Page 246 - Cousins - Celebrities, Saints & Sinners

signed the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves in 1807. After retiring from public office, Jefferson
founded the University of Virginia.
Jefferson, while primarily a planter, lawyer and politician, mastered many disciplines, which ranged from
surveying and mathematics to horticulture and mechanics. He was an architect in the classical tradition.
Jefferson's keen interest in religion and philosophy led to his presidency of the American Philosophical
Society; he shunned organized religion but was influenced by both Christianity and deism. A philologist,
Jefferson knew several languages. He was a prolific letter writer and corresponded with many
prominent people. His only full-length book is Notes on the State of Virginia (1785), considered perhaps
the most important American book published before 1800.
Although Jefferson is regarded as a leading spokesman for democracy and republicanism in the era of
the Enlightenment, some modern scholarship has been critical of Jefferson, finding a contradiction
between his ownership and trading of many slaves that worked his plantations, and his famous
declaration that "all men are created equal". Although the matter remains a subject of debate, most
historians believe that Jefferson had a sexual relationship with his slave Sally Hemings, a mixed-race
woman who was a half-sister to his late wife and that he fathered at least one of her children.
Presidential scholars and historians generally praise Jefferson's public achievements, including his
advocacy of religious freedom and tolerance in Virginia. Jefferson continues to rank highly among U.S.
presidents.

Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. The document's social and
political ideals were proposed by Jefferson before the inauguration of Washington. At age 33, he was
one of the youngest delegates to the Second Continental Congress beginning in 1775 at the outbreak of
the American Revolutionary War, where a formal declaration of independence from Britain was
overwhelmingly favored. Jefferson chose his words for the Declaration in June 1775, shortly after the
war had begun, where the idea of independence from Britain had long since become popular among the
colonies. He was inspired by the Enlightenment ideals of the sanctity of the individual, as well as by the
writings of Locke and Montesquieu.
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He sought out John Adams (6 cousin, 7 times removed), an emerging leader of the Congress. They
became close friends and Adams supported Jefferson's appointment to the Committee of Five formed to
draft a declaration of independence in furtherance of the Lee Resolution passed by the Congress, which
declared the United Colonies independent. The committee initially thought that Adams should write the
document, but Adams persuaded the committee to choose Jefferson.
At the start of the Revolution, Jefferson was a Colonel and was named commander of the Albemarle
County Militia on September 26, 1775. Following his retirement from the presidency, Jefferson
continued his pursuit of educational interests; he sold his vast collection of books to the Library of
Congress and founded and built the University of Virginia.
During the last hours of his life, he was accompanied by family members and friends. Jefferson died on
July 4 at 12:50 p.m. at age 83, the same day as the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson's remains were buried at his residence at Monticello, Virginia.

References:
1. Relative Finder, associated with FamilySearch, and the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS)
2. Wikipedia.org
3. LDS Family Tree attached

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