Sep 30

Sep 30 Lucy Ludwell Paradise's Lifetime of Loss

Lucy Paradise might sound like the name of an adult film star, but she was the wealthy heiress of the Ludlow fortune in Virginia.

For a person of means, Lucy’s life was riddled with hardships.

I should admit that Lucy is hard to qualify as a Founder, as she spent most of her life overseas, but I love her name and decided that her property ownership and friends in Virginia made giving her an article acceptable.

Lucy Ludwell

Lucy Ludlow was the daughter of Philipp LudweII III, one of the wealthiest men in Virginia.

As such, Lucy was a relative of Martha Washington and was in a situation where she could have been among Virginia’s elites.

However, at just 8 years old, she sailed with her family for London.

She would spend most of the next 40 years overseas.

Paradise

While still in her teens, Lucy married John Paradise.

John was an intellectual and a language expert who would assist Thomas Jefferson in studying Greek.

Though the marriage was happy and the couple produced two daughters, John was not careful with his finances and they racked up enormous debts.

Jefferson, who became close with the family, did his best to help them fix their money problems (though this might not have been a great idea, as Jefferson himself spent his life in debt).

Loss

In 1787, Lucy supported one of her daughters (also named Lucy) in an elopement to a man her husband did not trust.

That same year, the Paradise’s sailed to Virginia where they hoped to straighten out their cash problems while living at the giant estate she had inherited

They only stayed a few months, returning to Europe after receiving news their younger daughter, Philippa, had passed away.

Back to Virginia

The Paradise Family lived several more years with financial uncertainty until John died in 1795.

Lucy stayed on a few more years but by 1805 decided to return to Virginia and live in another one of her father’s houses.

By this point, her old friend Thomas Jefferson was President of the United States and he helped her integrate into Virginia society.

Unfortunately, after a lifetime of heartbreak, Lucy began to lose her mental facilities.

She spent the last few years of her life committed to the Eastern Hospital in Williamsburg which is often considered the first insane asylum in the United States.

I’ll admit, Lucy is hard to qualify as an American Founders, but if you want to read about more FOUNDING MOTHERS check out these articles:

Phillis Wheatley - From Slave Girl to Master Poet

Martha Bratton - Explosions, Death Threats and Huck’s Defeat

The Adventures of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton

Do you want a good book about women in the American Revolution?

The late Cokie Roberts was an expert on the subject, so I recommend starting with ‘Ladies of Liberty.’

Pick up a copy through the Amazon affiliate link below…