Saturday, November 12, 2016

Jefferson's Stone Stable & North Terrace Restorations Completed !



The restoration of the Stone Stable on Mulberry Row began early 2016. The stable is one of two Jefferson-era buildings on Mulberry Row restored as part of a larger effort to return the mountain-top to its appearance during Jefferson’s lifetime.

Jefferson’s documents identify two generations of stables on Mulberry Row. The first stable was built ca. 1793 and consisted of five log structures. In 1808 Jefferson hired William Maddox, a stone mason, to replace the wood buildings with stone buildings. A long, L-shaped addition was made to the stable soon after.  No archaeological or physical evidence has been found to reveal what the addition may have looked like. The structure has been in almost continuous use since its construction in 1809.  The two stone buildings, originally part of a larger structure, were likely used to store feed and tack during Jefferson’s lifetime. Enslaved grooms cared for Jefferson’s prized carriage and riding horses here.

The restoration of the Stone Stable is made possible by the generous support of the Sarah and Ross Perot Jr. Foundation. Restoration was completed in October 2016.

Visitors are now able to learn  more about Jupiter Evans and Wormley Hughes, the enslaved men responsible for the stables and horses at Monticello, and how their lives were interwoven with Jefferson's.

Jupiter Evans was born at Shadwell in 1743, the same year as the man who would later own him, Thomas Jefferson. After inheriting Evans from his father in 1757, Jefferson appointed this highly skilled slave to assume a variety of roles at Monticello, including valet, hostler, coachman and stonecutter. In 1774, after becoming head coachman, Evans oversaw the care of the riding and carriage horses in the Mulberry Row stable.  He and his wife, as well as their sons, may have lived near the stables, in the "Negro quarter" on Mulberry Row.

Another enslaved man, Wormley Hughes, worked at the Mulberry Row nailery and in the terraced vegetable garden before succeeding Jupiter Evans as chief hostler and coachman. Described by Jefferson as "one of the most trusty servants I have," Hughes cared for Jefferson's horses in the stable on Mulberry Row and the carriages in the North Terrace wing. Biographer Henry Randall remarked on Hughes' passion for horses in 1851: "He could distinctly remember, and describe the points, height, color, temper, etc. of every horse."



The stable area located under the north terrace consisted of many separate stalls. One stall for the: Chariot, Double Phaeton, Single Phaeton, Gigg & Sulky; two stalls for the Strangers Carriages, four horse stalls, and one Store Room.

In his lifetime, Jefferson owned dozens of riding and carriage horses, many of them prized for their English bloodlines.  Edmond Bacon, a Monticello overseer once noted that Jefferson was "passionately fond of all good horse." Describing the horse as the "most sovereign of all Doctors." Jefferson took daily rides across his 5,000 acre plantation for exercise and to oversee the work of around 130 enslaved men, women and children who lived and labored at Monticello.

Names of Thomas Jefferson's horses at Monticello: Cucullin, Allycroker, Caractacus, Odin, Brimmer, Castor, Peacemaker, Gustavus, Ethelinda, Polly Peachum, Remus & Romulus, Diomede, Eagle, Silvertail, Silveret, Matchless, Bremo, Alfred, The General, Orra Moor, Asaragoa, Fitzpartner, Wellington, Everallyn, Crab, Peggy Waffington, Raleigh, Wildair, Tecumseh, Zanga, Tarquin.

(Articles derived from Th:Jefferson Monticello, spring 2016, Volume 27, Number 1 and www.monticello.org)

~

Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man, by Jayne D'Alessandro-Cox is:

Available in paperback, Kindle,  and mp3 audio download through Amazon:
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Friday, November 11, 2016

The Most Divisive Election in American History-1800



From the beginning, the stage was set for a serious political showdown. Thomas Jefferson, then vice president, was running against incumbent President John Adams. Jefferson was a Democratic Republican, Adams a Federalist.

It was a rematch of the 1796 presidential election, when Adams emerged victorious. This time around, many believed Jefferson would have the edge, thanks to a shifting mood across the country.

The stakes could not have been higher.  The Constitution was 11 years young.  The national government was a democratic experiment yet untested in other corners of the world. There was genuine concern that the transfer of power from one political faction to another might lead to civil war. Jeffersonian Republicans knew they would have to carry New York to win the election, so they chose the U.S. senator from New York, Aaron Burr, as Jefferson's running mate.  Adams and the Federalists selected Charles Pinckney of South Carolina.

