Our Family Genealogy Pages

Home Page  |  What's New  |  Photos  |  Histories  |  Headstones  |  Reports  |  Surnames
Search
First Name:


Last Name:



President Thomas Jefferson

President Thomas Jefferson

Male 1743 - 1826  (83 years)  Submit Photo / DocumentSubmit Photo / Document    Has 37 ancestors and 6 descendants in this family tree.

Personal Information    |    Media    |    Notes    |    Event Map    |    All    |    PDF

  • Photos
    President Thomas Jefferson
    President Thomas Jefferson

  • Name Thomas Jefferson 
    Prefix President 
    Birth 13 Apr 1743  Shadwell, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Death 4 Jul 1826  Charlottesville City, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Initiatory (LDS) 23 Aug 1877  SGEOR Find all individuals with events at this location 
    FamilySearch ID L7RV-G3V 
    Burial Monticello, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Headstones Submit Headstone Photo Submit Headstone Photo 
    Person ID I92977  mytree
    Last Modified 25 Feb 2024 

    Father Peter Jefferson,   b. 29 Feb 1708, Osbornes, Chesterfield, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 17 Aug 1757, Shadwell, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 49 years) 
    Mother Jane Randolph,   b. 9 Feb 1721, Shadwell, Yorkshire, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 31 Mar 1776, Massachusetts, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 55 years) 
    Marriage 3 Oct 1739  Goochland, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F30425  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Martha Wayles,   b. 30 Oct 1748, Charles City, Charles City, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 6 Sep 1782, Charlottesville City, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 33 years) 
    Marriage 1 Jan 1772  Lower Merion Township, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
     1. Martha Washington "Patsey" Jefferson,   b. 27 Sep 1772, Monticello, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 10 Oct 1836, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 64 years)
     2. Jane Randolph Jefferson,   b. 3 Apr 1774, Monticello, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Sep 1775, Monticello, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 1 year)
     3. Peter Jefferson,   b. 28 May 1777, Monticello, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 14 Jun 1777, Monticello, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 0 years)
     4. Mary "Polly" Jefferson,   b. 1 Aug 1778, Monticello, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 17 Apr 1804, Monticello, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 25 years)
     5. Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson,   b. 3 Nov 1780, Monticello, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 15 Apr 1781, Monticello, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 0 years)
     6. Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson,   b. 8 May 1782, Monticello, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 13 Oct 1784, Monticello, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 2 years)
    Family ID F30424  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 2 Jun 2024 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 13 Apr 1743 - Shadwell, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 1 Jan 1772 - Lower Merion Township, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 4 Jul 1826 - Charlottesville City, Virginia, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsInitiatory (LDS) - 23 Aug 1877 - SGEOR Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Monticello, Albemarle, Virginia, United States Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Notes 
    • 3rd President of the United States.

      He was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher , a nd Founding Father who served as the third president of the United St ate s from 1801 to 1809. He had previously served as the second vice pres iden t of the United States under John Adams and as the first United Stat es se cretary of state under George Washington. The principal author of t he Dec laration of Independence, Jefferson was a proponent of democracy , republi canism, and individual rights, motivating American colonists t o break fro m the Kingdom of Great Britain and form a new nation; he prod uced formati ve documents and decisions at both the state and national le vels.

      During the American Revolution, Jefferson represented Virginia in the Co n tinental Congress that adopted the Declaration of Independence. As a Vi rg inia legislator, he drafted a state law for religious freedom. He serv e d as the second Governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781, during the Amer ic an Revolutionary War. In 1785, Jefferson was appointed the United Stat e s Minister to France, and subsequently, the nation's first secretary o f s tate under President George Washington from 1790 to 1793. Jefferson a nd J ames Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose th e Fede ralist Party during the formation of the First Party System. Wit h Madison , he anonymously wrote the provocative Kentucky and Virginia Re solution s in 1798 and 1799, which sought to strengthen states' rights b y nullifyi ng the federal Alien and Sedition Acts.

      Jefferson was a longtime friend of John Adams, both serving in the Conti n ental Congress and drafting the Declaration of Independence together. H ow ever, Jefferson's status as a Democratic-Republican would end up makin g A dams, a Federalist, his political rival. In the 1796 presidential ele ctio n between Jefferson and Adams, Jefferson came second, which accordin g t o electoral procedure at the time, unintentionally elected him as vic e pr esident to Adams. Jefferson would later go on to challenge Adams aga in i n 1800 and win the presidency. After concluding his presidency, Jeff erso n would eventually reconcile with Adams and shared a correspondenc e tha t lasted fourteen years.

      As president, Jefferson pursued the nation's shipping and trade interes t s against Barbary pirates and aggressive British trade policies. Starti n g in 1803, Jefferson promoted a western expansionist policy, organizin g t he Louisiana Purchase which doubled the nation's claimed land area. T o ma ke room for settlement, Jefferson began the process of Indian triba l remo val from the newly acquired territory. As a result of peace negoti ation s with France, his administration reduced military forces. Jefferso n wa s re-elected in 1804. His second term was beset with difficulties a t home , including the trial of former vice president Aaron Burr. In 1807 , Ameri can foreign trade was diminished when Jefferson implemented the E mbargo A ct in response to British threats to U.S. shipping. The same yea r, Jeffer son signed the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves.

      Jefferson (while primarily a plantation owner, lawyer, and politician) m a stered many disciplines, which ranged from surveying and mathematics t o h orticulture and mechanics. He was an architect in the classical tradi tion . Jefferson's keen interest in religion and philosophy led to his pr eside ncy of the American Philosophical Society; he shunned organized rel igio n but was influenced by Christianity, Epicureanism, and deism. A phi lolog ist, Jefferson knew several languages. He was a prolific letter wri ter an d corresponded with many prominent people, including Edward Carrin gton, J ohn Taylor of Caroline and James Madison. Among his books is Note s on th e State of Virginia (1785), considered perhaps the most importan t America n book published before 1800. Jefferson championed the ideals , values, an d teachings of the Enlightenment.

      During his lifetime, Jefferson owned over 600 slaves, who were kept in h i s household and on his plantations. Since Jefferson's time, controvers y h as revolved around his relationship with Sally Hemings, a mixed-rac e ensl aved woman, and his late wife's half-sister. According to DNA evid ence fr om surviving descendants and oral history, Jefferson fathered a t least si x children with Hemings, including four that survived to adult hood. Evide nce suggests that Jefferson started the relationship with Hem ings when th ey were in Paris, where she arrived at the age of 14 when Je fferson was 4 4. By the time she returned to the United States at 16, sh e was pregnant.

      After retiring from public office, Jefferson founded the University of V i rginia. Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826, the 50th an ni versary of U.S. independence. Presidential scholars and historians gen era lly praise Jefferson's public achievements, including his advocacy o f rel igious freedom and tolerance in Virginia. Jefferson ranks highly am ong th e U.S. presidents, usually in the top five.