Martha Jefferson
| Martha Jefferson | |
|---|---|
 |
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| First Lady of Virginia | |
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In office June 1, 1779 – June 3, 1781 |
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| Preceded by | Dorothea Henry |
| Succeeded by | Anne Fleming |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 30, 1748 Charles City, Colony of Virginia, British America |
| Died | September 6, 1782 (aged 33) Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America |
| Spouse(s) | Bathurst Skelton (1766–1768) Thomas Jefferson (1772–1782; her death) |
| Children | John Skelton (1767–1771) Martha Jefferson (1772–1836) Jane Jefferson (1774–1775) Peter Jefferson (1777) Polly Jefferson (1778–1804) Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson (1780–1781) Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson (1782–1784) |
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, born Martha Wayles (October 30, 1748 – September 6, 1782) was the only wife of her second husband, Thomas Jefferson. She was a widow at her second wedding, as her first husband had died young. When her second husband, Jefferson, was Governor of Virginia, she served as First Lady of Virginia from 1779 to 1781. She would have been the third First Lady of the United States, but she died before her husband Thomas Jefferson's presidential term from 1801 to 1809.
The Jeffersons had six children, but only two daughters survived to adulthood, and only one past the age of 25. Weakened by childbirth, Martha Jefferson died several months after the birth of her last child, two decades before her husband became the third President of the United States. At her request, he never married again.
Martha Wayles was born on October 30, 1748, in Charles City County, Virginia to John Wayles (1715–1773) and his first wife, Martha Eppes (1712–1748). She was their only child. John Wayles was an attorney, slave trader, business agent for Bristol-based merchants Farrell & Jones, and prosperous planter. He was born in Lancaster, England and had emigrated alone at the age of 19 to Virginia in 1734, leaving family in England. He became a lawyer.
Her mother, Martha Eppes, was a daughter of Francis Eppes and his wife of Bermuda Hundred. Martha Eppes Wayles died on November 5, 1748, when her daughter Martha was six days old. Nothing is known of Martha Eppes Wayles' education or other aspects of her childhood. The scant documentation about her indicates she was a fine writer and had a refined appreciation for the literature of the period, such as Tristram Shandy and The Adventures of Telemachus. (The original of this book, with her signature on the title page, is part of the Library of Congress collection). Eppes had been widowed when she married Wayles.
As part of her dowry, Martha Eppes brought with her to the marriage her personal slaves, an African woman named Susanna and her 11-year-old mixed-race daughter Elizabeth Hemings (Betty). John and Martha's marriage contract provided that Susanna and Betty were to remain the property of Martha Eppes and her heirs forever, or be returned to the Eppes family should there be no heirs. Thus, Betty Hemings and her 10 children were eventually inherited by Martha's daughter Martha Wayles and her husband, Thomas Jefferson.
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