In 1800, the battle for the presidency wasn't waged on the debate stage or in the town hall meetings. The candidates themselves were conspicuously absent from the discourse over who should be elected.  Instead, mud was slung in all the newspapers of the day - partisan publications that favored either the Federalist president or his Republican contender.

The question of that day was, "Shall I continue in allegiance to God-and a religious president, or impiously declare for Jefferson-and no God!"  Such smear tactics were considered politics as usual at the turn of the century. In a 1798 letter to his daughter Martha, Jefferson wrote of the nation's capitol, "politics and party hatred destroy the happiness of every being  here.  They seem, like salamanders, to consider fire as their element."

In the end, the 1800 election resulted in a surprising tie in the electoral college between Jefferson and running mate Aaron Burr.  If fell to Congress to determine the final outcome. In a letter  dated December 23, 1800, Alexander Hamilton wrote, "in a choice of Evils let them take the least - Jefferson is in every view less dangerous than Burr."

Some 200 years later, a pessimist might say that given our track record, there's little hope for civility in American politics. But Jefferson offered a different view. In his 1801 inaugural address, with the vitriol of the campaign  still fresh in his mind, he expressed conviction that the American people could find common ground:

"...every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principles.  We are all Republicans. We are all Federalists."

After retiring from public office, Jefferson took his own advice to heart, rekindling his friendship with Adams.  In Jefferson's words, "I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as a cause for withdrawing from a friend" (1800)


JOHN ADAMS

Age:   65

Political Party:   Federalist

Prior Experience: 2nd U.S. President; 1st U.S. Vice President; U.S. Minister to GB; Founder

Education:  Harvard College

Religion:  Unitarian

Hometown:  Braintree (now Quincy)  MA

Famous Phrase:  "Liberty, once lost, is lost forever."

Nickname:  Atlas of Independence

THOMAS JEFFERSON

Age:  57

Political Party:  Democratic Republican

Prior Experience:  2nd U.S. Vice President; 1st U.S. Secretary of State; Minister to France; Founder; Author of Declaration of Independence

Education:  College of William and Mary

Religion:  No Formal Affiliation

Hometown:  Charlottesville, VA

Famous Phrase:  "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal..."

Nickname:  Sage of Monticello
                                                                                     ~
Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man, by Jayne D'Alessandro-Cox is:

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 derived from Th:Jefferson Monticello, spring 2016, Volume 27, Number 1

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

History of the Eppes Family: Eppington Plantation



When Francis Eppes VI reached his majority in 1768, he inherited land in Henrico and Chesterfield counties.  About the same time, he married Thomas Jefferson's sister-in-law, Elizabeth Wayles, and undertook construction of a house that was not completed until near his death in 1808.

The Eppes family crest can be traced back to Francis Epes I, baptized in Kent, England, May 14, 1597.  By April of 1625, he arrived in Virginia and was elected to serve as the burgess from Shirley Hundred.  Later appointed as Commissioner for the Upper Parts on August 8, 1626, Epes served as a military commander leading an attack on the Weyanoke and Appomattock Indians on July 4, 1627.

In August 1635, King Charles I granted Epes a patent of 1,700 acres in Virginia on the lower side of the Appomattox River's mouth at City Point, in what was then Charles City County, and today is Hopewell, Virginia.

Francis Eppes VI, born in 1747, was the 16th generation born in America.  Originally displayed at Eppington, the crest is now in the possession of the W.L.Wilson family.  The original spelling of the family name was Epes.

Both Thomas Jefferson and Francis Eppes VI attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.  Jefferson enrolled at the age of 17, and attended from 1760-1762, remaining in Williamsburg to study law as an apprentice under George Wythe until 1767.  On March 25, 1762, Eppes enrolled at William & Mary at the age of 15, and finished on March 25, 1764.  It is possible that their friendship formed at college or through a mutual acquaintance, John Wayles, the king's attorney.  Wayles, also a planter, dealt heavily in the slave trade, and had four daughters, Martha, Elizabeth, Tabitha and Ann.  They lived at The Forest in Charles City County, Virginia, located near Williamsburg.

