Mary Jefferson Eppes

Patsy boarded with a family and received an education while her father worked in Philadelphia and awaited Congressional orders to go to France.

[4] Polly and Lucy Elizabeth remained in Virginia with the Eppes family members as Patsy and her father lived in Philadelphia and then sailed for Paris on the ship Ceres on July 5, 1784, accompanied by James Hemings.

[5][4] Elizabeth Epps provided Polly's early education, including reading, writing, dancing, and sewing.

In the summer of 1786, Frances Eppes recommended that Jefferson provide her with a tutor to advance her education to include music, mathematics, English and French.

[7] Lucy Elizabeth died of whooping cough on October 13, 1784[5] and Jefferson arranged for Polly to leave the Eppes household and join him in France.

[1][b] In the care of Sally Hemings, at age nine Polly sailed to Europe to join her father and older sister Patsy in Paris.

[4] After Patsy expressed a desire to convert to Catholicism and said she was considering religious orders, Jefferson quickly withdrew her and her younger sister Polly from the school.

[4] Accompanied by their slaves Sally Hemings and her older brother James, who had served Jefferson as chef in Paris, the family returned to Virginia in 1789.

[1] After living for a time in the temporary national capital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while Jefferson was Secretary of State, the family returned to Monticello.

The perfect pattern of good temper, an engaging smile ever animates her Countenance, and the chearful attention which she pays to the judicious instructions and advice of her worthy Father, the Pertinent queries which she puts to him, and the evident improvement she makes in her knowledge of Foreign Languages, History and Geography, afford a pleasing Presage that when her faculties attain their maturity, she will be the delight of her Friends, and a distinguish’d ornament to her sex.In the fall of 1792, her father enrolled her in Valeria Fullerton's school in Philadelphia, where she made good friends and was able to visit her father on Sundays.

There was between the sisters the strongest and warmest attachment, the most perfect confidence and affection.Her death prompted Abigail Adams to send written condolences to President Jefferson; it was the first break in a long silence between the two families following the acrimonious presidential campaign of 1800.