Jane Randolph was born on February 10, 1720,[a] at Shakspear Walk,[b] in Shadwell, then a maritime village about a mile east of the Tower of London.
[7][c] She was the daughter of Isham Randolph, a mariner and planter born in Virginia, and his wife Jane Rogers,[4][10] who were married in St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate, London in 1717.
[17] Jane and Peter offered a privileged life for their family whether in established areas of eastern Virginia or, later, as they settled in the Shadwell plantation of the Piedmont.
They ate on fine dishware, frequently entertained, enjoyed classic books and music, and attended dances.
[1] Jane Randolph Jefferson… possessed fine intellectual gifts, and was considered well educated for those days, comparing favorably with other Southern ladies occupying the same rank in society.
[24][25] Her health declined, requiring a number of visits by physicians and periodic convalescence with Thomas and Martha at Monticello.
[1][f] Jane had the following children: Over time, speculation arose regarding the nature of Thomas Jefferson's relationship with his mother.
[27] Author William Judson Hampton and others credited Jane for her son's success as a statesman and his writing abilities.
He established a residence at Turkey Island and his descendants included General Robert E. Lee and Mary Isham Randolph, the grandmother of Chief Justice John Marshall (1755 – 1835).
[6] Jefferson, said by historian Jon Meacham to have been proud of her British heritage, descended from gentry of England and Scotland, said to include the "powerful Scot Earls of Murray" (also spelled Moray).