Lucy
was the daughter of Dorothea (Dolly) Cottrell, an enslaved house servant of
Jefferson’s daughter Martha Randolph. Since the Randolphs lived at Monticello
from 1809 to 1828, Lucy Cottrell was probably born there. After Jefferson’s
death, she and her mother became the property of George Blaettermann, a professor
of modern languages at the University of Virginia. About 1850 Dolly and Lucy
Cottrell went to Maysville, Kentucky, with Blaettermann’s widow, who
freed them five years later. Lucy married Peter (last name unknown), who had
purchased his own freedom, and they had a son John.
This daguerrotype, dating from about 1850, shows Lucy Cottrell holding
Dr. Blaettermann’s foster-granddaughter Charlotte.*
*Until recently, the Lucy in this picture
was thought to be Lucy Gillette (born 1811), the daughter of Lilly Hern
and Barnaby Gillette.
