Peter Jefferson

Peter Jefferson was born on February 29, 1708, at a settlement called Osbornes along the James River in what is now Chesterfield County, Virginia. He was the son of Captain Thomas Jefferson (1679–1731) and Mary Field (1680–1715). His mother was the daughter of Major Peter Field of New Kent County and the granddaughter of Henry Soane (1622–1661), a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. Mary Field Jefferson died when Peter was eight years old.

Jefferson had several siblings, including Judith Jefferson (1698–1786), who married George Farrar; Thomas Jefferson (1700–1723); and Field Jefferson (1702–1765). During his childhood, he learned about plantation management from his father. At age 18, he began managing his father's plantations, and he inherited land and slaves in 1731 after his father’s death, along the James River near Isham Randolph and William Randolph of Tuckahoe.

He did not receive formal schooling but was noted for self-education and reading, which contributed to his knowledge base. Jefferson's residence was known as Fine Creek Manor, located in present-day Powhatan County, Virginia, near Fine Creek. He served as a sheriff, surveyor, and justice of the peace.

In 1734, Jefferson claimed land in what would become Albemarle County, Virginia, and named it Shadwell. He also purchased and managed a second plantation called Snowdon (or Snowden) at the Horseshoe Bend of the Fluvanna River (later the James River). The name Snowdon was likely inspired by Mount Snowdon, associated with Jefferson’s ancestors.

In 1739, Jefferson married Jane Randolph, daughter of Isham Randolph and granddaughter of William Randolph. Initially, they resided at Fine Creek Manor, but by 1741 or 1742, Jefferson built a house on the Shadwell tract. Their son, Thomas Jefferson, was born in 1743. Following the death of William Randolph in 1745, Jefferson was appointed guardian of Randolph’s son, Thomas, and the family moved to Randolph’s plantation near Tuckahoe.

The Jefferson family led a prosperous lifestyle, with cultural pursuits such as books and music, and social entertainments including dances. Jefferson also managed plantations at Tuckahoe and Shadwell, traveling between them. By 1752, he improved the Shadwell estate with a mill along the Rivanna River. Jefferson hosted guests, including Native American leaders like Cherokee chief Ontasseté, and maintained more than sixty slaves at Shadwell.

Peter Jefferson died on August 17, 1757, at Shadwell. His estate was divided between his two surviving sons, Thomas and Randolph. Thomas inherited the land along the Rivanna River near Monticello, while Randolph inherited Snowdon.

Jefferson’s children included:

- Jane Jefferson (1740–1765)

- Mary Jefferson Bolling (1741–1803)

- Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)

- Elizabeth Jefferson (1744–1774)

- Martha Jefferson Carr (1746–1811)

- Peter Field Jefferson (1748–before 1773)

- An unnamed infant son (died 1750)

- Lucy Jefferson Lewis (1752–1810)

- Anne Scott Jefferson Marks (1755–1828)

- Randolph Jefferson (1755–1815)

In his career, Peter Jefferson was recognized as a frontiersman and early settler of Albemarle County. He accumulated approximately 7,200 acres by his death. His occupations included tobacco farming, surveying, and mapmaking. In 1746, he and Thomas Lewis surveyed the Fairfax Line, establishing the northern boundary of the Northern Neck land grant. In 1749, Jefferson co-founded the Loyal Company of Virginia, which was granted 800,000 acres of land in present-day Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Along with Joshua Fry, Jefferson produced the Fry-Jefferson Map in 1757, which charted parts of the Allegheny Mountains and routes such as the Great Wagon Road and the Trading Path.

Jefferson served in the Virginia House of Burgesses during 1754 and 1755.