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Peter
Jefferson Early Days Peter Jefferson was born on February 8, 1708
near present day Richmond, Virginia in a family of the colonial gentry (Randolph 18). His grandfather, Thomas Jefferson, held the title
of office surveyor of roads from 1687 until his death in 1697. The elder Thomas Jefferson’s duties as
surveyor included laying the best routes to churches and county courthouses as well as
built and maintained bridges (Hickish 25). The
skills of his grandfather without a doubt would have an impact on Peter Jefferson’s
future profession. Peter Jefferson’s
education as a young child consisted of his servant nursemaids, but he gained most of his
knowledge from practical applications (Hickish 54). For
example, he would often accompany his father on numerous business transactions and he took
over the management of his father’s plantation when he was eighteen (Hickish 60, 65). Through the social prominence of his parents
Jefferson became acquainted with men such as William Mayo, the county surveyor, and Thomas
Randolph who’s son William would be a life long friend of Peter (Hickish 84). Peter Jefferson grew older he believed it to be
politically and socially desirable to become associated with the gentry on the north side
of the James River. His good friend William
Randolph suggested that he might pursue an area along the Rivanna River (Hickish 87). While serving as justice of Goochland County
Jefferson traveled in a northwest direction from Goochland (Hickish 88). Jefferson encountered beautiful landscape as Edgar
Hickish states, “The bottom lands were covered with a tall grass, which, when rippled
by the stiff south wind, resembled a lake of green; and in the distance could be seen the
smoke azure of the great Blue Ridge (Hickish 89). Due
to his position as justice Jefferson easily obtained a 2,000 acre tract of land on the
north side of the James River (Hickish 91). Jefferson
scored an additional 200 acres from his good friend William Randolph for Henry
Witherburne’s “biggest bowl of arrack
punch (Hickish 93).” William
Mayo, a Jefferson family acquaintance, was the Goochland County surveyor and a map-maker
both profitable businesses. Jefferson was
interested in Mayo’s skills and developed great respect for him when he visited his
father after running the dividing line between Virginia and North Carolina. Peter Jefferson biographer Edgar Hickish addresses
the possibility that Jefferson may have accompanied Mayo on surveying trips and he may
have received mathematics instruction from Joshua
Fry at the College of William and Mary (Hickish 95, 96). Early AlbemarleIn 1737 Peter Jefferson joined his close friend William
Randolph in a 50,000 land venture, which would be the first of many to follow (Hickish
112). Around the same year Jefferson began to
settle in Albemarle County. According to his
son Thomas’ autobiography he was the third or fourth settler in the region
(Randolph). Peter Jefferson, who already
achieved social status, became even more prominent upon marrying Jane Randolph in 1739
(Randolph). Jefferson’s family moved
from Goochland County to Shadwell in Albemarle County in 1742
(Hickish 114). Upon the death of William
Mayo, Jefferson became the Goochland County surveyor and soon after the county divided one
September 18, 1744 with half becoming Albemarle (Hickish 117, 118). Loyal Land CompanyJefferson along with other land speculators including Dr. Thomas Walker, John Meriwether, and Joshua Fry
formed the Loyal Land Company (Hickish 135). The
group petitioned for an area of land consisting of 800,000 (1,250 sq. mi.), which began at
the North Carolina and Virginia line and ran north and west until the quantity of the
grant had been reached. The group had four
years to complete the surveys for the land (Hickish 136).
Jefferson and Fry went to the eastern coast to a monument left my William Mayo in
1728 to begin the survey of the border. In
this aspect Jefferson’s family connection with Mayo proved invaluable, as he was
familiar with the details of Mayo’s expedition and carried his map with him (Hickish
137). The typical surveying duties
included drawing up notes, making “reconnaissance” sketches, as well as naming
streams and rivers. The two men also had time
to explore the countryside because much of it was part of their tract through the Loyal
Land Company. The survey culminated in a map of the border by both Jefferson and
Fry, which appeared in Williamsburg on November 6, 1749(Hickish 139).
Legacy to Western Exploration Peter Jefferson and his good friend and neighbor Joshua Fry began a partnership and were commissioned to create the newly established county lines between March 4th and the 16th in 1745 (Hickish 122-123). In early September 1746 Joshua Fry and Jefferson teamed up again to survey the Fairfax line of the Northern Neck (Hickish 131). Once the data was collected from the expedition Jefferson and colleague Robert Brooke drew the plat based on William Mayo’s earlier map and Jefferson added topographic features such as the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains (Hickish 132). While in Williamsburg Jefferson and Fry became aware of a request from the British Lords of Trade and Plantations to the Governor of Virginia for the creation of a comprehensive map of the Virginia Colony. The two men were approved to complete the map on July 19, 1750. According to Hickish, Fry had long dreamed of mapping Virginia showing the “bays, navigable rivers, counties, parishes, and principle estates,” which he had proposed on December 15, 1738 to the House of Burgesses. The preliminary drawings were made at the Albemarle County’s surveyor’s office and the final draft was produced at Jefferson’s home Shadwell taking one year to complete and would be known as the “Fry-Jefferson Map” (Hickish 154). The Council examined the map and could not determine “where the hand of Jefferson ceased and that of Fry commenced (Hickish 159).” Final Days
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