The Forest
The childhood home of Jefferson's wife, Martha Wayles Jefferson.
Scene of Jefferson's Wedding Marker in Charles City County Virginia; Photograph courtesy Richmond Regional Planning Commission (note: the marker is no longer extant).
The Forest was the plantation home of John Wayles, father of Thomas Jefferson's wife, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson. It was the site of Jefferson's marriage to Martha on January 1, 1772.
The Forest was located in Charles City County, Virginia, just off of State Route 5. After Wayles's death, his daughter Elizabeth Wayles Eppes and her husband, Francis Eppes, lived on the property until they moved to Eppington.
The land is now privately owned and the house no longer exists. A historical marker on Route 5 commemorates the scene of Jefferson's wedding.1
- Elizabeth Huff, 7/11/11
Further Sources
- Floor Plan of "The Forest" in Palmer Family Papers, 1782-1894, Section 11. Virginia Historical Society. Accession # MSS1 P1827b 163-197.
Footnotes
- See Charles City County Historical Markers, "WAYSIDE & GRANVILLE": "In this area stood the Forest , 'The Wedding Place' of Thomas Jefferson and Martha Wayles Skelton."