Memoirs of a Monticello Slave

8/3/2019 Memoirs of a Monticello Slave

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OSMANIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARY .Accession No. G-Call No.

_Author jTitle y\ oy^bi ,% eid MonXj'c.el/0TUi book should be returned on or before the date last marked below.


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In the 1840*8


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MEMOIRSof aMONTICELLOSLAVEAs Dictated to Charles CampbellIn the 1840's by Isaac, one of

Thomas Jefferson's Slaves

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA PRESSCHARLOTTESVTLLE. VIRGINIA


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COPYRIGHT 1951UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

VOLUME IS ONE OF A SERIESPUBLISHED IN COLLABORATION WITHTHE TRACY W. McGREGOR LIBRARY


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FOREWORDThe reminiscences printed here weretaken down in the 1840*8 by Charles C^mp-

bell, the Virginia historian, from the verlSalaccount of a slave who had lived at Monti-cello from 1775 until two years before Jef-fersori's death. They were first printed in1951 in a scholarly edition with introduc-tion and notes by Dr. Rayford W. Log^ri;'which was sold out within a year of its firstissue.The present popular edition is intendedto meet the growing demand for this classic.


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TABLE OF CONTENTSForeword 3Isaac Jefferson's Memoirs 7Notes 54Biographical Data concerning Isaac . . 63Biographical Data concerning Campbell 67Note on the Illustrations

69Bibliographical Note 73Index 77Colophon 87

ILLUSTRATIONSFor acknowledgments and details concern-

ing the illustrations, see pages 69-72.Isaac Jefferson frontispieceJefferson's Life Mask . . . facing 16Jefferson's Polygraph . . . facing 27Linn Engraving of Jefferson . facing 41Monticello facing 50


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CHAPTER i

ISAAC JEFFERSONwasbornatMonticello: his mother was namedUsler 1 but nicknamed Queen, becauseher husband was named George and com-monly called King George. She was pastry-cook and washerwoman: stayed in thelaundry. Isaac toated wood for her: madefire and so on. Mrs. Jefferson would comeout there with a cookery book in her handand read out of it to Isaac's mother how tomake cakes, tarts and so on.Mrs. Jefferson was named Patsy Wayles,8but when Mr. Jefferson married her she wasthe widow Skelton, widow of Batter3 Skelton.Isaac was one year's child with Patsy Jeffer-son: she was suckled part of the time by


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Isaac's mother. Patsy married Thomas MannRandolph.4 Mr. Jefferson bought Isaac'smother from Col. William Fleming ofGoochland. Isaac remembers John Nelson,an Englishman at work at Monticello: hewas an inside worker, a finisher. The black-smith was Billy Ore;5 the carriage-makerDavy Watson: he worked also for ColonelCarter of Blenheim, eight miles from Monti-cello. Monticello-house was pulled down inpart and built up again some six or seventimes. One time it was struck by lightning.It had a Franklin rod at one end. Old Masterused to say, "If it hadn't been for thatFranklin the whole house would have gone."They was forty years at work upon that housebefore Mr. Jefferson stopped building.

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CHAPTER 2

ML. JEFFERSON came down to^illiamsburg in a phaeton madey Davy Watson. Billy Ore did theiron-work.6 That phaeton was sent to Lon-don and the springs &c was gilded. This waswhen Mr. Jefferson was in Paris. Isaac re-members coming down to Williamsburg ina wagon at the time Mr. Jefferson was Gover-nor. He came down in the phaeton: hisfamily with him in a coach and four. BobHemings drove the phaeton; Jim Hemingswas a body-servant; Martin Hemings thebutler. These three were brothers7 : MaryHemings and Sally, their Sisters. Jim andBob bright mulattoes; Martin, darker. Jimand Martin rode on horseback. Bob went


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afterwards to live with old Dr. Strauss inRichmond and unfortunately had his handshot off with a blunderbuss. Mary Hemingsrode in the wagon. Sally Hemings' motherBetty was a bright mulatto woman, and Sallymighty near white: she was the youngestchild. Folks said that these Hemingses wasold Mr. Wayles' children. Sally was veryhandsome : long straight hair down her back.She was about eleven years old when Mr.Jefferson took her to France to wait on MissPolly. She and Sally went out to France ayear after Mr. Jefferson went. Patsy wentwith him at first, but she carried no maidwith her. Harriet, one of Sally's daughters,was very handsome. Sally had a son namedMadison, who learned to be a great fiddler.He has been in Petersburg twice: was herewhen the balloon went up the balloon thatBeverly sent off.Mr. Jefferson drove faster in the phaetonthan the wagon. When the wagon reachedWilliamsburg Mr. Jefferson was living inthe College. 8 Isaac and the rest of the ser-vants stayed in the Assembly-house a longwooden building. Lord Botetourt's picture9was there. The Assembly-house had a gallery

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on top running round to the College. Therewas a well there then: none there now. Somewhite

people was living in one end of thehouse: a man named Douglas was there:they called him Parson Douglas. 10 Mr. Jeffer-son's room in the College was down stairs. Atailor named Giovanni, an Italian, livedthere too: made clothes for Mr. Jefferson andhis servants. Mrs. Jefferson was there withPatsy and Polly. 11 Mrs. Jefferson was small:she drawed from old Madam Byrd18 severalhundred people and then married a richman. 13 Old Master had twelve quartersseated with black people: but mighty fewcome by him: he want rich himself only hislarnin. Patsy Jefferson was tall like herfather; Polly low like her mother and long-ways the handsomest: pretty lady jist like hermother: pity she died poor thingl She mar-ried John W. Eppes a handsome man, buthad a hare-lip.

Jupiter and John drove Mr. Jefferson'scoach and four: one of em rode postilion:they rode postilion in them days. Travellingin the phaeton Mr. Jefferson used oftentimesto take the reins himself and drive. When-ever he wanted to travel fast he'd drive:

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would drive powerful hard himself. Jupiterand John wore caps and gilded bands. Thenames of the horses was Senegore, Gustavus,Otter, Remus, Romulus, and Caractacus,Mr. Jefferson's riding-horse.


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CHAPTER 3

A^ERone year the Governmentwas moved from Williamsburg toRichmond. Mr. Jefferson moved

there with his servants, among em Isaac. Itwas cold weather when they moved up. Mr.Jefferson lived in a wooden house nearwhere the Palace 14 stands now. Richmondwas a small place then: not more than twobrick houses in the town: all wooden houseswhat there was. At that time from where thePowhatan house now stands clear down tothe Old Market was pretty much in pines.It was a wooden house shedded round likea barn on the hill, where the Assembly-menused to meet, near where the Capitol standsnow. Old Mr. Wiley had a saddler-shop in


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the same house. Isaac knew Billy Wileymighty well a saddler by trade: he was door-keeper at the Assembly. His wife was a bakerand baked bread and ginger-cakes. Isaacwould go into the bake-oven and make firefor. She had a great big bake oven. Isaac usedto go way into the oven: when he came outBilly Wiley would chuck wood in. She some-times gave Isaac a loaf of bread or a cake.One time she went up to Monticello to seeMr. Jefferson. She saw Isaac there and gavehim a ninepence and said, "This is the boythat made fires for me." Mr. Jefferson'sfamily-servants then at the palace were BobHemings, Martin, Jim, house-servants; Jupi-ter and John, drivers; Mary Hemings andyoung Betty Hemings, seamstress and house-woman; Sukey, Jupiter's wife, the cook.


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CHAPTER

THE day before the British1* came to

Richmond Mr. Jefferson sent off hisfamily in the carriage. Bob Hemingsand Jim drove. When the British was ex-

pected 16 Old Master kept the spy-glass andgit up by the sky-light window to the top ofthe palace looking towards Williamsburg.Some other gentlemen went up with him,one of them old Mr. Marsdell: he ownedwhere the basin is now and the basin-spring.Isaac used to fetch water from there up tothe palace. The British reached Manchesterabout i o'clock. 17 Isaac larnt to beat drumabout this time. Bob Anderson, a whiteman, was a blacksmith. Mat Anderson wasa black man and worked with Bob. Bob was


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a fifer, Mat was a drummer. Mat bout thattime was sort a-makin love to Mary Hemings.The soldiers at Richmond, in the camp atBacon Quarter Branch, would come everytwo or three days to salute the Governor atthe Palace, marching about there drummingand fifing. Bob Anderson would go into thehouse to drink; Mat went into the kitchento see Mdry Hemings. He would take hisdrum with him into the kitchen and set itdown there. Isaac would beat on it and Matlarnt him how to beat.

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Browere's life mask of Jefferson made in 1825, showing what Isaac's Old Master reallylooked like about the time Isaac left Momicello. See page 41,


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CHAPTER 5

Asoon as the British formed a line,three cannon was wheeled roundall at once and fired three rounds.Till they fired, the Richmond peoplethought they was a company come fromPetersburg to join them: some of em evenhurraed when they see them coming: butthat moment they fired every body knew itwas the British. One of the cannon-ballsknocked off the top of a butcher's house: hewas named Daly, not far from the Governor'shouse. The butcher's wife screamed out andhollerd and her children too and all. In tenminutes not a white man was to be seen inRichmond: they ran as hard as they couldstave to the camp at Bacon Quarter Branch.


