As the oldest and favorite daughter of Thomas Jefferson, Martha
"Patsy" Jefferson Randolph (1772-1836) was extremely well educated,
traveled in the circles of presidents and aristocrats, and was
known on two continents for her particular grace and sincerity.
Yet, as mistress of a large household, she was not spared the
tedium, frustration, and great sorrow that most women of her time
faced. Though Patsy's name is familiar because of her famous
father, Cynthia Kierner is the first historian to place Patsy at
the center of her own story, taking readers into the largely
ignored private spaces of the founding era. Randolph's life story
reveals the privileges and limits of celebrity and shows that women
were able to venture beyond their domestic roles in surprising
ways.
Following her mother's death, Patsy lived in Paris with her father
and later served as hostess at the President's House and at
Monticello. Her marriage to Thomas Mann Randolph, a member of
Congress and governor of Virginia, was often troubled. She and her
eleven children lived mostly at Monticello, greeting famous guests
and debating issues ranging from a woman's place to slavery,
religion, and democracy. And later, after her family's financial
ruin, Patsy became a fixture in Washington society during Andrew
Jackson's presidency. In this extraordinary biography, Kierner
offers a unique look at American history from the perspective of
this intelligent, tactfully assertive woman.