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Preferred Citation

Additional Papers of the Randolph Family of Edgehill, Accession #5533-c, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection was loaned to the Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library by Stevens M. Moyer, 751 Seneca Parkway, Rochester, New York 14613, on May 3, 2003.

Biographical/Historical Information

This is a collection of correspondence from five generations of the descendants of Thomas Jefferson through the Randolph family of Edgehill (1784-1975). It also has a document that was signed by Thomas Jefferson, copies of letters by James Monroe, as well as correspondence relating to Asbury Dickins and his family. Asbury Dickins was the first Secretary of the United States Senate from 1836 to 1861 and his son Francis Asbury Dickins married Margaret Harvie Randolph (daughter of Thomas Mann Randolph) in 1839 joining the Randolph family with the Dickins family as cousins. Their children were Frank Dickins (1841-1890), Fannie (Frances) Dickins (1842-1914), Harriot Wilson Dickins (1844-1917), Thomas Mann Randolph Dickins (1853-1914), and Albert White Dickins(1855-1913). Harriot Wilson Dickins married Dr. Henry Theodor Wight and they had two children including Theodora Wight Keim . The Dickins family papers start with the correspondence of Asbury Dickins in 1834 and continue with the correspondence of Theodora Keim until 1910. Most of the collections consists of the letters between Theodora and her mother Harriot Wilson Dickins Wight.

The Randolph Series of the collection spans from 1784 when Thomas Mann Randolph Sr. wrote a letter to his sons in Edinburgh to a newspaper article about Olivia Taylor in 1975. (She was the daughter of Stevens Taylor and the great-great-great granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson. Listed below are the descendants and their dates:

Thomas Jefferson's grandchildren : Anne Cary Randolph (191-1826), Thomas Jefferson Randolph (1792-1875), Ellen Wayles Coolidge (1796-1876), Cornelia Jefferson Randolph (1799-1871), Virginia Jefferson Trist (1801-1882), Mary Jefferson Randolph (1803-1876), James Madison Randolph (1806-1834), Benjamin Franklin Randolph (1808-1871), Meriwether (Lewis) Randolph (1810-1837), Septimia Anne Meikleham (1814-1887), George Wythe Randolph (1818-1867).

Thomas Jefferson's great-grandchildren : Margaret Randolph (1816-1842), Patsy Jefferson Taylor (1817-1857), Cary Anne Ruffin (1820-1859), Mary Buchanan Randolph (1822-1884), Ellen Harrison (1823-1896), Maria Randolph Mason (1826-1902), Carolina (Carry) Randolph (1828-1902), Thomas Jefferson Randolph Jr. (1829-1872), Jane Nicholas Randolph Kean (1831-1868), Wilson Cary Nicholas Randolph (Wicks) (1834-1907), Meriwether Lewis Randolph (1837-1907), Sarah Nicholas Randolph (1839-1892).

Jefferson's great-great grandchildren: Bennett Taylor (1836-1898), Jane Randolph Taylor (1838-1917), Sue Taylor Blackburn (1840- ?), Jefferson Randolph Taylor (Jeff) (1841-1919), Margaret Taylor (1843-1898), Charlotte Robinson (1845- ?), Stevens Taylor (father of Page Taylor Kirk) (1847-1917), Cornelia Taylor (Nely) (1849-1937), Moncure Taylor (1851-1915), Edmund Taylor (1853- ?), and John Charles Randolph Taylor (1857-1863).

Jefferson's great-great-great grandchildren: Patsy Jefferson Taylor (1867-1903), Raleigh Colston Taylor (1869-1952), Edward Colston Taylor (1877-1940), Jane Brockenbough Taylor (1881-1955) and Lewis Taylor. (These are the children of Bennett and Lucy Taylor (Patsy Jefferson Taylor's grandchildren).

Scope and Content

The collection contains ca.1002 items (one cubic box and six Hollinger boxes) 3.5 linear feet and consists of letters written by the Randolph family, descendants of Thomas Jefferson (including his grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren and great-great-great grandchildren) from about 1784 to 1910 (1975) to each other from their homes in Albemarle County and Virginia to farther away destinations such as Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Arizona, Tennessee, Cuba and Europe.

The collection also includes letters written by the Dickins family (of Federal Hill) who were cousins of the Randolphs and descendants of Asbury Dickins, the first Secretary of the Senate of the United States from 1836-1861. These letters span from 1834 to 1910 and were written mostly from Virginia, New York and Europe.

The collection also consists of genealogical information relating to other families that were connected to the Randolphs through marriage, such as the Page, Alexander, Luckey and Buchanan families. There are also papers in the collection belonging to John Sinclair Blackburn who was a spouse of one of the Randolphs, Sue Taylor (great-great granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson.

There are also documents and signatures of Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and Andrew Jackson and materials relating to the civil war. The last part of the collection consists of portraits of many of the Randolph family members.