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There was a monstrous hollering andscreaming of women and children. Isaac wasout in the

yard:his mother ran out and cotch

him up by the hand and carried him into thekitchen hollering. Mary Hemings, shejerked up her daughter the same way. Isaacrun out again in a minute and his mothertoo: she was so skeered, she didn't knowwhether fo stay indoors or out. The Britishwas dressed in red. Isaac saw them marching.The horsemen (Simcoe's cavalry) was withthem: they come arter the artillery-men.They formed in line and marched up to thePalace with drums beating: it was an awfulsight: seemed like the day of judgment wascome. When they fired the cannon OldMaster called out to John to fetch his horseCaractacus from the stable and rode off.

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CHAPTER 6

ISAACnever see his Old Master arter dat

for six months. When the British comein, an officer rode up and asked "Whar is

the Governor?" Isaac's father (George) toldhim, "He's gone to the mountains." Theofficer said, "Whar is the keys of the house?"Isaac's father gave him the keys: Mr. Jeffer-son had left them with him. The officer said,"Whar is the silver?" Isaac's father told him,"It was all sent up to the mountains." Theold man had put all the silver about thehouse in a bed-tick and hid it under a bedin the kitchen and saved it too and got hisfreedom by it. But he continued to sarve Mr.Jefferson and had forty pounds from OldMaster and his wife. Isaac's mother had


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seven dollars a month for lifetime for wash-ing, ironing, and making pastry. The Britishsarcht the house but didn't disturb none ofthe furniture: but they plundered the wine-cellar, rolled the pipes out and stove em in,knockin the heads out. The bottles theybroke the necks off with their swords, dranksome, threw the balance away. The wine-cellar was full: Old Master had plenty ofwine and rum the best: used to have Anti-gua rum, twelve years old. The British nextwent to the corn-crib and took all the cornout, strewed it in a line along the street to-wards where the Washington tavern 18 is now(1847) and brought their horses and fedthem on it: took the bridles off. The Britishsaid they didn't want anybody but the Gover-nor: didn't want to hurt him; only wanted toput a pair of silver handcuffs on him: hadbrought them along with them on purpose.While they was plunderin they took all ofthe meat out of the meat-house; cut it up,laid it out in parcels: every man took hisration and put it in his knapsack. WhenIsaac's mother found they was gwine to carhim away she thought they was gwine toleave her. She was cryin and hollerin when

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one of the officers came on a horse andordered us all to Hylton's. Then theymarched off to Westham. Isaac heard thepowder-magazine when it blew up like anearthquake. Next morning between eightand nine they marched to Tuckahoe, fifteenmiles: took a good many colored peoplefrom Old Tom Mann Randolph. He wascalled "Tuckahoe Tom." Isaac has oftenbeen to Tuckahoe a low-built house butmonstrous large. From Tuckahoe the Britishwent to Daniel Hylton's. They carred offthirty people from Tuckahoe and some fromHylton's. When they come back to Rich-mond they took all Old Master's from hishouse: all of em had to walk except Danieland Molly (children of Mary the pastry-cook) and Isaac. He was then big enough tobeat the drum: but couldn't raise it off theground: would hold it tilted over to one sideand beat on it that way.


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.CHAPTER 7

THEREwas about a dozen wagons

along: they (the British) pressed thecommon wagons: four horses to awagon: some black drivers, some white:every wagon guarded by ten men marchingalongside.One of the officers give Isaac name Sambo:all the time feedin him: put a cocked hat on

his head and a red coat on him and alllaughed. Coat a monstrous great big thing:when Isaac was in it couldn't see nothin ofit but the sleeves dangling down. He re-members crossing the river somewhere in aperiauger [piragua]. And so the Britishcarred them all down to Little York (York-town.) They marched straight through town


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and camped jist below back of the battle-field. Mr. Jefferson's people there was Jupi-ter, Sukey the cook, Usley (Isaac's mother),George (Isaac's father), Mary the seamstress,and children Molly, Daniel, Joe, Wormley,and Isaac. The British treated them mightywell, give em plenty of fresh meat and wheatbread. It was

very sickly at York: great manycolored people died there, but none of Mr.Jefferson's folks. Wallis (Cornwallis) had acave dug and was hid in there. There wastremendous firing and smoke: seemed likeheaven and earth was come together: everytime the great guns fire Isaac jump up offthe ground. Heard the wounded men hol-lerin. When the smoke blow off you see thedead men laying on the ground. GeneralWashington brought all Mr. Jefferson's folksand about twenty of Tuckahoe Tom's (TomMann Randolph's) back to Richmond withhim and sent word to Mr. Jefferson to senddown to Richmond for his servants. OldMaster sent down two wagons right away andall of em that was carred away went up backto Monticello. At that time Old Master andhis family was at Poplar Forest, his place inBedford. He stayed there after his arm was


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broke, when Caractacus threw him. OldMaster was mightly pleased to see his peoplecome back safe and sound19 and to hear ofthe plate.


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CHAPTER 8

MR. JEFFERSON was a tall strait-bodied man as ever you see, rightsquare-shouldered: nary man inthis town walked so straight as my OldMaster: neat a built man as ever was seen inVaginny, I reckon, or any place a straight-up man20 : long face, high nose.Jefferson Randolph (Mr. Jefferson'sgrandson) nothing like him, except inheight tall, like him: not built like him:Old Master was a straight-up man. JeffersonRandolph pretty much like his mother. OldMaster wore Vaginny cloth and a red waist-coat, (all the gentlemen wore red waistcoatsin dem days) and small clothes: arter dat heused to wear red breeches too. 81 Governor


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Page used to come up there to Monticello,wife and daughter wid him: drove four-inhand: servants John, Molly and a postilion.Patrick Henry visited Old Master: coachand two: his face for all the world like theimages of Bonaparte: would stay a week ormore. Mann Page used to be at Monticelloa plain mild-looking man: his wife anddaughter along with him. Dr. ThomasWalker lived about ten miles from Monti-cello a thin-faced man. John Walker" (ofBelvoir), his brother, owned a great manyblack people.


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Jefferson's polfpapli,t|iat ta *' llis "cnPIin lwllillc'"


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CHAPTER 9

OLD Master was never seen to comeout before breakfast about 8 o'clock.If it was warm weather he wouldn'tride out till evening: studied upstairs tillbell ring for dinner. When writing he had acopyin machine: while he was a-writin hewouldn't suffer nobody to come in his room:had a dumb-waiter: when he wanted any-thing he had nothin to do but turn a crankand the dumb-waiter would bring him wateror fruit on a plate or anything he wanted.Old Master had abundance of books: some-times would have twenty of 'em down on thefloor at once: read fust one, then tother.Isaac has often wondered how Old Mastercame to have such a mighty head: read so


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many of them books: and when they go tohim to ax him anything, he go right straightto the book and tell you all about it. Hetalked French and Italian. Madzay*5 talkedwith him: his place was called Colle. GeneralRedhazel (Riedesel) stayed there. He (Maz-zei) lived at Monticello with Old Mastersome time': Didiot, a Frenchman, marriedhis daughter Peggy: a heavy chunky lookingwoman mighty handsome. She had adaughter Frances and a son Francis: calledthe daughter Franky. Mazzei brought toMonticello Antonine, Jovanini, Francis,Modena, and Belligrini, all gardiners. MyOld Master's garden was monstrous large:two rows of palings, all round ten feet high.


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CHAPTER 10

MR.JEFFERSON had a clock in his

kitchen at Monticello; never wentinto the kitchen except to wind up

the clock. He never would have less thaneight covers at dinner if nobody at tablebut himself: had from eight to thirty twocovers for dinner: plenty of wine, best oldAntigua rum and cider: very fond of wineand water. Isaac never heard of his beingdisguised in drink. He kept three fiddles:played in the arternoons and sometimesarter supper. This was in his early time.When he begin to git so old, he didn't play:kept a spinnet made mostly in shape of aharpsichord: his daughter played on it. Mr.Fauble, a Frenchman that lived at Mr.


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Walker's, a music-man, used to come toMonticello and tune it. There was a fortepiano and a guitar there: never seed anybodyplay on them but the French people. Isaacnever could git acquainted with them: couldhardly larn their names. Mr. Jefferson al-ways singing when ridin or walkin: hardlysee him ariywhar out doors but what he wasa-singin: 24 had a fine clear voice, sung min-nits (minuets) and sich: fiddled in the par-lor. Old Master very kind to servants.


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CHAPTER ii

THEfust year Mr. Jefferson was

elected President,25 he took Isaac onto Philadelphia: he was then about

fifteen years old: travelled on horseback incompany with a Frenchman named JosephRattiff and Jim Hemings, a body-servant.Fust

day's journey theywent from Monti-

cello to old Nat Gordon's, on the Fredericks-burg road, next day to Fredericksburg, thento Georgetown, crossed the Potomac there,and so to Philadelphia: eight days a-goin.Had two ponies and Mr. Jefferson's totherriding-horse Odin. Mr. Jefferson went in thephaeton: Bob Hemings drove: changedhorses on the road. When they got to Phila-delphia, Isaac stayed three days at Mr.

