Grand Papa Jefferson: An American President and His Grandchildren

Known as a Renaissance man, Thomas Jefferson across the span of his life excelled in a variety of fields, from politics to architecture to historical linguistics. Here he is depicted in his domestic role as the father of six White children (two of whom lived to adulthood); the grandfather of twelve White grandchildren; and the father of five Black children by Sally Hemings (four of whom lived to adulthood). In 1782, Jefferson's wife Martha Skelton Wayles died. Following her death, he attempted to perform both parental roles for his two surviving daughters. For more than three decades Jefferson developed an extraordinarily close relationship with his grandchildren. Participating intimately in every aspect of their childhood, he played games with them and gave life advice by engaging them in deep conversation and revealing correspondence through the exchange of hundreds of letters. Unfortunately, this rich record of written evidence does not exist for his shadow Black family.