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Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, born Martha Wayles (October 30, 1748 – September 6, 1782) was the only wife of her second husband, Thomas Jefferson. She was a widow at her second wedding, as her first husband had died young. When her second husband, Jefferson, was Governor of Virginia, she served as First Lady of Virginia from 1779 to 1781. The Jeffersons had six children together, but only two daughters survived to adulthood, and only one past the age of 25. Weakened by childbirth, Martha Jefferson died several months after the birth of her last child, two decades before her husband became the third President of the United States. At her request, he never married again. == Early life and education == Martha Wayles was born on October 30, 1748, in Charles City County, Virginia to John Wayles (1715–1773) and his first wife, Martha Eppes (1712–1748). She was their only child. John Wayles was an attorney, slave trader, business agent for Bristol-based merchants Farrell & Jones, and prosperous planter. He was born in Lancaster, England and had emigrated alone at the age of 19 to Virginia in 1734, leaving family in England. He became a lawyer. Her mother, Martha Eppes, was a daughter of Francis Eppes and his wife of Bermuda Hundred. Martha Eppes Wayles died on November 5, 1748, when her daughter Martha was six days old. Nothing is known of Martha Eppes Wayles' education or other aspects of her childhood. The scant documentation about her indicates that she was a fine writer and had a refined appreciation for the literature of the period, such as ''Tristram Shandy'' and ''The Adventures of Telemachus.'' (The original of this book, with her signature on the title page, is part of the Library of Congress collection). Eppes had been widowed when she married Wayles. As part of her dowry, Martha Eppes brought with her to the marriage her personal slaves, an African woman named Susanna and her 11-year-old mixed-race daughter Elizabeth Hemings (Betty). John and Martha's marriage contract provided that Susanna and Betty were to remain the property of Martha Eppes and her heirs forever, or be returned to the Eppes family should there be no heirs. Thus, Betty Hemings and her 10 children were eventually inherited by Martha's daughter Martha Wayles and her husband, Thomas Jefferson. John Wayles soon married again, to Mary Cocke of Malvern Hill. They had four children, Sarah, Elizabeth, Tabitha and Anne. Sarah died in infancy. Tabitha and Anne married the Skipwith brothers, Robert and Henry, respectively. Tabitha Skipwith died with her first childbirth. Nancy Skipwith, "Aunty Skipwith" to the Jefferson children and grandchildren, died in 1798. Elizabeth married Francis Eppes, Martha's cousin, and had a son, John Wayles Eppes.〔("John Wayles" ), ''Jefferson's Community: Relatives,'' Monticello, accessed 8 January 2012〕 who later married his half-cousin, Mary Wayles Jefferson, who then went by "Maria". After Mary Cocke died, John Wayles married Elizabeth Lomax Skelton (the widow of Reuben Skelton, brother of Martha Wayles' first husband, Bathurst Skelton). They had no children. The third Mrs. Wayles died on 10 February 1761, just over a year into the marriage.〔 After his third wife's death, Wayles took the mulatto slave Betty Hemings as a concubine for the rest of his life; in 12 years they had six children.〔Gordon-Reed, Annette. ''Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy''. University of Virginia Press (1997). pp. 128–130. ISBN 0-8139-1698-4.〕 Born into slavery, the children of this union were three-quarters European in ancestry and half-siblings to Martha and Elizabeth Wayles. The youngest was Sally Hemings, born in July 1773, two months after her father's death.〔(Robert P. Watson and Richard Yon, "The Unknown Presidential Wife: Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson" ), Jefferson Legacy Foundation, 2003, Quote: "(Wayles never remarried but had five children – Nance, Critta, Thenia, Peter, and Sally – to his slave Elizabeth “Betty” Hemings, the youngest of which would become famous for her relationship with Thomas Jefferson.)" Note: This is incorrect on the number and some of the names; see Note for Monticello website. Accessed 7 January 2012〕〔("Elizabeth Hemings" ), ''Plantation and Slavery,'' Monticello, accessed 7 January 2012. Note: The Monticello website says that Hemings' children by Wayles were Robert, James, Thenia, Critta, Peter, and Sally.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Martha Jefferson」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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