Jane Randolph Jefferson

Jane Randolph Jefferson, née Jane Randolph (February 9, 1721 – March 31, 1776) was the wife of Peter Jefferson and the mother of president Thomas Jefferson. Born in Shadwell Parish, Tower Hamlets, London, she was the daughter of Isham Randolph, a ship's captain and planter, and Jane Rogers. She was a cousin of Peyton Randolph.

Early life and education

Randolph was born in one of the Tower Hamlets, Shadwell, a poor maritime neighborhood of London. She most likely immigrated to Virginia as a child with her family and that her education was received entirely at home. Little is known of her, for Jefferson rarely mentioned his mother in his extensive writings. According to the 20th-century biographer Merrill Peterson, she represented "zero quantity" in her son Thomas's life, although more recent scholarship questions Peterson's conclusions.

Marriage and family

Randolph married Peter Jefferson in Virginia in 1739. Together, they had the following children:

Randolph Jefferson

Randolph Jefferson (October 1, 1755 – August 7, 1815) was the younger brother of Thomas Jefferson and a planter.

He was Thomas' only brother to survive infancy. He was a twin to Anna Scott Jefferson, Thomas' youngest sister. Randolph and Anna were 12 years younger than Thomas. He married his first cousin, Anne Lewis, on 30 July 1781 in Albemarle County. They had five sons and a daughter who survived. They resided at Snowden in Buckingham County.

Anne died some time after the birth of their last son in 1796-97, and before Randolph's May 1808 will. Randolph remarried after May 1808 and before December 1809 to Mitchie B. Pryor of Buckingham County. She conceived a son before Randolph died in August 1815.

Biography

Born at Shadwell, the Jefferson family plantation in Albemarle County, Virginia, Randolph Jefferson spent his entire life in Virginia. He attended The Grammar School at the College of William and Mary and was tutored in higher subjects by Thomas Gwatkin, who taught Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at the College. Records show he resided at the College of William and Mary from Oct 1771 until Sept 1772. Additionally, he took violin lessons from Frances Alberti, the same instructor as his brother. Prior to that, he attended Ben Snead's English School in Albemarle County, as did his sisters. The historian Dumas Malone writes in his book, Jefferson and His Time: The Sage of Monticello, that Randolph did not share his older brother's eloquence. His letters to Thomas show a disregard of grammar and the use of colloquialisms such as "tech" instead of "touch."

Jane Randolph

Jane Randolph (born as Jane Roemer; October 30, 1915 – May 4, 2009), was an American film actress. She was born in Youngstown, Ohio and died in Gstaad, Switzerland, from complications of a broken hip.

Early years

Randolph grew up in Kokomo, Indiana, where her hobbies included playing golf and flying airplanes. She attended DePauw University, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. She also studied at an acting school operated by Max Reinhardt.

Film

Randolph moved to Hollywood in 1939 in an attempt to start a movie career. She was eventually picked up by Warner Bros. and appeared in bit movie roles in 1941.

In 1942, RKO picked up the contract of the poised actress and she received a leading lady role in Highways by Night (1942). She became known for her roles in film noir, which included Jealousy (1945) and Railroaded! (1947), and in two of Val Lewton's now well regarded B-picture horror films, Cat People (1942) and The Curse of the Cat People (1944).

One of her last movies was Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).