The collection is in five series. The letters of the Randolph family are organized into Series I. The papers of the Dickins family are in Series II. The documents of Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and Andrew Jackson are in Series III. There are also civil war news clippings and maps of battlefields in this series. The Blackburn papers and the Page, Alexander, Lucky and Buchanan family genealogies are included in Series IV and the portraits of the Randolphs are in Series V.

In series I the Randolph family letters relate to the health, finances and activities of this very close family. They describe detailed accounts of personal events in a way that draws the reader into the events as though they too were experiencing them. There are even family recipes written by one of the Randolph family members.

The collection begins with a letter from Dabney Carr about a remittance and also an obituary for his son John Smith Carr who died of consumption at age twenty-three. There are letters written by descendants of Thomas Jefferson such as a letter about how young Patsy (Jefferson Randolph) behaved on her visit to see her grandparents Martha Jefferson and Thomas Mann Randolph (written by Ellen Wayles Randolph Coolidge to her sister in-law Jane Nicholas Randolph). There is a letter from Ellen's husband Joseph Coolidge to his mother-in-law Martha Jefferson about the concerns of publishers Gray and Bowen over Thomas Jefferson not responding to them about the extra printed copies of "Jefferson's works" [Memoir, correspondence, and miscellanies from the papers of Thomas Jefferson]. There is information about Page Taylor Kirk (Jefferson's great-great-great granddaughter) including an invitation to the White House by Ladybird Johnson.

There are letters to Wilson Cary Nicholas (father in-law of Thomas Jefferson Randolph, the grandson of Thomas Jefferson) from James Breckenridge, [J.] Nicholas, Albert Gallatin, and Peyton Randolph in reference to the payment of a loan. There is also a farm journal belonging to Wilson Cary Nicholas.

This series of the collection also contains items belonging to Edwin Randolph Page who was the father in-law of Stephens Mason Taylor (great-great grandson of Thomas Jefferson) including his law license and a letter of receipt of one thousand dollars from Mary G. Davis to him for the purchase of a slave named "Suchy". She was a favorite slave of his wife, Olivia Page and they wanted to keep her in the family.

There is a genealogy of the Randolph family that originates with Avery Randolph of Badlesmere, Kent ca.1500 and follows the family through to the sons of Colonel William Randolph of Turkey Island.

The last words of George Wythe Randolph (Thomas Jefferson's grandson and Secretary of War) were recorded by his niece Sarah Nicholas Randolph (as all of his family gathered around him when he died in 1867) and are in this collection. There is a letter from George Randolph to Henry Randall that describes a disagreement that occurred between his father Thomas Mann Randolph and John Randolph of Roanoke. There is also a newspaper article written for the Richmond Inquirer describing the disagreement. In addition there is also a letter written by George Wythe Randolph about the fugitive slave law.

There is also a letter from Governor Edmund Randolph to James Monroe in which Edmund Randolph is calling in a debt from James Monroe in order to help his friend Wilson Cary Nicholas in obtaining funds. In return there is a photocopy of a letter from James Monroe binding himself to pay Edmund Randolph thirty one pounds nineteen shillings and ten pence. There is also a photograph of Edmund Randolph.

The earliest letter in this collection was written in 1784 by Thomas Mann Randolph Sr. to his two sons Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. (future governor of Virginia) and William Randolph about school in Edinburgh. The next earliest letter was written in 1785 by Martha Jefferson to her father Thomas Jefferson about her studies while she was in Paris.

Cornelia (Nely) Taylor (great-great granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson; daughter of Patsy and John Charles Taylor) kept a journal where she wrote narratives about life after the Civil War. The journal also has a record of all the local people from Charlottesville who regularly bought water from Lego as well as a description of the fire that destroyed Lego.

One of the most recent items in the collection is a newspaper clipping from 1975 about Olivia Alexander Taylor (Thomas Jefferson's great-great-great granddaughter; great-great granddaughter of Jane and Thomas Jefferson Randolph; the granddaughter of Patsy and John Charles Randolph Taylor; the daughter of Stevens Taylor). The news clipping gave recognition to Mrs. Olivia Taylor for being Thomas Jefferson's descendant and also for her life as a historian, teacher and counselor in Washington D.C. and Charlottesville, Virginia.

Miscellaneous items include a pair of coral earrings that belonged to Mrs. William Wirt while she was a Confederate refugee staying with the Randolphs; an original board showing a list of claims on Mexico; doctor's tweezers; a circle of blue glass; a [uniform] braid; a list of pharmaceuticals; a bone carved object and a small gavel.

In series II there is correspondence of Asbury Dickins, the first Secretary of the United States Senate (1836-1861) and his descendants (granddaughter in-law Harriot Dickins Wight, her daughter Theodora Wight Keim and her husband John Keim). Francis Asbury Dickins, son of Asbury Dickins, married Margaret Harvie Randolph (daughter of Thomas Mann Randolph) in 1839 joining the families together. Thomas Mann Randolph was the half-brother of Governor Thomas Mann Randolph who was married to Martha Jefferson. The half brothers were both sons of Thomas Mann Randolph Sr. (1741-1793) and had the exact same name. Governor Thomas Mann Randolph's mother was Anne Cary Randolph, first wife (1761) of Thomas Mann Randolph Sr. and Thomas Mann Randolph's mother was Gabriella Harvie Randolph (later Brockenbrough), the second wife (1790) of Thomas Mann Randolph, Sr.

