Jefferson.
started practicing law until his services were required in the Revolution. As a.
result Jefferson was never able to start his own practice. .
Jefferson was married when he was 28. He married a widow named.
Martha Wayles Skelton. They were married on New Years Day, 1772. Martha and.
Thomas were married for 11 years and had six children together. Sadly only two.
of the six children survived to be older than four. The two children's names were.
Martha (who was called Patsy) and Mary (who was called Polly). .
Martha Jefferson never fully recovered from the difficult birth of her sixth.
child. Martha died on September 6, 1782. Thomas had the tombstone read:.
If in the house of Hades, men forgot their dead.
Yet will I even there remember my dear companion.
Thomas Jefferson never remarried.
At about this time Jefferson's political role really started to take off. He.
was elected governor of Virginia in 1779. He was elected to the Board of.
Revisors. Jefferson laid the foundation of government. Jefferson proposed.
several bills some of which are:.
The bill abolishing entails-- repealing laws permitting land and other.
wealth to be set aside for the benefit of one line of descendants , who might.
enjoy the profits as they so chose but who could never sell or divide the estate.
The bill abolishing primogeniture-- repealing laws giving an eldest.
son all of his fathers property and leaving nothing to the other children.
The statute for religious freedom-- separating church and state and.
removing the private right of religious belief form control by public law.
The bill for general education-- allowing everyone, without regard to.
birth or wealth, to have as much free education as each person was fitted for.
These bill were not immediately passed some of the bills were not passed.
for up to about four years. .
Jefferson decided to retire a year after his wife died. When he decided to.
reenter congress he threw himself into his work.