Thomas Randolph (June 1683 – 1729),
also known as Thomas Randolph of Tuckahoe, was the first European settler at
Tuckahoe, a member of the
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...
, and the second child of
William Randolph
William Randolph I (bapt. 7 November 1650 – 11 April 1711) was a planter, merchant and politician in colonial Virginia who played an important role in the development of the colony. Born in Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire, Randolph moved to the ...
and Mary Isham,
daughter of Henry Isham and Katherine Isham (Banks).
Early life
Randolph was born in June 1683 on the
Turkey Island Plantation along the
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
in
Henrico County, Virginia
Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico County is incl ...
.
He was the son of the English immigrant
William Randolph
William Randolph I (bapt. 7 November 1650 – 11 April 1711) was a planter, merchant and politician in colonial Virginia who played an important role in the development of the colony. Born in Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire, Randolph moved to the ...
who established Turkey Island along the
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
, and Mary Isham, the daughter of Henry Isham. They descend from Ishams of
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
in England.
Children born to the Randolphs were
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, Thomas,
Isham
Isham is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is on the A509 road, three miles south of Kettering and a mile to the west of Burton Latimer. The River Ise is to the east of the village. Administratively, it forms part of N ...
,
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
,
Henry of Longfield,
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
,
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
,
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
, and
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
.
Randolph studied at the
College of William & Mary
The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...
.
William Randolph acquired a lot of land that he probably used as outlying quarter plantations during his lifetime. He died in 1711 and left property to each son, along with enslaved people to work the land.
Career
Planter
William Byrd
William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He ...
hired Randolph to oversee his
Westover around March 6, 1712.
Thomas inherited land from his father and purchased additional adjoining acreage on September 4, 1714, from his brother
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
for £90
sterling, the total of which became the Tuckahoe plantation.
He owned 3,256 acres of land on which Randolph likely built a modest wood-frame house so that he could focus his energy on establishing and operating the plantation.
The first church in the area
Dover Church
The Dover Church in Dover, Idaho, United States, was designed by Whitehouse & Price and was built in 1922. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States fe ...
was built in 1720 by Thomas, who covered the cost with 54,990 pounds of tobacco.
Until 1728, the area was mostly wilderness with just a few homesteads. Rev. William Douglass, the first permanent resident minister for the church, was not established in Northam of St. James Parish until 1750.
Randolph's estate was in the part of Henrico County that later became
Goochland County
Goochland County is a county located in the Piedmont of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its southern border is formed by the James River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,727. Its county seat is Goochland.
Goochland County is includ ...
.
Politician
He was the Henrico county's justice in 1713.
Randolph and his brother
William Randolph II
William Randolph II (November 1681October 19, 1741), also known as William Randolph Jr. or Councillor Randolph, was an American planter and politician. He was the Treasurer of Virginia and the oldest child of William Randolph and Mary Isham.
Ea ...
were the two representatives from Henrico in the
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...
for the 1720 to 1722 session.
Goochland was set apart from Henrico County in 1727.
A year later, he was the county lieutenant for Goochland.
Personal life
Thomas Randolph of Henrico County married Judith Fleming on October 16, 1712.
Judith, born about 1689,
was the daughter of Susanna Tarleton and Charles Fleming of
New Kent County and the sister of John and Tarleton Fleming.
The Randolphs had three children:
*
William Randolph III (born 1712 or 1713) married Maria Judith, the daughter of
Mann Page
Mann Page (1749–1781), sometimes referred to as Mann Page III, was an American lawyer, politician and planter from Spotsylvania County, Virginia, who served in the House of Burgesses and first Virginia House of Delegates as well as a d ...
,
and had four children, including their only son
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 cousi ...
*Judith Randolph (born ~1724) married her first cousin
William Stith
William Stith (1707 – September 19, 1755) was an early American historian and an Anglican minister. He was the third president of the College of William & Mary (1752–1755), where Stith Hall was named for him.
Early life
Stith was th ...
,
President of the College of William and Mary, and had three children.
Stith was the son of her Captain John Stith and
Mary Randolph
Mary Randolph (August 9, 1762 – January 23, 1828) was a Southern American cook and author, known for writing ''The Virginia House-Wife; Or, Methodical Cook'' (1824), one of the most influential housekeeping and cook books of the 19th century. ...
, her aunt.
*Mary Randolph (born ~1726) married James Keith, a descendant of the
Earls Marischal of Scotland, and had eight children.
Their daughter Mary Isham Keith was the mother of
John Marshall
John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...
, a
United States Secretary of State
The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...
and
Chief Justice of the United States.
Thomas died in 1729
or 1730.
Judith married Nicolas Davies, an immigrant from Wales, on December 24, 1733.
Randolph was a great-uncle of
United States President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United State ...
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
...
Ancestry
See also
*
First Families of Virginia
First Families of Virginia (FFV) were those families in Colonial Virginia who were socially prominent and wealthy, but not necessarily the earliest settlers. They descended from English colonists who primarily settled at Jamestown, Williamsburg ...
*
Randolph family of Virginia
The Randolph family of Virginia is a prominent political family, whose members contributed to the politics of Colonial Virginia and Virginia after statehood. They are descended from the Randolphs of Morton Morrell, Warwickshire, England. The firs ...
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Randolph, Thomas, (of Tuckahoe)
1683 births
1729 deaths
American slave owners
House of Burgesses members
People from Henrico County, Virginia
Thomasa
18th-century American politicians
People from Goochland County, Virginia