Francis W. Eppes
Encyclopedia
Francis Wayles Eppes VII (September 20, 1801 – May 10, 1881) was the grandson of President
Thomas Jefferson
. After moving from Virginia with his family to near Tallahassee, Florida
in 1829, he established a cotton plantation. In 1856 Eppes donated land and money to gain the location in Tallahassee of one of the first two state-supported seminaries. He served as president of its board of trustees for eight years.
at Monticello
, her parents' plantation
in Albemarle County
Virginia
. After his mother died when he was three, Francis spent much time at Monticello with his maternal aunt Martha Randolph and his grandfather, the widower Thomas Jefferson. He was cared for as a child for years at his father's plantation by the slave Betsy Hemmings, later called "Mam Bess". Jefferson gave her to his parents at their wedding. She was the daughter of Mary Hemings
and the grand-daughter of Betty Hemings
, who was held by the Jeffersons at Monticello. His first nurse was Critta Hemings Bowles, an aunt of Betsy Hemmings.
Eppes studied law
, but never completed his legal studies.
plantation
in Albemarle County. Jefferson had originally planned Poplar Forest for his daughter Maria, who died in 1804 at age 25. He designated it as Francis' inheritance
. Poplar Forest was the only Jefferson property to pass to the intended heir. Jefferson's debts disrupted the rest of his bequest
s after his death in 1826.
In 1827 after Jefferson's death, Eppes purchased and freed the elder Critta Hemings Bowles, who had been his first nurse when he was an infant. She had long been married to Zachariah Bowles, a free man of color.
The Eppes lived at Poplar Forest until 1828, when they decided to move to Florida
. Believing Poplar Forest too isolated, Eppes was ready to try his fortunes elsewhere. In 1829, they moved to Leon County
, Florida
and settled just east of Tallahassee
. Such moves broke up both planters' and slaves' families. The Eppes took numerous slaves with them, among them descendants of Betsy Hemmings whom Francis' father had given to him.
in Florida, raising cotton as a commodity crop by the use of extensive slave labor.
Eppes had spent his formative years at Monticello
, where he learned about his grandfather's view that a liberally
educated citizenry is of critical importance in a democracy
. He took an active interest in educational issues in Florida. In Tallahassee, he began 35 years of distinguished service to his community. In 1833, Eppes was appointed one of fourteen justices of the peace in Leon County. He served as intendant
(mayor) of Tallahassee from 1841–1844 and again from 1856-1857.
In 1851, the Florida Legislature
authorized two seminaries of higher learning in Florida. One seminary was to be located west of the Suwanee River and one to the east of the river. In 1854, Eppes tried to gain approval for the western seminary to be located in Tallahassee, but was rejected.
In 1856, Eppes initiated the proposal again, and offered to fund an initial endowment of $10,000, with a $2,000 per year stipend
and a new building. The legislature accepted the proposal, and that year the Florida Institute in Tallahassee became the State Seminary West of the Suwannee River
. Classes began in 1857. Eppes served on the Seminary's Board of Trustees for eleven years; for the last eight of those years, he served as president of the Board. The Seminary later became the Florida State University
.
Eppes died on May 10, 1881 and was buried at Greenwood Cemetery, Orange County, Florida
. Three of his children had died earlier in Virginia and were buried at the Jefferson family cemetery at Monticello. Also buried there were Francis' Jefferson grandparents and mother. Later at least three of his grandchildren were also buried there. Today the cemetery is owned and operated by the Monticello Association
, a private lineage society of descendants of Jefferson. (This is separate from the Monticello plantation, owned and operated by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.)
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
. After moving from Virginia with his family to near Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
in 1829, he established a cotton plantation. In 1856 Eppes donated land and money to gain the location in Tallahassee of one of the first two state-supported seminaries. He served as president of its board of trustees for eight years.
Biography
Francis Eppes was born in 1801 to Maria (née Jefferson) and John Wayles EppesJohn Wayles Eppes
John Wayles Eppes was an attorney, a United States Representative and a Senator from Virginia. One of the planter class, he married his first cousin Maria Jefferson, the youngest surviving daughter of Martha Wayles Skelton and Thomas Jefferson...
at Monticello
Monticello
Monticello is a National Historic Landmark just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, third President of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia; it is...
, her parents' plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
in Albemarle County
Albemarle County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 79,236 people, 31,876 households, and 21,070 families residing in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile . There were 33,720 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile...
Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. After his mother died when he was three, Francis spent much time at Monticello with his maternal aunt Martha Randolph and his grandfather, the widower Thomas Jefferson. He was cared for as a child for years at his father's plantation by the slave Betsy Hemmings, later called "Mam Bess". Jefferson gave her to his parents at their wedding. She was the daughter of Mary Hemings
Mary Hemings
Mary Hemings, also known as Mary Hemings Bell , was born into slavery, most likely in Charles City County, Virginia, as the oldest child of Elizabeth Hemings, a mixed-race slave held by John Wayles...
and the grand-daughter of Betty Hemings
Betty Hemings
Elizabeth "Betty" Hemings was an American enslaved woman of mixed race, who in 1761 became the concubine of the planter John Wayles of Virginia. He had become a widower for the third time. He had six children with her over a 12-year period...
, who was held by the Jeffersons at Monticello. His first nurse was Critta Hemings Bowles, an aunt of Betsy Hemmings.
Eppes studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, but never completed his legal studies.
Marriage and family
After Francis married Mary Elizabeth Cleland Randolph, they moved to Thomas Jefferson's Poplar ForestPoplar Forest
Poplar Forest was Thomas Jefferson's plantation and plantation house in what is now Forest, Virginia, near Lynchburg. He designed it and treated it as a private retreat, working on it from 1806 until his death 20 years later. "It is the most valuable of my possessions," Jefferson once wrote a...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
in Albemarle County. Jefferson had originally planned Poplar Forest for his daughter Maria, who died in 1804 at age 25. He designated it as Francis' inheritance
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
. Poplar Forest was the only Jefferson property to pass to the intended heir. Jefferson's debts disrupted the rest of his bequest
Bequest
A bequest is the act of giving property by will. Strictly, "bequest" is used of personal property, and "devise" of real property. In legal terminology, "bequeath" is a verb form meaning "to make a bequest."...
s after his death in 1826.
In 1827 after Jefferson's death, Eppes purchased and freed the elder Critta Hemings Bowles, who had been his first nurse when he was an infant. She had long been married to Zachariah Bowles, a free man of color.
The Eppes lived at Poplar Forest until 1828, when they decided to move to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Believing Poplar Forest too isolated, Eppes was ready to try his fortunes elsewhere. In 1829, they moved to Leon County
Leon County, