Spouses Martha and Thomas Jefferson lived together for only 10 years, but these were the happiest years. The story of their relationship is beautiful and sad at the same time. So who was the lover of one of the presidents of the United States?
Martha: Early Years and Education
She was born in Virginia near the city of Williamsburg in October 1748 in a family of plantation owners John and Martha Wales. Her mother died 6 days later due to complications after giving birth. The upbringing of the girl was done by her father, stepmother and pilgrim teachers. Although there is no documentary evidence of the early years of her life, but judging by the state of the family, Martha should have been sufficiently educated as for a young girl of that time.
It is known that she knew French, loved poetry, knew how to play the piano and harpsichord, and also sang well. In addition, she acquired good plantation management skills, as she helped her father. All this will come in handy to her later at the Monticello estate.
First marriage
At the age of 18, Martha married Bathurst Skelton, a young lawyer from Virginia who gave birth to her son John. Unfortunately, she did not stay married for long, because her husband suddenly fell ill and died in 1768, when she was only 20 years old. Martha Skelton returned to her father's house. True, she inherited a decent fortune.
Thomas and Martha Jefferson: A Dating Story
When enough time passed after the death of her husband, a lot of fans began to look after the widow. And this is not surprising, because she was young, smart, rich and very attractive (according to the testimonies of her contemporaries).
One of them was Thomas Jefferson (President of the United States in the future, but for now only a young successful lawyer). They met, most likely, at the end of 1770 in the city of Williamsburg, where Thomas had previously studied at the College of William and Mary. By the way, she and Martha's first husband were classmates. There is also information that Thomas was a distant relative of his future darling (perhaps this is why four of their six children died at a young age).
Love story
Jefferson immediately began to persistently look after the young beautiful woman. But not so much his appearance captivated him as her versatility, education and passion for music. For Thomas, it was love at first sight. But Martha at first did not reciprocate the shy young man. Her father was also against their relationship because it was unclear whether Jefferson could provide her with a reliable future, since he was below her social status. Despite this, Thomas makes a sweetheart marriage proposal in early 1771, but is refused.
But the young man in love does not despair and retries again, after only six months. Now Martha agrees. They were united with Thomas by a common passion for literature and music. Around June 1771, an engagement took place, shortly after which a wedding was planned. But grief happened - Martha’s son dies from his first marriage due to an unexpected illness. Therefore, the wedding had to wait.
Unlike the long tradition of marriage of convenience, in which the chosen one was the social or material situation, romantic love played the main role in this family. Interestingly, back in December 1771, Thomas wrote the text of the marriage vow, in which he called Martha “an unmarried woman” (but this word was later corrected to “widow”). Apparently, Thomas did not want to admit that his wife could belong to someone before him. As a wedding present, Thomas presented his beloved piano. He also decided to ennoble his family estate Monticello, so that it looked like a cozy nest, and not like a bachelor's house, because it was there that a young family should live.
Wedding
In the end, Martha and Thomas Jefferson became husband and wife on January 1, 1772. The ceremony took place in the estate of the father of the bride. After living there for two weeks, they harnessed the carriage and hit the road for 100 miles in Monticello. On the road they were caught by a blizzard, one of the strongest that ever fell upon Virginia. The carriage rolled over and they had to ride on horseback. When Martha and Thomas Jefferson arrived at the estate, all the servants were already asleep, and the newlyweds decided to spend the night in a small cozy building, which is still called the "Honeymoon Cottage".
Children
Nine months later, in the same 1772, their first daughter Martha, who was called Patsy, was born. Only she and her sister Mary did not die in childhood, like the four other children of the Jefferson couple. The pain of loss and a large number of pregnancies undermined Martha's health. Thomas always tried to be with his wife, especially in difficult postpartum periods. Because of this, he often sacrificed his career. For example, once he refused an important diplomatic trip to Paris, and in September 1776 he was forced to leave Congress, although he was the only representative of the state of Virginia there. He constantly worried about her health, and his fears were not unfounded: Martha, like her mother, was at great risk of dying during childbirth.
But apart from health problems, then Martha and Thomas Jefferson were absolutely happy. They loved spending time together: reading to each other, playing music, singing for themselves and their guests. Mrs. Jefferson was an excellent housewife and mom. She also did a great job managing the estate. Everyone who watched the couple was amazed at how devoted they were to each other.
Martha's death
In May 1782, the sixth daughter was born in the family. Unfortunately, after these births Marta was never able to recover. When she was on her deathbed and understood that their love story would end soon, they both rewrote lines from their favorite novel, Three Hundred Shandy. Martha wrote: "Time flies too fast, like clouds on a windy day." And Thomas continued: "Every time I kiss your hand to say goodbye, this is a prelude to the eternal separation that we will soon feel."
He wore this scrap of paper and a lock of hair of his beloved until the end of his life. In addition, he promised Martha that he would not marry after her death, and he kept his promise. That one-man turned out to be Thomas Jefferson. The biography of a few politicians has such a beautiful and at the same time sad story of love.