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Jefferson's house: then he was bound pren-tice to one Bringhouse, a tinner: he lived inthe direction of the Water-works. Isaac re-members seeing the image of a woman tharholding a goose in her hand the waterspouting out of the goose's mouth. This wasat the head of Market Street. Bringhouse wasa short', mighty small, neat-made man:treated Isaac very well: went thar to larn thetinner's trade: fust week larnt to cut out andsodder: make little pepper-boxes and gratersand sich, out of scraps of tin, so as not towaste any till he had larnt. Then to makingcups. Every Sunday Isaac would go to thePresident's House large brick house, manywindows: same house Ginral Washingtonlived in before when he was President. OldMaster used to talk to me mighty free and axme, "how you come on Isaac, larnin de tin-business?" As soon as he could make cupspretty well he carred three or four to showhim. Isaac made four dozen pint-cups a dayand larnt to tin copper and sheets (sheet-iron) make 'em tin. He lived four yearswith Old Bringhouse. One time Mr. Jeffer-son sent to Bringhouse to tin his copper-kittles and pans for kitchen use: Bringhouse


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sent Isaac and another prentice thar a whiteboy named Charles: can't think of his othername. Isaac was the

only black boy in firing-house's shop. When Isaac carred the cups tohis Old Master to show him, he was mightilypleased: said, "Isaac you are larnin mightyfast: I bleeve I must send you back toVaginny to car on the tin-business. You isgrowin too big: no use for you to stay hereno longer."

Arter dat Mr. Jefferson sent Isaac back toMonticello to car on the tin-business thar.Old Master bought a sight of tin for the pur-pose. Mr. Jefferson had none of his familywith him in Philadelphia. Polly his daughterstayed with her Aunt Patsy Carr: she livedseven or eight miles from Old Master's greathouse. Sam Carr was Mr. Jefferson's sister'schild. There were three brothers of theCarrs Sam, Peter and Dabney. Patsy Jef-ferson, while her father was President inPhiladelphia, stayed with Mrs. Eppes atWintopoke: Mrs. Eppes was a sister of Mrs.Jefferson mightily like her sister. FrankEppes was a big heavy man.Old Master's servants at Philadelphia wasBob and Jim Hemings; Joseph Rattiff, a


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Frenchman, the hostler. Mr. Jefferson usedto ride out on horseback in Philadelphia.Isaac went back to Monticello. When the tincame they fixed up a shop. Jim Bringhousecame on to Monticello all the way with OldMaster to fix up the shop and start Isaac towork: Jim Bringhouse stayed thar more thana month.

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CHAPTER 12

ISAACknew old Colonel (Archibald)

Gary mighty well: as dry a looking manas ever you see in your life. He has givenIsaac more whippings than he has fingers andtoes. Mr. Jefferson used to set Isaac to opengates for Colonel Gary: there was three gatesto open, the furst bout a mile from thehouseitother one three quarters; then theyard-gate, at the stable three hundred yardsfrom the house. Isaac had to open the gates.Colonel Gary would write to Old Masterwhat day he was coming. Whenever Isaacmissed opening them gates in time, theColonel soon as he git to the house, lookabout for him and whip him with his horse-whip. Old Master used to keep dinner for

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Colonel Gary. He was a tall thin-visagedman jist like Mr. Jefferson: he drove four-in-hand. The Colonel as soon as he git out ofhis carriage, walk right straight into thekitchen and ax de cooks what they hab fordinner? If they didn't have what he wanted,bleeged to wait dinner till it was cooked.Colonel Gary made freer at Monticello thanhe did at home: whip anybody: would stayseveral weeks: give servants money, some-times five or six dollars among 'em. Tucka-hoe Tom Randolph married Colonel Gary'sdaughter Nancy. The Colonel lived atAmpthill on the James River where ColonelBob Temple lived arterwards. Edgehill wasthe seat of Tom Mann Randolph, father ofJefferson Randolph: it was three miles fromMonticello.


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CHAPTER

ISAACcarred on the tin-business two

years. It failed. He then carred on thenail-business at Monticello seven years:made money at that. Mr. Jefferson had thefirst (nail) cutting machine 'twas said, thatever was in Vaginny sent over from Eng-land: made wrought nails and cut-nails, toshingle and lathe: sold them out of the shop:got iron rods from Philadelphia by water:boated them up from Richmond to Milton,a small town on the Rivanna: wagonedfrom thar.


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CHAPTER 14

THOMASMann Randolph had ten

children. 556 Isaac lived with him fustand last twenty-six or seven years:treated him mighty well: one of the finestmasters in Virginia: his a wife mighty peace-able woman: never holler for servant: makeno fuss nor racket: pity she ever died! TomMann Randolph's eldest daughter Ann, ason named Jefferson, another James, andanother Benjamin. Jefferson Randolph mar-ried Mr. Nicholas' 27 daughter (Anne). BillyGiles

28 courted Miss Polly, Old Master'sdaughter. Isaac one morning saw him talkingto her in the garden, right back of the nail-factory shop: she was lookin on de ground:all at once she wheeled round and come off.


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That was the time she turned him off. Isaacnever so sorry for a man in all his life: sorrybecause everybody thought that she wasgoing to marry him. Mr. Giles give severaldollars to the servants and when he wentaway dat time he never come back no more.His servant Arthur was a big man. Isaacwanted Mr. Giles to marry Miss Polly.Arthur always said that he was a mighty fineman: he was very rich: used to come toMonticello in a monstrous fine gig: mightyfew gigs in dem days with plated mountinsand harness.

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CHAPTER 15

ELK Hill: Old Master had a small brickhouse there where he used to stay,about a mile from Elk Island on theNorth Side of the James River. The riverforks there: one half runs one side of theisland, tother the other side. When Mr. Jef-ferson was Governor, he used to stay thar amonth or sich a matter and when he was atthe mountain he would come and stay amonth or so and then go back again. Blen-heim was a low large wooden house twostoreys high, eight miles from Monticello.Old Colonel Carter lived thar: had a lightred head like Mr. Jefferson. Isaac know'dhim and every son he had. Didn't know hisdaughters.


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The Linn engraving of Jefferson that Isaac thought a poorlikeness. See Isaac's comments on the page facing, and thelife mask of Jefferson facing page 16.


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Mr. Jefferson used to hunt squirrels andpartridges; kept five or six guns; oftentimescarred Isaac wid him: Old Master wouldn'tshoot partridges settin: said "he wouldn'ttake advantage of em" would give 'em achance for thar life: wouldn't shoot a haresettin, nuther; skeer him up fust. "My OldMaster was as neat a hand as ever you see tomake keys and locks and small chains, ironand brass;" he kept all kind of blacksmithand carpenter tools in a great case withshelves to it in his library, an upstairs room.Isaac went up thar constant: been up thar athousand times; used to car coal up thar:Old Master had a couple of small bellowsesup thar.The likeness of Mr. Jefferson (in Linn'sLife of him) according to Isaac, is not muchlike him. "Old Master never dat handsomein dis world: dat likeness right between OldMaster and Ginral Washington: Old Masterwas squar-shouldered." For amusement hewould work sometimes in the garden for halfan hour at a time in right good earnest in thecool of the evening: never know'd him to goout anywhar before breakfast.


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CHAPTER 16

THE school at Monticello was in theout-chamber fifty yards off from thegreat house, on the same level. Butthe scholars went into the house to OldMaster to git lessons, in the south end of thehouse called the South Octagon. Mrs. Skip-per (Skipwith) had two daughters thar: Mrs.Eppes, one.Mr. Jefferson's sister Polly married oldNed Boiling^ of Chesterfield, about tenmiles from Petersburg. Isaac has been tharsince his death: saw the old man's grave. Mr.John Bradley owns the place now. Isaac sleptin the out-chamber where the scholars was:slept on the floor in a blanket: in the winterseason git up in the mornin and make fire


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for them. From Monticello you can seemountains all round as far as the eye canreach: sometimes see it rainin down thiscourse and the sun shining over the tops ofthe clouds. Willis' Mountain sometimeslooked in the cloud like a great house withtwo chimnies to it: fifty miles from Monti-cello.

