Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/609

THOMAS JEFFERSON 589 pop. in 1860, 988; in 1870, 4,190, of whom 1,825 were colored, la the vicinity are depos- its of coal and iron ore. The river is naviga- ble to this point by large steamers, and the city is the shipping point for a large extent of fertile country, the principal articles being cot- ton, cattle, hides, beef, tallow, wool, and Osage orange seeds. The principal manufactories are a foundery, saw mills, planing mills, sash and door factories, and brick-making estab- lishments. There is also an extensive foun- dery about 4^ m. from the city. There are a national and a savings bank, ten schools, three newspapers, and seven churches. Jefferson was first settled in 1843. JEFFERSON, Thomas, third president of the United States, born at Shadwell, Albemarle co., Va., April 2, 1743, died at Monticello, July 4, 1826. His father was Col. Peter Jefferson, a planter of great force of character and high position ; his mother, Jane Randolph, daughter of Isham Randolph of Dungeoness in Gooch- land. At five years of age he was placed at an English school, and at nine commenced the study of Greek, Latin, and French under Mr. Douglass, a Scottish clergyman. Upon his fa- ther's death in 1757, he was sent to the classi- cal school of the Rev. Mr. Maury, where he continued for two years, passing thence at the age of 17 to the college of William and Mary at Williamsburg. He soon became popular with his companions and the college professors, and is described at this time as ardent and impulsive in demeanor, with a tall, thin, and angular per- son, ruddy complexion, red hair, and bright gray eyes flecked with hazel. Among the friends whom he made was Francis Fauquier, the popular governor of the colony. After re- maining in college two years, he studied law with George Wythe, and commenced practice in 1767 at the bar of the general court, attend- ing also the county courts of his district. He is said to have been but slightly acquainted with the practice of the profession, and an in- frequent speaker ; yet during the first two years of his practice he was employed in about 200 suits, his fees amounting to at least 600, at a time when fees were very moderate. The record of the two succeeding years shows a regular increase, and in 1771 Robert Carter Nicholas, an eminent lawyer, intrusted to him all of his unfinished business. In 1769, at the age of 26, he was chosen to represent his county in the house of burgesses, where he at once took a prominent stand with the oppo- nents of parliamentary encroachment, drafting the resolutions to be used as heads in framing a reply to Governor Botetourt's address, and signing the non-importation agreement. At this his first session he introduced a bill em- powering the owners of slaves to manumit them if they thought proper ; it was defeated, and its policy not fully embraced till 1782. Jefferson returned to his practice, and in the following year removed from Shadwell to a new residence but partially finished, which after- ward became famous as " Monticello." On Jan. 1, 1772, he was married to Martha Skelton, widow of Bathurst Skelton, and daughter of John Wayles, an influential lawyer of Charles City. This lady, then 23 years of age, and re- markable for the beauty of her person and the grace of her manners, brought him a very con- siderable fortune. She had inherited 135 slaves and 40,000 acres of land, the value of the whole being about equal to Jefferson's own patrimony. The two combined formed an ample estate, and Jefferson's practice added largely to his income. In the spring of 1773 he was ap- pointed by the house of burgesses a member of the " committee of correspondence and in- quiry for the dissemination of intelligence be- tween the colonies," the plan of which he had aided in devising. The house was dissolved by the governor ; its members were reflected and resumed their seats in the spring of 1774 ; and it was again dissolved after adopting a resolu- tion drafted by Jefferson and a few associates at a private meeting, recommending the ob- servance of June 1 as "a day of fasting, hu- miliation, and prayer," in consequence of the passage of the Boston port bill in parliament. The members met privately, and recommended the election of deputies from the counties to a convention to meet on Aug. 1. Jefferson was chosen a member of this convention, but was taken sick just before the assembling of the body, and could not attend. He had however drawn up a paper to serve for instructions to the dele- gates to the general congress which the commit- tee of correspondence had been directed to pro- pose to all the colonies, and this he sent to Pey- ton Randolph, the president of the convention. The document was afterward ordered by the burgesses to be printed under the title of " A Summary View of the Rights of British Amer- ica," and, as Jefferson believed, procured the enrolment of his name on a bill for treason brought into parliament. It was a bold, elabo- rate, and eloquent exposition of the right of the colonies to resist taxation, and contained the germ of the subsequent declaration of in- dependence. The paper was offered, but not adopted, being regarded as too much in ad- vance of public sentiment. The people were not yet ripe for resistance by force, and even the leaders still believed in the possibility of renewing the old amicable relations with Great Britain. Such a restoration of good feeling was warmly hoped for by the planters general- ly. A " redress of grievances " was all that the foremost leaders aimed at thus early, and the tone of the appeal for redress was the point at issue. The " Summary View " was printed in England as well as in Virginia, and extensively made use of by opposition speakers in parliament. Its influence upon the fortunes of Jefferson was marked ; it placed him before the public as a courageous and uncompromising advocate of constitutional freedom, and above all as a most accomplished and eloquent writer. He attended the second convention, which met