Young Thomas Jefferson to attend The College of William & Mary

Nicknamed "Long Tom," Thomas Jefferson was slim, at six feet two and a half inches, which was tall considering that the average man at the time stood five feet six inches tall.  In later years, his slave, Isaac Granger Jefferson, who worked as a tinsmith and blacksmith at Monticello, described his master as being a tall and straight-bodied man with square shoulders, long face and a high nose.  His cheeks were lean and  his jaw square and firm. Thomas had auburn to light-red hair, fair skin that freckeled and sunburned easily, pointed features, and deep-set hazel eyes.  He expressed fluent humorous and pleasant conversation in a soft voice, higher pitch than most, but could be shy and reserved.  He was described as  being the perpetual charmer, and usually made an excellent impression upon both men and women.

Young Thomas had a great love for reading and writing, and often had a book in his hand.  He knew his Bible, and  continued to love and become proficient in the English classics, that were introduced to him at the Dover Creek School and continued by Reverend James Maury at the Maury School for Boys. Because of his unusually high intellect, Thomas was greatly influenced and encouraged by Rev. Maury, and long-time friend of  the family, Joshua Fry, to apply to The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia's capital and education center.

The Shadwell library was small in comparison to that of Tuckahoe, where he spent seven years of his childhood, as well as the Dover Creek School library. Thomas was looking forward to moving away from home, and began to give serious thought to enrolling at The College of William & Mary.

After a discussion with Peter Randolph, Thomas argues for permission to enter The College of William & Mary with Dr. Thomas Walker of Castle Hill and John Harvie of Belmont, the Jefferson estate executors and his  respected guardians.  John Harvie, the active executor of Peter Jefferson's estate, was the person responsible for providing Thomas with the estate funds necessary for college tuition and personal spending money.

In a letter written to John Harvie, one of the earliest preserved Jefferson letters, Thomas stated his reasons for wanting to go to college.  He wrote,


                                                                                                                  4 January 1760

"Sir,

I was at Colo. Peter Randolph's about a Fortnight ago, & my Schooling falling into Discourse, he said he thought it would be to my Advantage to go to College, & was desirous I should go, as indeed I am  myself for several Reasons.  In the first place as long as I stay at the Mountains, the Loss of one-fourth of my Time is inevitable, by Company's coming here & detaining me from School.  And likewise  my Absence will in a great Measure put a Stop to so much Company, & by that Means lessen the Expences of the Estate in House-Keeping.  And on the other Hand by going to the College I shall get a more  universal Acquaintance, which may hereafter be serviceable to me; &I suppose I can pursue my Studies in the Greek & Latin as well there as here, & likewise learn something of  the Mathematics.  I shall be glad of your opinion, and remain, Sir, your most humble servant,

                                                                                                        Thomas Jefferson, Jr."

Thomas Jefferson arrived at The College of William & Mary on the 25th of March 1760.  He graduated with supreme honors on the 25th of April  1762, having completed all his studies in two years.  Upon graduation, he was invited to study at the law office and home of the distinguished law professor and friend, George Wythe, where he remained a student for five years.

~

Read more about the young Jefferson's college years and time in Williamsburg, as well as Jefferson's first 31 years of life in Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man, by Jayne D'Alessandro-Cox. 

Available in Paperback, Kindle,  and mp3 audio download through Amazon:

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The 5-disc audio book set can be ordered directly from author. Visit web site Contact tab:  

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Article: The History & Restoration of Colonial Williamsburg

 Williamsburg was the thriving capital of Virginia when the dream of American freedom and independence was taking shape and the colony was a rich and powerful land stretching west to the Mississippi River and north to the Great Lakes. 

Governor's Palace ruins and restoration

 Palace Ice House

For 81 formative years, from 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg was the political, cultural, and educational center of what was then the largest, most popular, and most influential of the American colonies.

Dudley Digges House

It was here that the fundamental concepts of our republic — responsible leadership, a sense of public service, self-government, and individual liberty — were nurtured under the leadership of patriots such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and Peyton Randolph.

George Wythe House

   

Near the end of the Revolutionary War and through the influence of Thomas Jefferson, the seat of government of Virginia was moved up the peninsula to the safer and more centrally located city of Richmond. 

College of William & Mary 

For nearly a century and a half afterward, Williamsburg was a simple, quiet college town, home of the College of William and Mary.

Restoration Begins

In 1926, the Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, rector of Bruton Parish Church, shared his dream of preserving the city's historic buildings with philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr., and the restoration began. 

John Crump House 

Dr. Goodwin feared that scores of structures that had figured in the life of the colony and the founding of the nation would soon disappear forever.

Palmer House  

Rockefeller and Goodwin began a modest project to preserve a few of the more important buildings. Eventually, the work progressed and expanded to include a major portion of the colonial town, encompassing approximately 85 percent of the 18th-century capital's original area.

Nelson Galt House 

                

Mr. Rockefeller gave the project his personal leadership until his death in 1960, and it was his quiet generosity of spirit and uncompromising ethic of excellence that guided and still dominates its development. He funded the preservation of more than 80 of the original structures, the reconstruction of many buildings, and also the construction of extensive facilities to accommodate the visiting public.

James Geddy House  

            

In the preservation of the setting of Virginia’s 18th-century capital, Mr. Rockefeller and Dr. Goodwin saw an opportunity to ensure that the courageous ideals of the patriots who helped create the American democratic system, live on for all future generations.                                http://www.history.org/Foundation/cwhistory.cfm

~

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Colonial Williamsburg

www.colonialwilliamsburg.com

                    For reservations and information, call 1-757-229-1000.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is the not-for-profit educational and cultural organization dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and presentation of the restored 18th-century Revolutionary capital of Virginia. The foundation’s purpose, in the words of the Board of Trustees, is “to re-create accurately the environment of the men and women of eighteenth century Williamsburg, and to bring about such an

understanding of their lives and times, that present and future generations may more vividly appreciate the contribution of these early Americans to the ideals and culture of our country.”

Today, the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg embraces the heart of the old city, and includes eighteenth and early nineteenth-century structures within and near the historic area.

Also, acres of colorful gardens and greens have been recreated, using chiefly plants known to the eighteenth-century colonists.

  ~

Read about Thomas Jefferson's Williamsburg years as a student, lawyer, and politician, in Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man:

Available in Paperback, Kindle,  and mp3 audio download through Amazon:

www.amazon.com/Thomas-Jefferson-Jayne-DAlessandro-Cox/dp/1543052290/ref=dp_ob_image_bk

The 5-disc audio book set can be ordered directly from author. Visit web site Contact tab:  

www.jaynedalessandrocox.com/contact

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