Jeffersons at Shadwell (The Lamar Series in Western History)

Jeffersons at Shadwell (The Lamar Series in Western History) by Kern, Susan. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780300187434.

Merging archaeology material culture and social history historian Susan Kern reveals the fascinating story of Shadwell the birthplace of Thomas Jefferson and home to his parents Jane and Peter Jefferson their eight children and over sixty slaves. Located in present-day Albemarle County Virginia Shadwell was at the time considered "the frontier." However Kern demonstrates that Shadwell was no crude log cabin; it was in fact a well-appointed gentry house full of fashionable goods located at the center of a substantial plantation. Kerns scholarship offers new views of the familys role in settling Virginia as well as new perspectives on Thomas Jefferson himself. By examining a variety of sources including account books diaries and letters Kern re-creates in rich detail the daily lives of the Jeffersons at Shadwell--from Jane Jeffersons cultivation of a learned and cultured household to Peter Jeffersons extensive business network and oversight of a thriving plantation. Shadwell was Thomas Jeffersons patrimony but Kern asserts that his real legacy there came from his parents who cultivated the strong social connections that would later open doors for their children. At Shadwell Jefferson learned the importance of fostering relationships with slaves laborers and powerful office holders as well as the hierarchical structure of large plantations which he later applied at Monticello. The story of Shadwell affects how we interpret much of what we know about Thomas Jefferson today and Kerns fascinating book is sure to become the standard work on Jeffersons early years.