Martha Jefferson
First lady of Virginia, wife of Thomas Jefferson (1748-1782)
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, born Martha Wayles (October 30, 1748 – September 6, 1782) was the only wife of her second husband, Thomas Jefferson.
Martha Jefferson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First Lady of Virginia | |
| In office June 1, 1779 – June 3, 1781 | |
| 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 (1767–1771) Martha (1772–1836) Jane (1774–1775) Peter (1777) Polly (1778–1804) Lucy Elizabeth (1780–1781) Lucy Elizabeth (1782–1784) |
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.
The Jeffersons had six children together. 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, twenty years before her husband became the third President of the United States. At her wishes, he never married again.
Other websites
change- Colonial Williamsburg: Interview of Martha Jefferson, YouTube
- Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson Archived 2009-03-07 at the Wayback Machine, Monticello: For accurate, up-to-date information written and moderated by historians at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.
- Martha Jefferson at Find-A-Grave
- "Martha Jefferson"[permanent dead link], First Lady Biography
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