Sometime between 1768, when Eppes came of age (21 years old) and 1771, he married Elizabeth Wayles, daughter of John Wayles and his second wife Miss Cocke.

Through different documents, the link between the Jefferson and Eppes can be traced.  On September 10, 1771, Eppes witnessed the will of Bathurst Skelton, the husband of Elizabeth's half sister, Martha. Jefferson's account book documents his presence at The Forest during the winter and fall of 1770 and throughout 1771. (Read more about Thomas Jefferson and Martha Wayles Skelton in Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man.)

On December 23, 1771, Jefferson and Eppes both signed the widowed Martha Wayles Skelton's marriage bond.  Martha Wayles Skelton, the daughter of John Wayles' first wife Martha Eppes, married Jefferson on January 1, 1772.  Eighteen days after the ceremony, the newlyweds left Eppington for Monticello.  Jefferson and Eppes remained friends and great correspondents throughout their lives.

Eppington is an architectural jewel beside the Appomattox River in historic Chesterfield County. It is included in the National Register of Historic Places, Virginia Landmarks Register and a designated Chesterfield County Historic Landmark. Preliminary archaeological test excavations revealed footprints of the original 18th-century schoolhouse and kitchen located adjacent to the main house, along with 26 activity areas scattered over the 43-acre site. Eppington provides an excellent opportunity for additional archaeological and historical research and educational outreach.



Information made possible by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy. The house and grounds are open to the public by appointment only.  Contact the Chesterfield County Department of Parks and Recreation for special tours or to attend events held at Eppington through- out the year. (804) 748-1623. www.chesterfieldtourism.com

~
Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man, by Jayne D'Alessandro-Cox is:

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Saturday, July 23, 2016

Thomas Jefferson Loved Martha Wayles


It is not certain how Thomas Jefferson originally met Martha Wayles Skelton. It is possible that they met in Williamsburg when she was married to lawyer and planter Bathurst Skelton, who earlier was a classmate of Jefferson's at William & Mary; possibly at a social engagement that Bathurst and she attended in Williamsburg; or at the home of their  maestro while he and Martha were coming and going from their music lessons. What is certain is that after the mourning of her late husband, and appropriate time had passed, Martha attracted many suitors from the Tidewater society.  She was not without a lack of gentlemen callers, young and old, who sought her hand in marriage.  Thomas Jefferson was one of them, a successful planter and lawyer with his own large practice and a member of the House of Burgesses representing Albemarle County.

When Thomas first came to woo the lovely widow, he was 28 years old, square shouldered, 6' 2 1/2 " tall, and straight bodied. He was lean with a ruddy complexion, reddish hair, hazel eyes, long face, and a high nose. He found Martha especially attractive because of her education and her penchant for music.

Martha, nicknamed "Patty" by her father, was a woman of extraordinary beauty both in form and face. A little above middle height, she was delicate, well poised, gentle, with a queen-like carriage, and graced with a warm-affectionate disposition. Her abundant hair was the most admired shade of auburn. Her complexion was fair, her hazel eyes large and expressive.  "Patty" was charming, had a delicate singing voice, and played the pianoforte with uncommon skill. She possessed habits of good society, was a gracious hostess, and industrious housewife, and knew much about raising children.  She sewed, spinned, knitted, and enjoyed making soap and candles.Thomas and Martha delighted in stimulating conversation and discussing popular classics in front of a crackling fire.

As their courtship progressed, on February 20, 1771, Thomas Jefferson commissioned the purchase of a German clavichord for Martha. Before it was scheduled to be shipped, he wrote Thomas Adams in London requesting him to order a pianoforte instead. At first, he was worried that his strong feelings toward Martha were not mutual, and expressed his concerns to their mutual friend, Mrs. Drummond. In a letter dated March 12, 1771, Mrs. Drummond states that Martha had "good sense, and good nature"...and that she suspected that Martha's heart was already "engaged".

Writing to his friend, Thomas Jefferson states, "In every scheme of happiness she is placed in the foreground of the picture, as the principal figure. Take that away and it is no picture for me." Thomas Jefferson had become enamored with Martha and could hardly imagine life without her.

