The Changing Names of Mary Jefferson
Mary Jefferson was a daughter of President and Declaration of Independence author Thomas Jefferson.
Mary led a fairly tragic life over the course of which she went by a series of different names.
Mary Jefferson
Mary Jefferson was the daughter of Thomas and Martha Jefferson.
She quickly received the affectionate nickname Polly.
Unfortunately, her mother passed away when she was just four years old.
Two years later, Polly’s heartbroken father accepted a position as Minister to France and sailed across the ocean.
Poly Jefferson
Polly and her younger sister, Lucy, were left in the care of extended family members as well as several trusted slaves.
When Polly was nine, Lucy began suffering from whooping cough and died shortly thereafter.
In response to this news, her father requested she be sent to live with him in France.
Europe
Polly traveled to Europe in the company of Sally Hemmings, a family slave who was also her aunt (her mother’s sister).
En route, Polly’s ship stopped in London where she met John and Abigail Adams. Abigail took an immediate liking to the girl and always considered her a surrogate member of the Adams Family.
Shortly thereafter, Polly was reunited with her father in Paris after an absence of three years.
Mademoiselle Pollie
While in France, the locals began calling her Mademoiselle Pollie, though this quickly changed to Marie.
Although spelled differently, this seems to be the only point in her life that the young woman went by her given name.
When she returned to the United States, Polly began being referred to as Maria (hard ‘I’) by friends and family.
Interestingly, she still addressed her correspondence with the name Mary. It seems that she had preferred her given name all along.
Maria Jefferson
Mary spent several years living in Philadelphia while Thomas was a member of George Washington’s cabinet.
After marrying John Wayles Eppes she returned to Virginia and began her family.
Mary gave birth to three children, the last of which cause severe problems for her health.
She died just a few months later at the young age of 25 while her father was sitting President of the United States. Polly Jefferson was the first child of a Commander-in-Chief to be buried during their administration.
Here are some other daughters of the American Revolution:
Betsy Patterson Marries French Royalty…Kind Of
Phillis Wheatley - From Slave Girl to Master Poet
The Midnight Ride of Sybil Ludington
Thomas Jefferson’s family is an extremely interesting subject.
‘Jefferson’s Daughters’ looks at Mary and her siblings in depth and is a great read.
If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
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