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CHAPTER 17

THAR was a sight of pictures at Monti-cello: pictures of Ginral Washingtonand the Marcus Lafayette. Isaac sawhim fust in the old war in the mountain withOld Master; saw him agin the last time hewas in Vaginny. He gave Isaac a guinea:Isaac saw him in the Capitol at Richmondand talked with him and made him sensiblewhen he fust saw him in the old war. Tharwas a large marble at Monticello with twelveangels cut on it that came from Heaven: allcut in marble.About the time when my Old Master be-gun to wear spectacles, he was took with aswellin in his legs: used to bathe 'em andbandage 'em: said it was settin too much:

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when he'd git up and walk it wouldn't hurthim. Isaac and John Hemings nursed himtwo months: had to car him about on a han-barrow. John Hemings30 went to the carpen-ter's trade same year Isaac went to the black-smiths. Miss Lucy, Old Master's daughter,died quite a small child; died down the coun-try at Mrs. Eppes' or Mrs. Boiling's, one ofher young aunts. Old Master was embassadorto France at that time. He brought a greatmany clothes from France with him: a coatof blue cloth trimmed with gold lace; cloaktrimmed so too: dar say it weighed fiftypounds: large buttons on the coat as big ashalf a dollar; cloth set in the button: edgeshine like gold: in summer he war silk coat,pearl buttons.

Colonel Jack Harvie31 owned Belmont,

jinin Monticello. Four as big men as any inPetersburg could git in his waistcoat: heowned Belvidere, near Richmond: the Col-onel died thar: monstrous big man. Thewasherwoman once buttoned his waistcoaton Isaac and three others. Mrs. Harvie wasa little woman.

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CHAPTER 18

MR. JEFFERSON never hadnothing to do with horse-racing orcock-fighting: bought two race-horses once, but not in their racing day:bought em arter done runnin. One wasBrimmer, 3* a pretty horse with two whitefeet: when he bought him he was in Phila-delphia: kept him thar. One day JosephRattiff the Frenchman was ridin him inthe streets of Philadelphia: Brimmer gotskeered; run agin shaft of a dray and gotkilled. Tother horse was Tarkill: 33 in hisrace-day they called him the Roane colt:only race-horse of a roane Isaac ever see:Old Master used him for a ridin-horse. DavyWatson and Billy were German soldiers:

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both workmen, both smoked pipes and bothdrinkers: drank whiskey; git drunk and sing:take a week at a time drinkin and

singin.Colonel Goode of Chesterfield was a greatracer: used to visit Mr. Jefferson; had atrainer named Pompey.Old Master had a great many rabbits:made chains for the old buck-rabbits to keepthem from killin the young ones: had arabbit-house (a warren) a long rock house:some of em white, some blue: they used toburrow under ground. Isaac expects thar isplenty of em bout dar yit: used to eat em atMonticello. Mr. Jefferson never danced norplayed cards. He had dogs named Ceres,Bull, Armandy, and Claremont: most of emFrench dogs: he brought em over with himfrom France. Bull and Ceres were bull-dogs:he brought over Buzzy with him too: shepupped at sea: Armandy and Claremont,stump-tails, both black.

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CHAPTER 19

JOHNBROCK, the overseer that livednext to the great-house, had gray hounds

to hunt deer. Mr. Jefferson had a largepark at Monticello: built in a sort of a

flat on the side of the mountain. When thehunters run the deer down thar, they'd jumpinto the park and couldn't git out. When OldMaster heard hunters in the park he used togo down thar wid his gun and order em out.The park was two or three miles round andfenced in with a high fence, twelve railsdouble-staked and ridered: kept up four orfive years arter Old Master was gone. Isaacand his father (George) fed the deer at sun-up and sun-down: called em up and fed emwid corn: had holes all along the fence at the

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feedin-place: gave em salt, got right gentle:come up and eat out of your hand.No wild-cats at Monticello: some lowerdown at Buck Island: bears sometimes cameon the plantation at Monticello: wolves soplenty that they had to build pens roundblack peoples' quarters and pen sheep in emto keep the wolves from catching them. Butthey killed five or six of a night in thewinter season: come and steal in the pensin the night. When the snow was on thegroun you could see the wolves in gangsrunnin and howlin, same as a drove of hogs:made the deer run up to the feedin-placemany a night. The feedin-place was right bythe house whar Isaac stayed. They raisedmany sheep and goats at Monticello.The woods and mountains was often onfire: Isaac has gone out to help to put out thefire: everybody would turn out from Char-lottesville and everywhere: git in the woodsand sometimes work all night fightin the fire.

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CHAPTER 20

COLONEL GARYof Chesterfield

schooled Old Master: he went toschool to old Mr. Wayles. Old Mas-

ter had six sisters: Polly married a Boiling;Patsy married old Dabney Carr in the low-grounds; one married William Skipwith;Nancy married old Hastings Marks. OldMaster's brother, Mass Randall^4 was amighty simple man: used to come out amongblack people, play the fiddle and dance halfthe night: hadn't much more sense thanIsaac. Jack Eppes55 that married Miss Pollylived at Mount Black36 on James River andthen at Edge Hill, then in Cumberland atMillbrooks. Isaac left Monticello four yearsbefore Mr. Jefferson died.57Tom Mann Ran-


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dolph, that married Mr. Jefferson's daugh-ter, wanted Isaac to build a threshing ma-chine at Varina. Old Henrico Court Housewas thar: pulled down now. CoxendaleIsland (Dutch Gap) jinin Varina was anIndian Situation: when fresh come, itwashed up more Indian bones than ever yousee. When Isaac was a boy there want morethan ten houses at Jamestown. Charlottes-ville then not as big as Pocahontas'8 is now.Mr. DeWitt kept tavern thar.

Isaac knowed Ginral Redhazel;39 he stayedat Colle, Mr. Mazzei's place, two miles anda quarter from Monticello a long woodhouse built by Mazzei's servants. The ser-vants' house built of little saplins of oak andhickory instead of lathes: then plastered up:it seemed as if de folks in dem days hadn'tsense enough to make lathes. The Italianpeople raised plenty of vegetables: cookedthe most victuals of any people Isaac ever see.Mr. Jefferson bowed to everybody hemeet: talked wid his arms folded. Gave theboys in the nail-factory a pound of meat aweek, a dozen herrings, a quart of molassesand peck of meal. Give them that wukkedthe best a suit of red or blue: encouraged


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them mightily. Isaac calls him a mighty goodmaster. There would be a great many car-riages

at Monticello at a time, in particularwhen people was passing to the Springs.Isaac is now (1847) at Petersburg, Va.,

seventy large odd years old: bears his yearswell: is a blacksmith by trade and has hisshop not far from Pocahontas bridge. He isquite pleased at the idea of having his lifewritten and protests that every word of it istrue; that is, of course, according to the bestof his knowledge and belief. Isaac is rathertall, of strong frame, stoops a little, in colorebony: sensible, intelligent, pleasant: wearslarge circular iron-bound spectacles and aleather apron. A capital daguerrotype of himwas taken by a Mr. Shew. Isaac was so muchpleased with it that he had one taken of hiswife, a large fat round-faced good-humouredlooking black woman. My attention was firstdrawn to Isaac by Mr. Dandridge Spotswood,who had often heard him talk about Mr.Jefferson and Monticello. C. C.P. S. Isaac died a few years after these hisrecollections were taken down. He bore agood character.


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NOTES


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NOTESExcept where so indicated by square brackets, the fol-lowing notes are Charles Campbell's.i. [Campbell inserts in the text the correct spelling inparentheses followed by a long note:] (Ursula*) *Therewas a work published in 1862 by C. Scribner, at NewYork, entitled: "The Private Life of Thomas Jeffersonfrom entirely new materials with numerous facsimiles,edited by Rev. Hamilton W. Pierson, D.D., President ofCumberland College, Kentucky." This work consists ofthe reminiscenses of a Captain Edmund Bacon, who wasoverseer for Mr. Jefferson at Monticello for 20 years. TheCaptain's reminiscenses were taken down from his lipsby Dr. Pierson. The Captain mentions Ursula among thehouse-servants and says: "She was Mrs. Randolph's nurse.She was a big fat woman. She took charge of all thechildren that were not in school. If there was any switch-ing to be done, she always did it. She used to be downat my house a great deal with those children. They usedto be there so much that we often got tired of them: butwe never said so. They were all very much attached totheir nurse: they always called her 'Mammy.' " Isaac in1847, by his own estimate upwards of seventy years old,was a big fat robust black man. [For further facts aboutUrsula and other members of Isaac's immediate family,see the section immediately after these notes.]

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2. [Campbell's compressed note on Jefferson's wife issounder in facts than it is in syntax:] Martha, youngestdaughter of John Wayles, a native of Lancaster, England,a lawyer, who lived at "the Forest" in Charles City coun-ty, Va. He was married three times and dying in May1773 left three daughters, one of whom married FrancisEppes (Father of John W. Eppes who married Maria,daughter of Thomas Jefferson) , and the other FulwarSkipwith. Mr. Jefferson inherited the Shadwell andMonticello estates. The portion that he acquired bymarriage was encumbered with a (British) debt and re-sulted in a heavy loss. Martha Skelton was 23 years oldin 1772 when she married Mr. Jefferson. [Mrs. Jeffersonwas, in fact, not the youngest daughter of John Wayles,but (except for a still-born twin) the oldest. She was,however, the youngest child of Wayles' first marriage.Jefferson wrote out the details of the Wayles genealogyon a blank leaf in his Prayer Book: see the 1952 MeridenGravure facsimile.]3. [Campbell inserts the correct spelling:] (Bathurst)4. Sometime Governor of Virginia.5. [Campbell parenthetically inserts in the text the fol-lowing spelling:] (Orr?)6. Captain Bacon says: John Hemings made most of thewood-work and Joe Fosset made the iron-work.7. [A genealogical table of the Hemings family derivedfrom the Farm Book is given on pages 56-57.]