On June 10, 1771, Martha's 4-year old son with Bathurst Skelton died of fever. Allowing Martha to have the necessary time to grieve his loss just a few years after losing her first husband, Thomas Jefferson respectfully asked Martha's father, John Wayles, for her hand in marriage, and was given the blessing. At the proper time, Jefferson respectfully asked Martha for her hand in marriage, and, to his delight, she accepted.

In late December 1771, Thomas Jefferson visited Martha's childhood home, The Forrest, to visit Martha and her relatives. While there, Francis Eppes, the husband of Martha's step sister Elizabeth, drew up the marriage bond, and they both signed it on December 23rd. One week later, Thomas purchased the marriage license in Williamsburg, then returned to The Forest to help Martha prepare for their wedding.

On January 1, 1772, Thomas Jefferson and Martha Wayles Skelton were wed. Martha's ailing father hosted the elaborate holiday affair in grand and liberal style. Fiddlers were hired and many tables were spread out for scores of guests inside the mansion. Anglican ministers Rev. Davis and Rev. Coutts performed the ceremony, but Rev. Davis effectually tied the knot.

After a hearty breakfast on the morning of January 18, 1772, the newlyweds bid farewell to their relatives at The Forest, and departed in their 2-horse drawn covered phaeton for Monticello, as a light snow began to fall.

Excerpts from book Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man. To read about Thomas and Martha Jefferson's memorable travels from The Forest to Monticello in the dead of winter, read Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man by Jayne D'Alessandro-Cox.

~

Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man, by Jayne D'Alessandro-Cox is:

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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Thursday, July 21, 2016

Thomas Jefferson Loved Ale !

At Monticello, beer was considered to be "table liquor" and served during dinner.  Upon entering the breakfast room for dinner, drinking cups of silver were on the table.  The table liquors available were beer, home-made cider, and after-dinner wine.

While Jefferson was enjoying his retirement from public life at Monticello and construction was under way on the brick garden pavilion in the 1000-foot terraced garden, Jefferson embarked on the scientific pursuit of brewing beer. Using malt purchased from his neighbor William Meriwether and hops bought locally, Jefferson was apparently successful in the first brewing attempt at Monticello since his wife, Martha, had made beer some 40 years earlier at her father’s plantation, The Forrest.

The inventory taken after the death of Thomas’ father, Peter Jefferson, listed The London and Country Brewer among his possessions, suggesting that beer may have been brewed at Thomas Jefferson’s birthplace, Shadwell, during Jefferson's youth.  In the early years of their marriage, nearly every two weeks,  Martha Jefferson brewed  15-gallon batches of small beer, which had a relatively low alcoholic content.  Jefferson bought beer at taverns while on his travels, and was known to stock up on beer by the gallon or cask. 

On September 17th, 1813, Jefferson began the business of brewing malt liquors for family use. Under the direction of a Joseph Miller, Jefferson became "a brewer for family use." He would brew three  60-gallon casks of ale in succession. 

During the fall of 1813, the slave Peter Hemings, who was proficient in French cookery, also became proficient in the art of malting and brewing. According to Jefferson, Peter possessed "great intelligence and diligence both of which are necessary." By the fall of 1814 there was a brew house at Monticello and Jefferson had begun malting his own grain instead of purchasing it from neighbors. Once the beer had been kegged, it needed to rest for at least two weeks in a cool, still place, his beer cellar, before being tapped. Jefferson's beer cellar was located in the “all weather passageway”, under the house, at Monticello, but the location and design of the brew house remain a mystery.  Perhaps the brew house was like the one he described to James Madison as being dug into the "steep side of a hill, so as to need a roof only."

Once the beer had been kegged, it needed to rest for at least two weeks in a cool-still place before being tapped. Jefferson preferred storing beer in bottles, and referred to the book, The American Brewer by Joseph Coppinger, when brewing from malted Indian corn.

Upon entering the breakfast room for dinner, drinking cups of silver were placed on the table.  The table liquors were beer, cider, and after dinner wine."


