Thomas Mann Randolph Sr.

Thomas Mann Randolph Sr. (1741–November 13, 1793) served in the Virginia House of Burgesses, the Revolutionary conventions of 1775 and 1776, and the Virginia state legislature. Married twice, he fathered 15 children. One marriage was to a cousin, Anne Cary, with whom they had 13 children. His second marriage, which resulted in two children, caused a dissention among family members. The youngest son, with the same name as his half-brother, Thomas Mann Randolph, inherited the family plantation, Tuckahoe plantation. Randolph expanded upon the house that began to be built during his parents' short marriage. Orphaned as a young boy, Randolph continued work on Tuckahoe when he came of age. He also purchased Salisbury house, which was used during his lifetime as a hunting lodge. Early life Randolph was the only son of William Randolph III (1712–1745) and Maria Judith Page (died 1744), the daughter of Mann Page of the Rosewell plantation. The Randolph family of Virginia were among the First Families of Virginia. He was the grandson of Thomas Randolph of Tuckahoe and descendant of William Randolph (c.1650–1711). Randolph's parents were married in 1736 and her father provided a £2000 sterling dowry that was used to build an "elegant new two-story mansion. By 1742, Maria Page Randolph had died. William Randolph died in 1745. William Randolph stipulated in his will of late 1745 that he wanted his good friend Peter Jefferson and his first cousin and Peter's wife, Jane Randolph Jefferson, to take care of his son and two daughters at Tuckahoe Plantation and provide the children a good education until Thomas Mann Randolph came of age. Peter Jefferson also managed the plantation's business affairs. The Jeffersons left their residence at Shadwell, Virginia, with their three daughters and son, Thomas Jefferson, in 1746. Second cousins, Randolph and Thomas Jefferson were close during their childhood at Tuckahoe. The boys were tutored at Tuckahoe on English spelling, grammar, and composition. Thomas Jefferson maintained relationships with his Randolph family members, particularly the Randolphs at Tuckahoe.