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A Chart of the Hemings FamilyDerived from Jefferson's Farm Book

(This is a continuation of footnote 7)

EDWINb. 1795

ROBERT MARYb. 1799 b. 1801

WORMLEY BILLY BURWELL BROWN MELINDAb. 1781 b, 1777 b, 1783 b. 1785 b. 1787

d. 1778

f For details concerning the manumission of Robert and James Hemings, seeEdwin M, Belts' edition of Thomas Jefferson's Farm Book, index under Slaves,The records of these manumissions may also be found in the Order Books of theClerk of the Albemarle County Court. The Act of the General Assembly underwhich Jefferson freed these slaves may be found in the Virginia Code for 1794.


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BETTY HEMINGSb. ca. 1735d. 1807

BEVERLYb. 1798

HARRIETb, 1801

MADISONb, 1805

ESTONb, 1808

* The 1824 list is not subdivided by family; thus while the fact of Peter and Johnbeing alive in 1824 is readily established, the absence of information concerningthe names of their wives and children makes it impossible to say for certain whichother members of their families were still alive, The latest record in the FarmBook of the families of Peter and John was for the year 1810,

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8. "Campbell identifies the College in a parentheticalinsertion:] (of William and Mary)9. [Campbell parenthetically defines Isaac's word "pic-ture" as a:] (statue) [The statue of Lord Botetourt,colonial governor of Virginia from 1768 to 1770, stillstands in the quadrangle of the College of William andMary. There is a good picture of it facing page 130 inMalone's Jefferson the Virginian.]10. The Rev. William Douglas, in a school at Shadwellnear Monticello, instructed Young Jefferson in the rudi-ments of Greek, Latin and French. [Douglas was a Scot-tish clergyman, whose pies Jefferson remembered as beingmoldy and whose instruction (except in the classics) heremembered as being excellent.]11. [Campbell parenthetically explains who Polly was:](Maria) [i.e., Thomas Jefferson's daughter, later Mrs.John W. Eppes]12. Robert Beverley, the historian, married Ursula Byrdof Westover, from whom the Monticello Ursula may havederived her name. [For known biographical facts con-cerning Isaac's mother, see the data on Isaac's familyimmediately following this section.]13. [Campbell inserts the name in parentheses:] (BathurstSkelton)14. [Campbell parenthetically explains that the "Palace"was the:] (Governor's house) . Isaac's term has adhered tothe Williamsburg governors' residence, but not to theRichmond one.15. [Campbell parenthetically indicates that the Britishwere:] (under Arnold)16. [Campbell supplies the date:] (Jan. 6, 1781)

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17. They didn't come by way of Manchester. [For Isaac'sslips in memory, or in reporting, see Logan page 5.]18. At East end of Grace St. now (1871) the CentralHotel.19. [Campbell's parenthetical insertion at this point hasbeen removed to these notes because the quotation seemsclearly to have been his, not Isaac's:] (Although "All menby nature are free and equal.")20. Captain Bacon describes him as "Six feet two and ahalf inches high, well proportioned and straight as a gun-barrel. He was like a fine horse: he had no surplus flesh."

i. Captain Bacon says: "He was always very neat in hisdress: wore short breeches and bright shoe-buckles. Whenhe rode on horseback he had a pair of overalls that healways put on."22. John Walker, member of Congress during the Revo-lution.

23. Philip Mazzei, an Italian, author of "Recherches SurLes Etats-Unis," 3 volumes, published at Paris in 1788.24. Captain Bacon says: "When he was not talking he wasnearly always humming some tune; or singing in a lowtone to himself."25. [Isaac is wrong here. Jefferson went to Philadelphiain 1790 as Secretary of State. See also Footnote 17.]26. Thomas Mann Randolph's sons were Thomas Jeffer-son, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Merriwether[sic] Lewis and George Wythe (Secretary of War of C. S.) ,daughters Anne, Ellen, Virginia, Cornelia and Septimia.[Thomas Mann Randolph actually had twelve children,one of whom, the first Ellen Wayles Randolph, diedwithin a year of her birth. The children are listed in

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Thomas Jefferson's Prayer Book in order of birth as fol-lows: Anne Gary, Thomas Jefferson, Ellen Wayles, EllenWayles, Cornelia, Virginia, Mary Jefferson, James, Benja-min, Lewis, Septimia, and George Wythe.]27. Wilson Gary Nicholas, sometime Governor of Vir-ginia.28. [In identifying William Branch Giles, Campbell givesthe wrong middle initial:] William C. Giles, M. C., acelebrated debater. Sometime Governor of Virginia. Heacquired the sobriquet of "Farmer Giles."29. John Boiling, of Cobbs in Chesterfield, married asister [Mary] of Thomas Jefferson. [See Malone I, 38-9.]30. Captain Bacon in his reminiscences of Mr. Jeffersonat Monticello says, "John Hemings was a carpenter. Hewas a first-rate workman, a very extra workman: he couldmake anything that was wanting in woodwork. Helearned his trade with Dinsmore. John Hemings mademost of the woodwork of Mr. Jefferson's fine carriage."31. He had command of the troops of Convention for atime.

32. According to Captain Bacon, "Brimmer was a son ofimported Knowlsby. He was a bay, but a shade darkerthan any of the others. He was a horse of fair size, full,but not quite as tall as Eagle. He was a good riding-horseand excellent for the harness. Mr. Jefferson broke all hishorses to both ride and work. I bought Brimmer ofGeneral John H. Cocke of Fluvanna County." [Bacon's"Brimmer" is, of course, a corruption of "Bremo." SeeBetts, Thomas Jefferson's Farm Book, index underHorses.]33. [Campbell inserts the correct spelling in the text:](Tarquin?) [Jefferson purchased Tarquin in 1790 from

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William Fitzhugh and gave him to Thomas Mann Ran-dolph in 1793. See Betts, Thomas Jefferson's Farm Book,page 96.]34. [Campbell inserts the correct spelling:] (Randolph)[For details of Randolph Jefferson, see Mayo, ThomasJefferson and His Unknown Brother.]35. [Campbell inserts the full name:] (John W. Eppes,M. C.)36. [Campbell guesses that this was:] (Mt. Blanc?)37. [Isaac is wrong here. The Farm Book indicates thatIsaac was living at Monticello until at least 1824, whenthe book ended, which was only two years before Jeffer-son's death. See also footnote 17.]38. [Campbell describes Pocahontas as:] (a village on theAppomattox, opposite Petersburg)39. [Campbell gives the correct spelling in parentheses:](Riedesel, commander of the German troops of Conven-tion.)

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BIOGRAPHICALDATA CONCERNINGISAACAside from Isaac's own reminiscences, the chief

sources of information about him are in thewritings, published and unpublished, of ThomasJefferson. Chief of these is the Farm Book (aregister of slaves: their births, deaths, food andclothing issues, their location on the plantations,etc.) kept by Jefferson sporadically from 1774 to1824. There is a break in the Farm Book from1801 to 1810, during and just after Jefferson'stwo terms as President. Notes about Isaac are alsoin the Book of Nail Manufacturing, and there areoccasional mentions of him in the Account Books.The following data concerning Isaac all derive

from the Jefferson manuscripts and are entirelyindependent of either Charles Campbell or Isaac'sown reminiscences.

Isaac was born at Monticello in December, 1775,although his birth date is twice incorrectly listed

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by Jefferson in later years as 1768. He was the sonof Great George, who was born in 1730, was livingat Monticello in 1774 when the Farm Book begins,and died at Monticello in 1799. Great George'swife, Isaac's mother, was Ursula, who was born in1738 and was bought by Jefferson from Fleming'sestate on January 21, 1773. She died at Monticelloin 1800. Isaac had three brothers: Little Georgeand Bagwell, who came to Monticello in 1773 withUrsula when they were 14 and 5 years old respec-tively; and Archy, born at Monticello in 1773,who died before Isaac's birth.

