Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-08-29
Jefferson's Grief at His Wife,s
49, -SsI Death

OcuSTSOn fOrloI al HIS Wn01S
~ Death.
1vFAestoryef Jefferson's grief at the
lossef liis wife, as Mr.. Parton tells it in
thee4aditic,s is very touching. Before
the Marquis de GhasteIlux had been
gone from Monticello many hours the
sixth child of Thomas and Martha JEFF
'ferson was born, making the number of
their. lisiHgsaeh children three. It was
death tosthe mother. She fingered fout
mouths, Keeping hershusband and all
the household in what he termed
dreadful suspense He took his turn
with his sister and with her, sister in
sitting up at night, With his own
hands he Administered her medieifneg
and her drinks. For four mouths he
waseitAes at her beside or at work in 4
little room hear the head. of her bed
never beyondcall. - His .eidest daughl
ter, little girl 3of ten, but maturer
"a than her years denoted, neverIost the
vivid recolleetien Of her fatner's tender
..assiduity during those months. When
the morning Of September s: dawned;
.'tit was evidentthe mot her had not many ma
hours to dive, aRdSall the family gather.
ed round her bed, Thirty years after.
six of the female servants of the house
enjoyed aikind ef honorable disHnctionl
StEIN3Ph StIN3 httiiq,eiB, II as atHe Servants who
twere ID the room when Mrs. Jefferson
,diadY Yrspch pchaRimRressiondidthescene
leaEeaPSn tfieonihtls Of theffttle, se-l :
GUIDED conlaApity. Q 1t WAS a tradition
among the slaves, often related by these
six eye Witnesses, that the dying lady
gave her husbahd sInahy directions
about many things chat 5sAe wanted
lslone;in but that when she came to speak
If the children she. could notcoin nand
herself for some time. Atlast she said
she could not die content if she tfought
her children would ever have step
mother; and her husband, holdingher
hand, solemnly promised that, he would
never marry again. Toward noon, as
she was about TO breathe her last, his
feelings became uncomfortable. He
almost lost his senses. His sister. Mrs.
sCarr, led him.staggering from the room
into his library, where he tainted, and
remained so long insensible that the
family began to fear that ,,he, too, had
passed away. They brought in. pal
let and lifted him upon it. He revived
only to sense of immeasurabie woe.
His daughter Martha, who was to be
the soiace of all his future yers. yen-
tured into the room that night; and
even then, such was the violence of his
grief, that she was amazed and com
founded. For three weeks he remain
ed ia that apartment, attended day and
.right by this little child He walked.
as she related, ,aoaImost .incessantly. all
Z day and all night, only lying down now
then, when he4was utterly exhausted,
upon the pallet that had been hurried
ly brought while he Iay.ia his fainting
tit. When at last he left the house he
woaid ride on horsebeck fpr hoursland
hours, roaming about in the mountain
roads, 3, in the, dense woods, along. the
paths, least frequentsd, accompanied
only by his daughter, ga solitary wit.
ness.o she say "to manya violent burst
ofgrief, the retnembranee Of which
has consecrated particular scenes be.
syond the power of time to -obliterate, ?,
N 7