Excerpts of article by Ann Lucas, 1995.  Adapted from an essay originally published in Spring Dinner at Monticello, April 12, 1995, in Memory of Thomas Jefferson (Charlottesville, Va.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1995).  References added by Kristen Lochrie, May 2012. www.monticello.org


~

Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man, by Jayne D'Alessandro-Cox is:

Available in paperback, Kindle,  and mp3 audio download through Amazon:
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Wednesday, July 20, 2016

"Natural Bridge", excerpt from Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man

                                                   "Natural Bridge", Natural Bridge, VA

On August 23, 1767, Thomas Jefferson traveled to the town of Staunton, in Augusta County, to perform legal services regarding several cases.  After leaving Staunton, and on his way to Bedford, he came across "the most sublime of Nature's works." He paid a local man to guide him to the magnificent structure up close.  Once he arrived, he took out his memorandum book, and on the inside back cover, wrote the description of what seemed to be a natural bridge made from one rock of limestone, and he sketched it.

A small creek, called Cedar Creek, ran underneath the bridge,"being very rocky it is not rapid." "It is impossible for the emotions, arising from the sublime, to be felt beyond what they are...so beautiful an arch, so elevated, so light, and springing, as it were, up to heaven, the rapture of the spectator is really indescribable!"

After completing legal business at the Amherst, Orange, Culpeper, Frederick and Fauquier County seats, he returned to Monticello and began to take steps to purchase the property surrounding what he called, Natural Bridge. He purchased the land from King George III for 20 shillings, and received the patent for the 157-acre tract which included the geological marvel.  At some point, he hoped to build a log cabin there and use it as a retreat. 

When Thomas Jefferson first saw the limestone bridge on August 23, 1767, he took notes and later recorded his notes about the bridge in his Notes on the State of Virginia.  On June 10, 1773, Jefferson paid the secretary of the colony at the surveyor general's office for a survey warrant and recorded it in his memorandum book.  On July 5, 1774, a patent in the name of George III was issued to him. 
~

Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man, by Jayne D'Alessandro-Cox is:

Available in paperback, Kindle,  and mp3 audio download through Amazon:
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Thursday, July 7, 2016

Thomas Jefferson's Chinese Gong



In December 11, 1795, Thomas Jefferson made notations in his Memorandum Books concerning the purchase of 2 pairs of gongs. It appears that the earlier of the 2 was related to a gong proured through Henry Remsen, Jr., in New York.  Jefferson stated, "The Chinese have a thing made of a kind of bell metal, which they call a Gong, and is used as a bell at the gates of large houses, &c.  It is in fact precisely of the shape and size of a camp oven, and 20. I. diameter and 5. I. deep... I wish for one to serve as the bell to a clock, which might be heard all over my farm..."  After consulting with the owner of a ship engaged in the China trade, Ramsen informed Jefferson that provisions had been made to meet his request. In due time, 2 gongs arrived at Monticello.

There is no information available from Jefferson's records and notes about the original design of the gong housing on the northeast portico roof.  It appears in all early illustrations from 1827 on.  The wooden  housing was replaced during the 1955 roof restoration with a new housing fabricated of sheet metal with an enamel finish.

One of the gongs appears to have been installed as part of the apparatus of the "Great Clock" being used to sound each half and hourly time.  This gong is of hammered brass-like metal.

(Notes taken from: www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/gongs)

~

Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man, by Jayne D'Alessandro-Cox is:

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Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Meet the "Voice of THOMAS JEFFERSON"



Introducing James Brinkley

Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man is a biographical/autobiographical and historically accurate account of Thomas Jefferson's first 31 years of life... his journey to manhood.

It still amazes me how fortunate I was to find James Brinkley to read as Thomas Jefferson in my newly released audio book, Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man!

James Brinkley is a gifted and multi-talented actor and producer. When I began my search for voice actors, I googled! Up came a sight. I listened to over 50 voice actors with British accents and read about their various voice abilities. I selected two men and emailed them both. James answered my email within 24 hours. This was truly a God thing!  We spoke on the phone, to find out that he lives and works in Los Angeles. We got along very well from the first conversation. He sent me links to 8 of his most recent television commercials. All the commercials were of James acting as Thomas Jefferson, in the presence of two other founding fathers...an advertisement for a Bank in LA. If this was not a sign! We agreed to work together immediately... February 2015.

Every week, I would send him a chapter. He would send me the file, I'd listen to it, and send it back with corrections, requests, etc.  It took approx 1 week to nail down 1-2 chapters. What a professional! He took instruction so well, never a complaint, and believe me, I am a perfectionist!

