And their conclusion is…

Some have claimed he was infuriating, evasive, elusive, complicated, deceptive, double-dealing, inconsistent, disingenuous, close-mouthed, and similar adjectives. And those were his biggest fans!

Thomas Jefferson’s intellectual prowess and happy facility with words are generally unquestioned. But perhaps “closed-mouth” is the universal trait that suits him best – socially. He was a cordial man, a generous and frequent host, the consummate gentleman, with many friends and admirers, and some lifelong friends. But some things remained unshared.

He was always willing to share his thoughts with those he considered peers, but deep emotional feelings seem to be perpetually reserved for himself. A few might sense them, but they would seldom if ever be verbalized, save in the most general terms. 

The Unhappy Little Miss Wayles

Martha Wayles (1748-82) was born at The Forest, in Charles City County, VA, not far from Williamsburg, its then-colonial capital. Her father John Wayles, was a prosperous lawyer, planter, and slave trader with substantial property. Prior to the Revolutionary War, Wayles had become a wealthy man with varied business interests. 

Her mother was Martha Eppes, also of a prosperous planting family near the Bermuda Hundred, along the Appomattox River. 

She died at 27, only a week after her daughter was born. 

The Widower Wayles married twice more, and both marriages were short-lived. Martha’s first step-mother, Tabitha Cocke had four children during her 10-year marriage, but only one reached maturity. Her surviving daughter Elizabeth became very close to her half-sister Martha. The second step-mother, the widow Elizabeth Lomax Skelton, was married to Wayles for only a year before she died.

Young Martha Wayles was given all the requisite comforts a prosperous planter could provide, and that included a solid education. All indications are that she was well versed in literature and poetry, music and art – as well as the essentials of housewifery.

Nevertheless, raised by two stepmothers, neither of whom seemed to have time for her, it was a lonely childhood.

At 18, perhaps seeking an appropriate exit from a difficult family situation at The Forest, Martha married Bathurst Skelton, a younger brother of her second stepmother’s first husband, one of several convolutions of family intermarriages. A year later, she gave birth to a son John; a year after that, Bathurst died, and she returned to her father’s house with her son, who died as a toddler.

Sometime in 1768, John Wayles engaged Thomas Jefferson to manage some of his legal affairs. This is the earliest indication of the possible acquaintance between TJ and Martha Wayles Skelton, who eventually became his wife.

Aside from the fact (gleaned from a few contemporaries who remarked about it), Martha was said to be petite, pretty and graceful. She was also musically inclined, particularly adept at the harpsichord. Some said she could sing well. 

Some lore suggests that a couple of would-be suitors for the young Widow Skelton were waiting in the parlor, when they heard a harpsichord and violin playing in the next room, and two voices merging in duet. The gentlemen callers were said to recognize the harmonious blending of voices, and withdrew immediately. Perhaps.

Jefferson The Suitor

At 25, Thomas Jefferson was practicing general law in Virginia, to moderate success. He was also en route to being elected to Virginia’s House of Burgesses the following year. But perhaps his dearest love at that time, was building a home on Monticello, his “little mountain,” not far from Charlottesville. He had inherited the property when his father died a decade earlier, and had always planned to make it his permanent residence.

When his courtship of Martha Wayles Skelton culminated in their marriage in 1772, the bride-to-be had already inherited considerable property (land and labor) via her natural mother, her late husband, and her father. It is estimated that Martha’s dowry doubled (or more) Jefferson’s own holdings. 

However… John Wayles, while a wealthy man, was also encumbered by many legal entanglements and debts. These would be passed on to his daughter and son-in-law, who assumed their responsibility. It is generally conjectured that these debts and legal suits were the beginnings of Jefferson’s lifelong financial problems.

The Wedding Journey

Theirs was a traditional wedding and happy occasion at the Wayles plantation on January 1, 1772. The newlyweds were anxious to start their life together at the new house Jefferson was building on his Little Mountain in the Blue Ridge. They set out as early as possible for the long trip of more than 100 miles.

Virginia may be a southern state, but it has very defined seasons. Winters may be shorter, but they can be just as cold and snowy.

En route, the snow began, and did not stop. In fact, it became a blizzard, severe enough to force the Jeffersons to abandon their carriage, and travel the rest of the way on horseback, taking only their essentials.

It was very late when the exhausted couple arrived at the property of one of Jefferson’s neighbors, specifically a two-room brick house built for his overseer. It was unoccupied, and the couple needed shelter for the night…

The following day, they pressed on to Monticello – itself only a small two-room building – then! Jefferson family lore relates that a half-bottle of wine, found on a shelf behind some books, had to serve the newlyweds both for fire and supper…

The wine was shared, and Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson clung together to warm themselves. They were young and in love. Their daughter Martha (always called Patsy) was born September 27th, 1772, nine months after the pair set up housekeeping in what we know today as the South Pavilion. It is still there.

Sources:

Ellis, Joseph – American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson – Alfred A. Knopf, 1997

Halliday, E.M. – Understanding Thomas Jefferson – Harper Collins, 2001

Randolph, Sarah N. – The Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson – Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1947

https://www.loc.gov/collections/thomas-jefferson-papers/articles-and-essays/american-sphinx-the-contraditions-of-thomas-jefferson/

https://www.monticello.org/research-education/blog/a-winter-wedding-and-a-snowy-slog/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/martha-wayles-skelton-jefferson/