Isaac lived at Monticello during most of theyears between 1775 and 1824. Although he saysin his memoirs that he left Monticello four yearsbefore Jefferson died, it is clear from the FarmBook that he lived there at least until two yearsbefore Jefferson's death, when the Farm Bookends. Isaac first appears in the Farm Book at thetime of his birth; his first listing as a smith is onJefferson's slave roll in 1794, and some of the ac-counts of his products in the nail factory areavailable for 1796. In 1796 and 1797 he was livingwith Iris, a slave born at Monticello in the sameyear as Isaac. His name appears with hers andthose of her two sons (Squire, born in 1793, andJoyce, "a boy" born in 1796) , so bracketed as toindicate that the children may both have been his.The names of Iris and her children disappear fromthe Farm Book in 1798, and Isaac then remained

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single until 1816, when his name was linked fortwo years with that of Suckey. Suckey was not anuncommon name among the Monticello slaves:there are seven listed in the Farm Book withspecific birth dates between the years 1765 and1806, and several more without birth dates. Ofthese, two at least were still alive in 1824, andscraps of additional information about each ofthem can be pieced together. Which Suckey wasconnected with Isaac, and what happened to therelationship in 1818, when one of the Suckeys wasleased to Thomas Jefferson Randolph, remains indoubt. There is a reasonable probability thatIsaac's "large fat round-faced good-humored look-ing black woman* * of the 1840*5 was not one ofthese Suckeys, but a successor.At some time during Isaac's life at Monticello,he became the property of Jefferson's son-in-law,Thomas Mann Randolph. Jefferson wrote to Ran-dolph on January 25, 1798, "You will of coursetake Isaac when you please/' and Jefferson's Ac-count Book for 1812 has these three equivocalentries concerning Isaac:Jan. 30. pd Samuel Grosse jailer of Bath countyfor TMRandolph 30. D[ollars]. for taking up &bringing Isaac home, on account.Nov. 8 gave TMR's Isaac on finish[in]g thechimney of the Factory i. D[ollar]. h[ouse]h[ol]dexp[enses] i. D[ollar].


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Dec. 21. Isaac for a truss for Abram. i. D[ollar].h[ouse]h[ol]d expanses] 2.125 [Dollars].*The following genealogical table of Isaac's im-

mediate family is derived from the Farm Book.

* The dollar mark ($) had already come into use insome of the eastern states, but Jefferson was never to usethis new-fangled annotation, at least in his account books.It will be noted that this 1812 entry was early enough forthe so-called "bit" or 12 i/2-cent piece to have a meaning.It survives today only in pairs as the quarter-dollar, or"two-bit" piece.

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BIOGRAPHICALDATA CONCERNINGCHARLES CAMPBELLCharles Campbell was born in Petersburg, Vir-

ginia, on May i, 1807. After graduating from theCollege of New Jersey with a law degree, he begana career as a school teacher. In 1 842 he started hisown school in Petersburg, and from 1855 to ^70served as principal of Anderson Seminary.Campbell was both an author and a collector ofhistorical writings. Much of his collected manu-script material was lent to Bishop William Meadeof Virginia, who used it in his two volumes onOld Churches and Families of Virginia. As anauthor, Campbell contributed regularly to TheSouthern Literary Messenger and to the VirginiaHistorical Register. His Introduction to the His-tory of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Vir-ginia was published in Richmond in 1847, t"iedate Campbell gives in the Memoirs for his inter-view with Isaac, and was republished in an en-larged edition at Philadelphia in 1860. Campbellwas the author also of a Genealogy of the Spots-wood Family and editor of the Bland Papers andSome Materials to Serve for a Brief Memoir of


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John Daly Burk, Author of a History of Virginia.Campbell died in the Staunton Lunatic Asylumon July 11, 1876, after some years of invalidism.

The Isaac Jefferson manuscript, however, wasprepared for publication in 1871, several years be-fore Campbell's breakdown, and the manuscriptitself indicates that Campbell was in full posses-sion of his mental powers at the time that hewrote it.

Further information concerning Charles Camp-bell may be found in Rayford Logan's introduc-tion to the 1951 edition of Isaac's Memoirs andthrough the list of published biographical noticesappended to Edward A. Wyatt's own sketch ofCampbell in Virginia Imprint Series, No. 9: Pre-liminary Checklist for Petersburg, Richmond,

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NOTE ON THEILLUSTRATIONSISAAC JEFFERSON

The frontispiece is from a photograph of adaguerreotype, showing Isaac probably at the timehe was working in Petersburg in the 1840*8. ForCampbell's comments on it, see page 52. Takenby a Mr. Shew, probably in Petersburg, it was oneof a pair: the daguerreotype of Isaac's wife madeat the same time has apparently not survived. Thepicture is probably the earliest existing photo-graphic likeness of a slave. John T. Winterich incommenting on it said (in the Saturday Review,February 23, 1952, p. 13) "It gives one somethingof a shock to inspect a photograph of a man whoaccompanied our first Secretary of State to Phila-delphia in 1790."The daguerreotype is now in the Tracy W. Mc-Gregor Library at the University of Virginia.

JEFFERSON'S LIFE MASKThe plaster life mask of Jefferson was made byJohn H. I. Browere at Monticello in 1825, t^ie Yearbefore Jefferson's death, and presumably within atwelvemonth of Isaac's departure. Jefferson de-

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scribed the ordeal of the mask making in a letterto James Madison, October 18, 1825: "Successivecoats of thin grout plaistered on the naked head,and kept there an hour, would have been a severetrial of a young and hale person. He [Browere]suffered the plaister also to get so dry that separa-tion became difficult & even dangerous. He wasobliged to use freely the mallet 8c chisel to breakit into pieces and get off a piece at a time. Thesethumps of the mallet would have been sensiblealmost to a loggerhead. The family becamealarmed, and he confused, till I was quite ex-hausted, and there became real danger that theears would separate from the head sooner thanfrom the plaister. I now bid adieu for ever to busts& even portraits/' For a view of the mask fromanother angle, see F. C. Rosenberger's JeffersonReader, facing page 257.The life mask is now at the New York StateHistorical Association, and is reproduced herethrough the courtesy of Miss Mary E. Cunning-ham and the Association,

JEFFERSON'S POLYGRAPHJefferson's polygraph was presented to the Uni-

versity of Virginia in 1875 by Jefferson's grandsonand is now on permanent loan to Monticello. Thefollowing letter accompanied Mr. Randolph's gift:

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June joth 1875Edge Hill

The Honorable Board of Visitors of the University of Va.GentlemenAllow me through your body to present to the Univer-

sity the polygraph used [by] Mr. Jefferson for the lasttwenty years of his life. In retrieving [?] for publicationmany thousand of these letters, they [the polygraphcopies] were found accurate facsimilies of his handwrit-ing; no error [occurring] except where the record penwas caught by some irregularity in the paper. Whenextricating itself with a spring, it missed a few letters,leaving space for them.

Most respectfullyThos. J. Randolph, Sr.P.S. Copies from this polygraph remain perfect and un-faded when those made by the copying press are illegible.The photograph was made by Ralph Thompson.LINN ENGRAVING OF JEFFERSON

William Linn's Life of Thomas Jefferson wasfirst published in 1834 and was republished in1839 and 1843. The frontispiece shown to Isaacby Campbell appeared in all three editions. It wasengraved by Stephen H. Gimber from the Stuartportrait of Jefferson of 1823, which was in turncopied by Stuart from his earlier (ca. 1805) lifeportrait of Jefferson, showing the President in his


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early sixties. Gimber's engraving was, thus, a poorreproduction of a not too successful copy of a lifeportrait, representing Jefferson about twenty yearsyounger than Isaac would have remembered him.For further details of the likenesses of Jefferson,see Fiske Kimball's The Life Portraits of Jeffersonand Their Replicas, Philadelphia, 1944.

MONTICELLOThis 1826 watercolor of Monticello, probablydrawn by some immediate member of Jefferson's

family, shows the southwest front of the house andgardens at about the time Isaac left there. It sur-vived as part of the Jefferson-Coolidge Papers andwas reproduced in black and white through thecourtesy of Mrs. T. Jefferson Coolidge by FrancisGalley Gray in his Thomas Jefferson in 1814 (Bos-ton, 1924, between p. 20-21) and by Fiske Kimballin his Jefferson's Grounds and Gardens at Monti-cello (New York, 1926? p. 15) . The first reproduc-tion of the drawing in color (through the courtesyof George H. Gushing, Jr.) was in the VirginiaCavalcade (Vol. i, Spring 1952, p. 4) , publishedby the Virginia State Library. It is through thekindness of Mr. Randolph W. Church, Librarianof the Virginia State Library, that the color platesfor this earliest known picture of Monticello areused here.


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BIBLIOGRAPHICALNOTEThe manuscript from which the text of the

Memoirs is printed is in the Tracy W. McGregorLibrary at the University of Virginia. Campbellentitled it "Life of Isaac Jefferson of Petersburg,Virginia, Blacksmith, containing a full and faith-ful account of Monticello and the Family there,with notices of many of the distinguished charac-ters that visited there, with his Revolutionary ex-perience and travels, adventures, observations andopinions, the whole taken down from his ownwords." For detailed notes on its provenance andfor a comparison with a similar manuscript atWilliam and Mary, see the scholarly edition of1951 edited by Rayford W. Logan. In transcribingthis same manuscript, Dr. Logan aimed at abso-lute literalness, preserving all spelling, capitaliza-tion, and punctuation exactly as it appeared inCampbell's manuscript. In the present edition, anattempt has been made to normalize the trans-cription, changing Campbell's punctuation, capi-talization, and spelling where necessary to makethe narrative read more easily. Care was, however,taken to retain any original spelling that seemedto reflect Isaac's pronunciation. Some of Camp-

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bell's parenthetical insertions and all of his foot-notes have been placed at the end of Isaac's nar-rative. There are no omissions or suppressionsfrom the text, and information derived from othersources is clearly indicated as such.The chief published primary documents are tobe found in the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, editedby Julian P. Boyd (1950- ), and in ThomasJefferson's Farm Book, edited by Edwin M. Betts0954) The chief unpublished primary sources(e.g., the Account Books and the Book of NailManufacturing) may all be consulted in photostatat the University of Virginia.

