Mary Jefferson Eppes

Mary Jefferson Eppes, also known as Polly in childhood and Maria in adulthood, was born on August 1, 1778. She was the daughter of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, and Martha Jefferson (née Wayles). She was the fourth child in her family, but only two of her siblings survived beyond early childhood, Martha "Patsy" Jefferson, born in 1772, and Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson, born in 1780.

Following the death of her mother Martha in 1782, Polly was approximately four years old. Her early childhood was marked by the deaths of her siblings Jane (1774–1775), another Lucy Elizabeth (1781), and the family’s fifth child, Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson (1780–1781). During this period, her father Thomas Jefferson was serving as the governor of Virginia, prompting the family to relocate several times, first to Williamsburg and then to Richmond.

In late 1782, Polly was temporarily cared for by her aunt Elizabeth Wayles Eppes and her husband Francis Wayles Eppes, at Eppington, while her father was in Philadelphia. Between 1782 and 1784, Polly and her sister Patsy remained in Virginia, receiving early educational instruction from Elizabeth Eppes, which included reading, writing, dancing, and sewing. In 1784, Polly joined her father and older sister Patsy in Europe, sailing from Virginia to France at the age of nine, accompanied by Sally Hemings, a member of Jefferson’s household.

In France, Polly attended Pentemont Abbey convent school in Paris, where she excelled academically, learning French and Spanish, and taking lessons in drawing and harpsichord playing. Her education in France coincided with the outbreak of the French Revolution. During her stay, she contracted typhus along with her sister Patsy, leading to their temporary removal from school in 1789. The Jefferson family returned to Virginia amid the revolutionary turmoil.

After returning to Virginia, Polly adopted the pronunciation and name "Maria," with a long "i," which she used throughout her life. In Virginia, she was known for her physical beauty and her character. Her father, Thomas Jefferson, provided her education at home and later enrolled her in Valeria Fullerton's school in Philadelphia between 1792 and 1793, although her attendance was likely interrupted by a yellow fever epidemic.

On October 13, 1797, Maria Jefferson married her first cousin, John Wayles Eppes, at Monticello. They resided at Mont Blanco, a plantation on the James River, and frequently visited the Eppington estate. The marriage produced three children: an unnamed daughter (born December 31, 1799, died January 1800), Francis Wayles Eppes (born September 20, 1801), and Maria Jefferson Eppes (born February 15, 1804, died in childhood in February 1806). The couple experienced multiple miscarriages before the birth of Francis.

In late 1802, Maria traveled with her sister Patsy to Washington, D.C., where Patsy served as her father Thomas Jefferson's hostess and temporary First Lady. Maria’s health was fragile, and she never fully recovered from her third childbirth. She died on April 17, 1804, at Monticello, shortly after the birth of her daughter, and was subsequently buried there.

She was described by her family as having beauty, good temper, and a sense of principle. Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, expressed condolences upon her death, recalling her warmth and early affection for Maria from their childhood meetings in London.