Francis Asbury Dickins and Margaret Harvie Dickins had five children: Frank Dickins, Frances (Fannie) Dickins, Harriot Wilson Dickins, Thomas Mann Randolph Dickins and Albert White Dickins. In this series of the collection, most of the correspondence is between Harriot Dickins Wight and her daughter Theodora Keim and is quite numerous spanning from 1874 to 1910. The letters contain valuable social information about events and fashions of the day as well as historical information on the Civil War, the Confederacy and references to their cousins, the Randolphs. Harriot Wight and her daughter were very close and Theodora visited her mother regularly. There is one letter that expresses Theodora's frustration because she missed her mother so much when she was with her husband and she missed her husband when she was with her mother. There are also love letters between Theodora and her husband John Keim. The collection also consists of photographs of Harriot Dickins Wight, her daughter Theodora Wight Keim, and Federal Hill.

In series III there is an original bill of sale from Peter Lenox signed by Thomas Jefferson. There are photocopies of the initial drawings of Monticello by Thomas Jefferson as well as an original Jefferson lottery ticket. There is a photocopy of a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to Frances Eppes about the sale of Jefferson's property as well as a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Jefferson Randolph asking his grandson to send him the glass for his spectacles. There is also a copy of a plot of land owned by Thomas Jefferson, a list of household expenses and a published essay written by Thomas Jefferson Randolph titled "The Last Days of Jefferson". There is also a receipt for items that belonged to Thomas Jefferson from the Smithsonian Institute to Cornelia Jefferson Taylor and William Mann Randolph. There is a black and white photocopy of Thomas Jefferson at age 42 from Trumbulls "Sketch from the Life of Thomas Jefferson". There is also a letter from Richard Bayard to General Samuel Smith asking for an explanation of an error in a passage of volume four of Mr. Jefferson's writings [Memoir, correspondence and miscellanies, from the papers of Thomas Jefferson].

In this series there are also photocopies of letters written by James Monroe to Thomas Mann Randolph as well as an original letter dated 1777 from Chas. Lewis Jr. inquiring for advice on a legal situation. Included with these documents are some materials related to the Civil War such as news clippings and battlefield maps; and a list of University of Virginia students that were Confederate soldiers.

In series IV there is information on related families of the Randolphs through the spouses of some of the descendants. John Sinclair Blackburn was married to Sue Taylor (daughter of Patsy Jefferson Taylor, and great-great granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson) He was a teacher and a writer and there are many newspaper clippings about his work as well as a civil war guerilla story that he may have written titled "Diary of a Guerrilla".

There is also genealogy information on the Alexander, Luckey, Buchanan and Page families, including a tragic story about Olivia Alexander's brother Dr. Edward Alexander (uncle of Thomas Jefferson's great- great grandson Stevens Mason Taylor). Once he received his medical degree, Dr. Alexander went west and began his medical practice with an older doctor. He was very popular with the patients and over time the older doctor became jealous. One day when they were out riding together the older doctor pulled out his gun and aimed it at the younger doctor. Dr. Alexander informed him that he was an unarmed man but the older doctor shot and mortally wounded him. Dr. Alexander's mother wore his portrait in a locket around her neck for the rest of her life. (the locket is in a minitray with the rest of the small objects in the collection.)

Series V of this collection contains framed portraits of many of the Randolph family and their relatives. The portraits are of Dr. Edward Alexander, Anne Cary Bankhead (first grandchild of Thomas Jefferson), Peter Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson, Page Taylor Kirk (great-great-great granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson), Edwin Randolph Page (father in-law of Stevens Mason Taylor), Mary Mann Page (wife of Stevens Mason Taylor) as a little girl, Edwin Roger Kirk as a little boy (sister of Mary Mann Page), Martha Jefferson Randolph, Jane Nicholas Randolph, Thomas Jefferson Randolph (one when he was young and one when he was older ), Cornelia (Nely) Taylor (great-great granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson), John Charles Randolph Taylor (husband of Patsy Jefferson, great granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson).

In addition to the family letters of the Randolphs, the documents and Dickins family letters, and the papers of Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, the genealogy of related families and the Randolph portraits, there are also oversize drawings of the Coat of Arms for the families of Jefferson, Randolph, and Page as well as oversized documents of land surveys.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into five series: Randolph Family; Dickins Family Papers; documents and signatures of Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson and civil war news clippings and maps; Blackburn and other related family papers; and portraits of the Jefferson descendants. The papers are organized alphabetically by topic and chronologically within each folder.