Readers interested in the background of IsaacJefferson's life are referred especially to the Bettsedition of Thomas Jefferson's Farm Book (Prince-ton) , to Bernard Mayo's Jefferson Himself, toFrancis C. Rosenberger's anthology, The JeffersonReader (Button) , and to two older biographiesof Thomas Jefferson: Sarah Randolph's DomesticLife (1871) and Henry S. Randall's Life (1858) .The current standard biographies of Jefferson are:Dumas Malone's (Little, Brown), GilbertChinard's (Little, Brown) , and Marie Kimball's(Coward-McCann) .

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INDEX


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INDEXAmpthill, 36Anderson, Bob, 15-16Anderson, Mat, 15-16Antigua rum, 30, 29Antonine (Italian garden-

er) , 28Archy (slave, Isaac's bro-

ther) , 64, 66Armandy (dog) , 47Arnold, Benedict, 58Arthur (slave of William

Giles) , 39Artillery, 18Assembly-House, 1011

Bacon, Edmund, 54, 59, 60Bacon Quarter Branch, 16-

i?Bagwell (slave, Isaac's bro-

ther) , 64, 66Bakery in Richmond, 14Balloon, 10Bears, 49Bedford County, Va., 23Belligrini (Italian garden-

er) , 28 *Bellows, 41Belmont, 45Belvidere, 45Belvoir, 26

Betts, Edwin M., 56, 60, 62,74

Beverley, Robert, 58Beverly (Petersburg bal-loonist) , 10

Blacksmiths, 8, 15, 41, 45Blenheim, 8, 40Boiling, John, 42Boiling, Mrs. John, seeMary JeffersonBoiling, Ned (i.e., John),

4*Books, 27-28Botetourt, Norborne Berke-

ley, Baron de, 10Boyd, Julian P., 74Bradley, John, 42Bread baking, 14Bremo (horse), see Brim-merBrimmer (horse) , 46Bringhouse, James, 32-34British invasion of Rich-mond, 15-21

British march to Yorktown,22-23Brock, John, 48Browere, John H. I., 69-70Buck Island, 49Building materials, 51Bull (dog) , 47

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Butchers, see DalyButlers, see Martin Hem-

ingsBuzzy (dog), 47Byrd, Ursula, 14

Campbell, Charles, 3, 67-68,73;74Capitol (Richmond), 13Caractacus (horse), 12, 18,*4Card playing, 47

Carpenters, 41, 45Carr, Dabney, 33, 50Carr, Mrs. Dabney, seeMartha JeffersonCarr, Patsy, see MarthaJeffersonCarr, Peter, 33Carr, Sam (brother-in-lawof Martha Jefferson

Carr), 33Carr, Sam (son of Martha

Jefferson Carr), 33Carriages and carriage-makers, 8-12, 39, 52, 60;

see also Phaetons, Wag-onsCarter, Col. Edward, 8, 40Gary, Archibald, 35-36, 50Gary, Nancy, 36Cavalry, 18Central Hotel (Richmond),

59Ceres (dog) , 47Charles (white boy), 33Charles City County, Va.,

55Charlottesville, Va., 51Chesterfield, 42, 47Chinard, Gilbert, 74Church, Randolph W., 72Cider, 29Claremont (dog), 47Clock, 29Clothing, 11, 25, 45Coal, 41Coaches, see CarriagesCock-fighting, 46Cocke, John H., 60Cooking, 14Coolidge, Mrs. T. Jeffer-

son, 12Colle, 28, 51Copying machine, 27Cornwallis, Charles, first

Marquis, 23Coxendale Island, Va., 51Cumberland County, Va.,50

Cunningham, Mary E., 70Cups, 32Gushing, George H., 72

Daguerreotypes, 52, 69, fac-ing titlepage

Daly (Richmond butcher) ,*7

Dancing, 47Daniel (slave), 21, 23, 56Deer, 48DeWitt (Charlottesvilletavern keeper), 51Didiot (Frenchman, mar-


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ried Mazzei's daughter),28Didiot, Frances, 28Didiot, Francis, 28Dinsmore, James, 60Dogs, 47Doorkeeper of Assembly, 14Douglas, Rev. William, 11Drinking, 20, 29, 47Drums, 15-16Dumb-waiter, 27Dutch Gap, Va., 51

Eagle (horse), 60Edgehill, 36, 50Elk Hill, 40Elk Island, 40Eppes, Francis, 33, 35Eppes, Mrs. Francis, 33, 42,

45Eppes, Frank, see FrancisEppes

Eppes, John Wayles, 11, 50,55

Eppes, Mrs. John Wayles,see Maria Jefferson

Fauble (French music-man), 29

Fences, 48Fiddles and Fiddlers, 10,29,50

Fifers, see Bob AndersonFinishers, see John NelsonFires and firefighting, 49Fitzhugh, William, 61

Fleming, Col. William, 8,64Fluvanna County, Va., 60

"Forest," Charles CityCounty, Va., 55

Fosset, Joe, 55Francis (Italian gardener) ,28Franklin rod, 8Fredericksburg, Va., 31French people, 30

Gardeners, 28Gates, 35George, Great (or King

George, slave, Isaac'sfather) , 7, 19, 23, 48, 64,66

George, Little (slave,Isaac's brother), 64, 66

Georgetown, 31German soldiers, 46; see al-so Riedesel

Giannini, see JovaniniGigs, 39; see also CarriagesGiles, William B., 38-39Gimber, Stephen H., 71Ginger-cakes, 14Giovanni (Williamsburg

tailor), 11Giovannini, see JovaniniGoats, 49Goochland, 8Goode, Col. Francis, 47Gordon, Nat, 31Governor's House (Rich-mond) , 18, 58

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Gray, Francis Galley, 73Great George, see GeorgeGrosse, Samuel, 65Guitar, 30Gustavus (horse), 12

Handcuffs, 20Hare, 41; see also RabbitsHarpsichord, 29Harvie, Jack, 45Harvie, Mrs. Jack, 45Hemings, Betty (motherand daughter) , 10, 14, 56Hemings, Bob, see RobertHemings

Hemings, Harriet, 10, 57Hemings, James (Jim), 9,*4> 1 5> 3 1 * 33* 56Hemings, John, 45, 55, 57Hemings, Madison, 10, 57Hemings, Martin, 9, 14, 56Hemings, Mary, 9-10, 14,

16, 18, 21, 23,56Hemings, Robert (Bob) ,9-10, 14-15, 33, 56Hemings, Sally, 9-10, 57Hemings family, 55-57Henrico Court House, Va.,

5iHenry, Patrick, 26Herring, 51Horse-racing, 46-47Horses, 12, 18, 24, 31, 46,

60; see also names ofhorses, e.g., Caractacus

Hostlers, see Joseph RattiffHounds, see Dogs

House-servants, see Serv-ants and Slaves

Hunting, 41, 48Hylton, Daniel, 21

Indian remains, 51Iris (slave) , 64, 66Iron work, 9Ironing, 20Isaac, see Isaac JeffersonItalians, 28, 51

Jamestown, Va., 51Jefferson,Anna Scott (calledNancy, Thomas Jeffer-son's sister; i.e., Mrs.Hastings Marks) , 50

Jefferson, Isaacapprenticed, 32biographical sketch, 63-66birth, 7blacksmith shop, 52captured by British, 20-

22carries on tin business, 37daguerreotype of, facing

titlepage, 52, 69death, 52description of, 52drum beating, 15-16, 21genealogical table of im-mediate family, 66Monticello, Isaac returns

to, 33; Isaac leaves, 50parentage, 7; see also

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genealogical tablePhiladelphia, 31-33Randolph, ThomasMann, Jr., ownership

of Isaac, 38, 65-66whipped, 35Yorktown, 23

Jefferson, Mrs. Isaac, 52, 69Jefferson, Lucy (Thomas

Jefferson's daughter) , 45Jefferson, Maria (called

Polly, Thomas Jefferson'sdaughter; i.e., Mrs. JohnW. Eppes), 10-11, 33, 38-39> 5> 55

Jefferson, Martha (calledPatsy, Thomas Jefferson'sdaughter; i.e., Mrs.Thomas Mann Ran-dolph, Jr.), 7-8, 10, 11,33> 38

Jefferson, Martha (calledPatsy, Thomas Jefferson'ssister; i.e., Mrs. DabneyCarr) , 33, 50

Jefferson, Martha (calledPatsy, Thomas Jefferson'swife) , see Mrs. ThomasJefferson

