Martha Jefferson

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The complicated life of Martha Jefferson Randolph intertwined closely with her famous father, Thomas Jefferson. He carefully oversaw her exceptional education in Philadelphia and Paris. Martha’s marriage to Thomas Randolph produced eleven children, but the couple was estranged due to his mental illness and alcoholism. She spent most of her time at Monticello with her father, raising her children. She oversaw the domestic staff, which included her enslaved half-aunt Sally Hemings and her children. As the executor of her father’s estate, the widowed Martha found herself in crippling debt and forced to sell Monticello.

 

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