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On the 13th of April, 1743, in a farmhouse among the
mountains of Central Virginia, a male child was born who was destined
to stamp his genius and personality upon the future nation. The father
was a backwoods surveyor of Welsh origin, and a giant in stature and
strength. His name was Peter Jefferson, and he called his boy Thomas.
Peter Jefferson was the owner of thirty slaves and of a
wheat and tobacco farm of nearly 2,000 acres. He was a stern man,
though kind and just. One of his favorite sayings was, "Never ask
another to do for you what you can do yourself." He died when Thomas
was but 14 years-old, and was ever remembered by his son with pride
and veneration.
From the very first, young Thomas was an especially
bright child. He inherited his mother's gentle, thoughtful disposition
and her love for music and nature. He also took naturally to books and
studious pursuits. He might have been over studious, but his love of
nature made him a keen hunter, a fine horseman, and as fond as
George Washington of outdoor sports.
There were ten children in the Jefferson home. Young
Thomas was the third. He had a great affection for his elder sister,
Jane. The two were always together and she did much toward elevating
and ennobling his character. Her early death, at the age of just 25,
was regretted by Jefferson to the end of his long life.
Young Jefferson entered William and Mary College when
he was seventeen. He was described as one of the "gawkiest" students
of the session, but professors and students alike soon found out his
worth. Dr. Small, a Scottish professor of mathematics, was
particularly attracted to him, and exercised a great and beneficial
influence over his character.
Among Jefferson's early companions was a jovial young
fellow noted for "mimicry, practical jokes, fiddling, and dancing."
His name, like Jefferson's, has since been written indelibly upon the
country's history. Every school boy and girl knows it. It was Patrick
Henry. The two were boon companions in their youthful sports.
Shortly after Jefferson entered college, Patrick Henry
strolled into his room one day, and delighted him with the news that
he had been studying law since they parted and that he had come to
Williamsburg to get a license to practice. Jefferson questioned him
eagerly. When he found that the young man had, in reality, studied law
only about six weeks, he was doubtful of the outcome; but, needless to
say, young Henry secured his license.
Some time afterward, when Jefferson was
himself a law student and young Henry was a member of the House of
Burgesses, which met at Williamsburg, matters between the King and the
colonies were brought to a straitened pass by the issue of the Stamp
Act.
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