Jane Randolph Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson's mother (1721–1776)

Jane Randolph Jefferson (February 10, 1720 – March 31, 1776) was the wife of Peter Jefferson and the mother of US president Thomas Jefferson. Born in the parish of Shadwell, near London, she was the daughter of Isham Randolph, a ship's captain and a planter. Jefferson was proud of her heritage and brought customs of aristocracy to her family. Jefferson was revered within her family's household and positively influenced her son, Thomas Jefferson.

Jane Randolph was born on February 10, 1720, at Shakspear Walk, in Shadwell, then a maritime village about a mile east of the Tower of London. Shakspear Walk was dug up in the 19th century to make the Shadwell Basin of the London Docks. She was the daughter of Isham Randolph, a mariner and planter born in Virginia, and his wife Jane Rogers, who were married in St Botolph without Bishopsgate, London in 1717. The Randolphs lived in London and at Randolph's estate in Goochland County, Virginia. showing she was baptised at St Paul's, Shadwell on February 25, 1720, aged 15 days, the daughter of Isham Randolph of Shakspear Walk, mariner and Jane, his wife. The font where Jane was baptised, painted in about 1810. St Paul, Shadwell as it still was in about 1800. The only church in the London area to have been founded while England was a republic, its interior reflects the Puritan style, influenced by Dutch Calvinism. Many sea captains are buried in the churchyard. The hamlet of Shadwell at the time of Jane Randolph's birth. The street where she was born and her church are marked blue. Forthright place names echo the rumbustious maritime environment: B. Maidenhead Lane C. Codpeic [codpiece] Row D. Cock Hill E. Cut throat Lane. F. Labour in Vain Street. The Randolphs lived in Virginia by October 1725, when Jane's sister, Mary, was born in Williamsburg. She had an older brother, Isham, born two streets away in 1718, who died shortly after his baptism. The Randolph family was described by a merchant in 1737 as a "very gentle, well dressed people." in present day Powhatan County, Virginia, near Fine Creek. (It is now part of Fine Creek Mills Historic District). In 1741 or 1742, they established a home along the Rivanna River, which they named Shadwell, after her London birthplace. Jane and Peter offered a privileged life for their family whether in established areas of eastern Virginia or, later, as they settled in the Shadwell plantation of the Piedmont. They ate on fine dishware, frequently entertained, enjoyed classic books and music, and attended dances. The family was considered prosperous and cultured. While Thomas Jefferson rarely mentioned his mother, much is known of her from extant records, She was particularly known for her ability to manage the family's finances. Peter died in 1757 at Shadwell, after which Jane inherited the Shadwell plantation and house. Thomas, the eldest son, became the "man of the house" and assumed his father's business responsibilities. At the time of Peter's death, the estate included 2,750 acres, 66 slaves, and a staff that included hired laborers.|name=Shadwell until the fire, at which time he removed to Monticello. Her health declined, requiring a number of visits by physicians and periodic convalescence with Thomas and Martha at Monticello. Her final years were lived under the strain of the American Revolutionary War. She died suddenly due to apoplexy on March 31, 1776. She was 56. Jane was buried in the Monticello family graveyard. Author William Judson Hampton and others credited Jane for her son's success as a statesman and his writing abilities. She also instilled in her son her love of music and the finer things of life, as well as her religious beliefs. Jon Meacham finds that Thomas lived with his mother at Shadwell "long into Jefferson's adulthood" to indicate his affection for his mother. He did not move to Monticello until the main house at Shadwell was destroyed in a fire. His first daughter was named Martha, and his second daughter was named Jane Randolph Jefferson for his mother.

Ancestor William Randolph established the Randolph family in Virginia. He established a residence at Turkey Island and his descendants included General Robert E. Lee and Mary Isham Randolph, the grandmother of Chief Justice John Marshall (1755 – 1835). Jefferson, said by historian Jon Meacham to have been proud of her British heritage, descended from gentry of England and Scotland, said to include the "powerful Scot Earls of Murray" (also spelled Moray). The Randolph family traced their heritage to Lord Regent of Scotland Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray of the 14th century.