We were about 1/2 way through when James suggested that his son could read as the college-age Jefferson. I was shocked! Sixteen year old Alexander has a British accent, and his voice is a younger version of his father! Then, as amazing as that was, James offered the talents of his wife, Eun-Mee, who is a concert violinist, and works on Hollywood film scores for some of the most popular name movies. I was "over the top" excited! Eun-Mee plays all the violin music in the audio, as well as accompanies James as he sings a Psalm at the end of Chapter 34.

As we neared the end of production, James called me with incredible news, that he originally kept from me. It seems that he is the descendant of the 12th century Berkeley family of Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire, England, the oldest castle continuously owned and occupied by the Berkeley family. His descendant, Richard Berkeley, was one of the 38 settlers who sailed to Virginia from Bristol, England, landing on December 4, 1619, at what was then called Berkeley Hundred. These early settlers celebrated our country's first official Thanksgiving, 2 years and 17 days before the Mayflower Pilgrims celebrated their Thanksgiving at Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Sir William Berkeley, descendant of Richard Berkeley, was twice appointed by the King of England to be Lte. Governor for the capitol city of Virginia...Williamsburg (1641-1652 and 1660-1677)

I will meet James and his family this Fourth of July weekend, as they are visiting Charlottesville, VA. We will tour Monticello, and get to finally meet each other.  You cannot imagine how thrilling this is for us all! We will celebrate with a radio interview on July 4 and a "Meet and Greet" on July 5 in Charlottesville!

There is no book or audio book on the market today about this specific time period of Jefferson's life! You will truly enjoy hearing Thomas Jefferson reminisce about life growing up at Tuckahoe and Shadwell plantations, boarding school days, cherished seasons with his father Peter, life at the College of William and Mary, his first love, law apprenticeship and practice, family, friends, fire, earthquakes, floods, deaths, and much more...

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6-disc Audio Book, Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man, now available: to purchase:

Read about Thomas Jefferson's youth and journey to manhood in my soft-cover book, Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man.    $23.99   To purchase, visit:

                                       www.jaynedalessandrocox.com

.

Monday, June 27, 2016

Two Year Old Lucy Jefferson Dies At Eppington





Recently, I had the privilege of receiving an amazing private tour of the 1768 Eppington Plantation home.  It is located on the Appomattox River in Chesterfield County, VA. The house is not furnished inside, which I so appreciated. The floors, walls, doors, staircase, fireplaces, etc. are all original. You can just imagine Thomas and Martha Jefferson and their daughters visiting the Eppes family as they walk about the house.  This is the back view of the home. It was a mirror image of the front, which faced the Appomattox River, now blocked by a thick forest. Thomas Jefferson was visiting Eppington when he received a letter from George Washington offering him the position of Secretary of State..."I consider the Office of Secretary for Department of State as important on many accounts and know no other person could better execute duties than yourself."  


Eppington was the residence of Thomas Jefferson's wife, Martha's, step-sister Elizabeth and her husband Francis Eppes IV. Two years after Martha Jefferson died in 1782, Thomas Jefferson accepted the position to succeed Benjamin Franklin as the Minister to France (1785-9). He brought his oldest daughter, Martha (Patsy), and left 2 year old Lucy and 6 year old Maria (Polly) at Eppington w/ Aunt Elizabeth, Uncle Frances and their family. 

Sadly, as the Eppes were entertaining guests that they did not know were infected with whopping cough, their toddler Lucy, Thomas Jefferson's 2 yr old Lucy, and 6 year old Maria contracted whopping cough. Maria got through it, but the two Lucy's were not strong enough to be saved, and died. They were buried in the family cemetery. Once Thomas Jefferson was informed of his youngest daughter's death, he insisted that his family send Maria to him in Paris. Maria did not want to leave her Aunt Elizabeth. The persistent father won, but an escort was very difficult to find. The only person available to escort Maria to Paris was a 13 year old enslaved girl from Monticello...Sally Hemings. What a surprise it was for Thomas Jefferson to see that his very young daughter was escorted on the large an arduous trip by yet another "child". 

Eppington Plantation can be toured by appointment only in groups of 5 or more. Call 804.748.1623. Eppington is open free of charge one day a year... the first Saturday of October, from 11am - 4pm. For more information  on tours and the October Festival, visit  http://eppington.org/ 

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