28 Facts About Martha Jefferson

Martha Skelton Jefferson was the wife of Thomas Jefferson from 1772 until her death.

Martha Jefferson served as First Lady of Virginia during Jefferson's term as governor from 1779 to 1781.

Martha Jefferson died in 1782,19 years before he became president.

Martha Jefferson died four months after the birth of her last child.

Martha Jefferson's mother, Martha Jefferson Eppes Wayles, had previously given birth to twins in 1746, but neither survived; the girl was stillborn and the boy died hours after his birth.

Martha Jefferson's father John was a Lancaster-born emigrant to the Thirteen Colonies who worked as an attorney and prosperous planter and slave trader.

Martha Jefferson Eppes Wayles was a daughter of Francis Eppes, a settler of the Bermuda Hundred, an early Virginian colony established along the Appomattox River.

Martha Jefferson Wayles had two stepmothers, neither of whom lived long after their marriages to John Wayles, and through one stepmother she had four half-sisters.

Martha Jefferson became the "Lady of the House" after her second stepmother died when she was 13 years of age and was often a hostess to John Wayles' social events and helped manage his business and household affairs.

Martha Jefferson knew how to make candles, soap, butter and remedies for illnesses.

Martha Jefferson then moved back to The Forest following her husband's death.

Martha and Thomas Jefferson acquired a number of slaves as part of her dowry for her marriage, and later from the estate of John Wayles, which made Thomas the second largest slave owner in Albemarle County.

Martha Jefferson left substantial property, including slaves, but the estate was encumbered with debt.

Wayles three sons-in-law, including Thomas Martha Jefferson, decided to break up the estate and its debts.

Martha and her husband Thomas Jefferson inherited the Willis Creek and Elk Hill plantations and a total of 135 people, including members of the Hemings family.

Martha Jefferson played the harpsichord piano forte, while Thomas Jefferson played violins.

Martha Jefferson reportedly played the harpsichord "very skillfully and who, is in all respects, a very agreeable sensible and accomplished lady," according to a Hessian officer, Jacob Rubsamen, who visited Monticello in 1780.

Martha Jefferson was a little over 5 feet tall, with a lithe figure, auburn hair, and hazel eyes.

Martha Jefferson was an accomplished needlewoman, some of her embroidery still exists.

Martha Jefferson maintained a collection of notes regarding her household duties and recipes, such as butchering and curing meat and the creation of large batches of soft and hard soap, candles, and beer.

Martha Jefferson was First Lady of Virginia from 1779 to 1781, during the American Revolution.

The letter to James Madison's mother, Eleanor Conway Madison, is the only letter written by Martha Jefferson known to now exist.

Martha Jefferson published an appeal in the Virginia Gazette, announcing that collections would be taken in the churches.

Martha Jefferson wished to return to her as soon as possible.

Martha Jefferson declined the offer to serve as the commissioner to France made by the Continental Congress while she was alive.

Edmund Randolph wrote in the month of her death that Thomas was "inconsolable" about Martha Jefferson's declining health and pain.

Martha Jefferson's request has been attributed to her own disagreeable relationships with her stepmothers.

Martha Jefferson was portrayed by Blythe Danner in the 1972 film 1776.