figure."
The only reference to her in Jefferson's correspondence is in his June 1776 letter to his uncle William Randolph (Jane's brother), a merchant in Bristol, England. Among a host of other issues, Jefferson writes William, "The death of my mother you have probably not heard of. This happened on the last day of March after an illness of not more than an hour. We suppose it to have been apoplectic
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
."
Early life and education
Randolph was born in one of the Tower Hamlets, ShadwellShadwell
Shadwell is an inner-city district situated within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets located on the north bank of the Thames between Wapping to the south and Ratcliff to the east...
, a poor maritime neighborhood of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It is most likely that she emigrated to Virginia as a child with her family and that her education was received entirely at home. Little is known of her, for Jefferson rarely mentioned his mother in his extensive writings. According to the 20th-century biographer Merrill Peterson, she represented "zero quantity" in her son Thomas's life, although more recent scholarship questions Peterson's conclusions.
Marriage and family
Randolph married Peter Jefferson in Virginia in 1739. Together, they had the following children:- Jane Jefferson (1740–1765) - close to her brother Thomas, she died unmarried at age 25.
- Mary Jefferson Bolling (1741–1811) - her husband John Bolling served in the Virginia House of Burgesses.
- Thomas JeffersonThomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
(1743–1826), third President of the United States - Elizabeth Jefferson (1744–1774) - mentally handicapped
- Martha Jefferson Carr (1746–1811) - her husband Dabney CarrDabney CarrDabney Carr was born at Spring Forest, a Goochland County, Virginia, plantation just three weeks before the death of his father, also named Dabney Carr, brother-in-law and close friend of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson took an active role in the support and education of his nephew after his father's...
, Thomas Jefferson's best friend, helped launch the intercolonial Committee of CorrespondenceCommittee of correspondenceThe Committees of Correspondence were shadow governments organized by the Patriot leaders of the Thirteen Colonies on the eve of American Revolution. They coordinated responses to Britain and shared their plans; by 1773 they had emerged as shadow governments, superseding the colonial legislature...
in Virginia in March 1773, the first step to coordinated colonial action against Great Britain. - Peter Field Jefferson (1748-1748)
- Lucy Jefferson Lewis (1752–1810)
- Anna Scott Jefferson Marks (1755–1828) - twin of Randolph
- Randolph JeffersonRandolph JeffersonRandolph Jefferson was the younger brother of Thomas Jefferson. He was Thomas' only brother to survive infancy, and was a twin to Anna Scott, Thomas' youngest sister. Randolph was 12 years younger than Thomas. He married his first cousin Anne Jefferson Lewis in 1780 or 1781 and they had four sons...
(1755–1815) - twin of Anna Scott
Jane Randolph Jefferson died of what was described at the time as an "apoplexy" on March 31, 1776, a few months before Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
.