The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-10-16
HYE ON JEFFERSON.
WILLIAM GETS HIS INFORMA-
TON ON THE STATESMAN
FROM THE ACTOR.

re" remember Chat near the quiet
little city of Charlottesville, in Vir-
ginia, on the wooded hillside. lies the
dust of Thomas Jefferson. Al5uo>. .
years ago his Welsh ancestry seotl~
IN Virginia. His father, Peter Jeffer-
son, was a surveyor and planter and
was known throughout the new South
as a mar of great muscle. He intro
duced the early red eye china bean and
the grapevine overcast catch as catch
can "wrestle holt" which meant eight
weeks in the hospital and curvature of
the spine.
Peter Jefferson was also one Of the
first colonies in the South, and for ten
years had little competition in that
line. He was also a member of the
legislature. He married Jane Ran
dOlph, and nine children were born to
them. He died when the youngest
child was % months old, leaving 1000
acres Of land and 80 slaves.
Thomas at this time was ID years OF
age, with thick red hair. He attended
William and Mary college two years
and then studied law under George
Wythe at Williamsburg,
At the age of "a he was admitted to
to the bar. George Wythe, under
whom he studied, also gave Chief Jus
tice Marshall and Henry Clay their
clear and accurate notions of law.
Thomas Jefferson also studied the
violin, and after reading that law is a
rule of action, prescribing what is right
and prohibiting what is wrong" he
would turn to his violin, expectorate
on the keys to keep them from slipping
while tuning up, and then practice, so
his biographer says, for three hours at
a time,
And yet he got votes enough in after
years to elect him President of the
United States.
Thomas Jefferson was eminently sue
cessful at the bar for eight years, start
ing in with IS cases the first year and
gradually working up to 43O cases in
his fourth year of practice. He studied
hard at the law even then, and it is
said that his industry as a student Yves
something truly remarkable all his life.
When his father died Jefferson went
at once to the store and bought 20 gal
Ions Of midnight oil. get this infor.
nation from Joseph Jefferson, who has
given me many of the points and CON
siderable of the data used in this little
sketch of the early life of jefferson, the
statesman.
Thomas earned at the bar as high as
$500, which was regarded in those
times as a great income. He was very
economical, and out of this income he
managed to save enough for the pur-
chase of 5000 acres of land, according
to James Parton, in addition to what
he already owned.
Mr.. Jefferson in 1772 married Martha
Shelton, a young, beautiful, wealthy
and childless widow, who died the fol
lowing year, and thus doubled Mr.. JEFF
ferson's income.
In 1859 he entered politics, having
been elected a member of the House of
Burgesses. These burgesses were men
who met occasionally to discuss the
previous question. He vas noted for
his i~berality and for his d~isapproval of
slavery. He was not 80 ultra anti
slavery as John Brown, whose soul is
at present engaged in marching on, but
he regarded the institution with grief
and eolicitude for the future
Though strongly attached to the
mother country, he united ~l6n Patrick
Henry and the Lees in denOuncing the
course pursued by Great Britain to.
ward the colonists. He expressed him,
self many times both by voice and pen
relative to this matter in no uncertain
tone, and the same spirit actuated him
in his early efforts as is breathed in
such language and soul stirring
sentiments as we find in the Declare,
ton of independence in latter years.
1t is said that Jefferson's i'll feeling
toward the mother country originated
in 177O, when a representative of King
George visited this country and was in
troduced to Jefferson at a plain Vir
ginia dinner of fried chicken and beaten
bread. The Englishman's name was
Sir George Attorney, and he had 6
pompous way which Jefferson did not
like and could not tolerate.
At the dinner, in conversation with
Jefferson, Sir George, who had turned
up his nose at the simple food offered
him by his colonial friends, referred tx
his i'll health, and Jefferson asked hin
what his ailmpnt was. Sir GEORGE re