Jefferson, Mary (calledPolly, Thomas Jefferson'ssister; i.e., Mrs. JohnBoiling) , 42, 45, 50

Jefferson, Nancy, see AnnaScott Jefferson

Jefferson, Patsy, see thethree Martha Jeffersons

Jefferson, Polly, see Maria

and Mary JeffersonJefferson, Randolph, 50Jefferson, ThomasAmbassador to France,

45amusements, 41books, 27-28bowing habits, 51card playing, 47clock, 29clothes, 11, 25, 45copying machine, 27dancing, 47description of, 25, 41, 59dining habits, 29dogs, 47drinking habits, 29driving habits, 10-12dumb-waiter, 27Elk Hill, 40eyesight, 44France, 9-10governor, 9, 40guns, 41habits, 10-12, 27-30, 41,

47> 5*-52horses, 12, 46hunting, 41, 48illness, 44-45language skill, 28manuscripts citedAccount Books, 63, 65-

66,74Book of Nail Manufac-turing, 63, 74Farm Book, 55, 57, 61,63-64music and musical instru-

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ments, 29-30portraits, 41, 69-70, 71-72,

facing 16, 41Prayer Book, 35, 60President (i.e., Secretary

of State), 31-34, 59Richmond, 13-21singing, 30skill at making keys and

locks, 41slaves, number of, 11slaves returned by Wash-

ington, 23spectacles, 44violin, 29William and Mary resi-

dence, 10-11Williamsburg, 9wine cellar, 20

Jefferson, Mrs. Thomas(called Patsy, wife ofThomas Jefferson, neMartha Wayles, first mar-ried Bathurst Skelton) ,

Joe (slave) , 23John (slave, coachman) ,

11-12, 14, 18John (slave of Gov. Page) ,26Jovanini (Italian gardener.

Jefferson spelled thename Giovannini; thepresent generation inCharlottesville spell itGiannini with varia-tions) , 28

Joyce (slave) , 64, 66

Jupiter (slave), 11-12, 14,23

Keys and locks, 41Kimball, Fiske, 72Kimball, Marie, 74King George (slave) , seeGeorge

Knowlsby (horse) , 60

Lafayette, M. J. etc., Mar-quis de, 44

Laths, 51Lightning, 8Linn, William, 41, 71-72Little York, see YorktownLocks and keys, 41Logan, Rayford W., 3, 59,68,73

Madison (slave) , see Madi-son HemingsMaids, 10; see also Slavesand ServantsMalone, Dumas, 58, 74Manchester, Va., 15Marks, Hastings, 50Marks, Mrs. Hastings, seeAnna Scott JeffersonMarsdell, Mr. (of Rich-mond) , 15

Mary (slave, pastry-cookand seamstress) , seeMary Hemings

Mayo, Bernard, 34, 74


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Mazzei, Peggy, 28Mazzei, Philip, 28, 51Millbrooks, 50Milton, Va., 37Modena (Italian garden-

er) , 28Molasses, 51Molly (slave) , 21, 23, 56Molly (slave of Gov.

Page), 26Monticello

building of, 8carriages at, see CarriagesGary, Archibald, visits,

35-36clock, 29deer and deer park, 48dinners at, 29dogs, 47dumb-waiter, 27fences, 28, 48gardens, 28gates, 35Giles, William, visits, 38-

39Henry, Patrick, visits, 26Isaac born at, 7kitchen, 29library, 27, 41livestock, 49marble statuary, 44Mazzei's stay, 28music, 29-30nail factory, 37, 51Page, John, visits, 26Page, Mann, visits, 26pictures, 44rabbits, 47

school, 42silver from, 19, 24slave quarters, 49stable (300 yards from

house) , 35tinshop, 33-34tools, blacksmiths', car-

penters', etc., 41view from, 43visitors to, 25-26, 28, 35-

36 > 38-39wild animals around, 49watercolor of, 72, facing

5wood-finishing, 8Mount Black or Blanc, 50

Mulattoes, 9-10Music, 16, 29-30

Nail business, 37, 51Nelson, John, 8New York State Historical

Association, 70Nicholas, Anne, 38Nicholas, Wilson Gary, 38

Odin (horse) , 31Old Market (Richmond),13

Ore, Billy, 8-9Otter (horse) , 12

Palace (Richmond), 13Page, Gov. John, 26Page, Mann, 26


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Partridges, 41Pastry, 20Pelligrini, see BelligriniPetersburg, Va., 10, 17Phaetons, 9-12, 31; see also

Carriages, WagonsPhiladelphia, 31-34Pianoforte, 30Pierson, Hamilton W., 54Pipe smoking, 47Piragua, 22Pocahontas, Va., 51Pocahontas Bridge, 52Polygraph, 27, 70-71, facing

27Pompey (Col. Goode'shorse trainer) , 47Poplar Forest, 23Postillion, 11Potomac, 31Powder-magazine, 21Powhatan House, 13Prayer Book, 55, 60

Queen (slave), 7; seeUrsula

Rabbits, 41, 47Racing, 46-47Randall, Henry S., 74Randolph, Anne Gary, 38,Randolph, Benjamin Fran-

klin, 38, 59-60Randolph, Cornelia, 59-60Randolph, Ellen Wayles,

Randolph, George Wythe,59-6o

Randolph, James Madison,38, 59-60

Randolph, Jefferson, seeThomas Jefferson Ran-dolph

Randolph, Mary Jefferson,60Randolph, Meriwether

Lewis, 59-60Randolph, Sarah, 74Randolph, Septima, 59-60Randolph, Thomas Jeffer-son (called JeffersonRandolph), 25, 36, 38,59-60, 65, 70-71

Randolph, Thomas Mann,ST. (called TuckahoeTom), 21, 23, 36

Randolph, Thomas Mann,Jr., 8, 36, 38, 50-51, 61,65

Randolph, Mrs. ThomasMann, see Marth Jeffer-sonRandolph, Virginia, 59-60Rattiff, Joseph, 31, 33, 46Remus (horse) , 1 2Richmond, Va., 13-21Riding horse, 11; see alsoHorsesRiedesel, Friedrich Adolf,

Freiherr von, 28, 51Romulus (horse), 12Rosenberger, Francis C.,7^ 74Rum, 20, 29


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Saddlers, 13-14School at Monticello, 42Seamstress, see Betty Hem-

ingsSenegore (horse) , 12Servants, 13; see names of

servants, e.g., the Hem-ings family; see alsounder Slaves

Shadwell, 55Sheep, 49Shew, Mr. (daguerreo-

typist,) 52, 69Silver, 19, 24Simcoe, Col. J. G., 18Skelton, Bathurst, 7, 58Skelton, Mrs. Bathurst, see

Mrs. Thomas JeffersonSkipper, Mrs., see Mrs.Fulwar SkipwithSkipwith, Fulwar, 55Skipwith, Mrs. Fulwar, 42Skipwith, William, 50Slaves, 9-11, 14; see alsounder the names of

slaves, especially IsaacJefferson, Great George,the Hemings family,Ursula. For slave wages,see 19-20, 51-52

Smoking, 47Spectacles, 44, 52Spinnet, 29Spotswood, Dandridge, 52Spy-glass, 15Squire (slave) , 64, 66Squirrels, 41Strauss, Dr. (of Rich-

mond) , 10Stuart, Gilbert, 71Sukey (slave, the cook),

*4 23Sukey (slave, Isaac's wife?) ,

65-66

Tailors, see GiovanniTarkill (horse) , 46Tarquin (horse), see Tar-killTavern in Charlottesville,

Va., 51Temple, Bob, 36Thompson, Ralph, 71Threshing machine, 51Tin business, 33-34, 37Tinner, see James firing-houseTuckahoe, 21Tuckahoe Tom, seeThomas Mann Ran-

dolph, Sr.

Ursula (slave, calledQueen, Isaac's mother),7-8, 19-20, 23, 54, 58, 64,66

Usley, see Ursula

Varina, 51Violins, see FiddlesVirginia Cavalcade, 72Virginia State Library, 72


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Wagons, 9, 22; see also Car-riages, Phaetons

Waistcoats, 25; see alsoClothing

Walker, John, 26Walker, Dr. Thomas, 26, 30Washing, 20Washington, George, 23,

32,41,44Washington Tavern, 20Water-works (Philadel-

phia), 32Watson, Billy, 46Watson, Davy, 8-9, 46Wayles, Martha, see Mrs.Thomas JeffersonWayles, John, 10, 50, 55Westham, 21Westover, 58Whippings, 35Wild-cats, 49

Wiley, Mr. (Richmondsaddler-shop owner), 13-14; see also Billy Wiley,his son?

Wiley, Mrs., 14Wiley, Billy, 14William and Mary College,

10-11, 58, 73Williamsburg, Va., 9-14Willis* Mountain, 43Wine, 20, 29Winterich, John T., 69Wintopoke, 33Wolves, 49Wood-work, 8, 60Wormley (slave) , 23Wyatt, Edward A., 68

York, Little, see YorktownYorktown, Va., 22-23

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Memoirs of a Monticello Slave

Documents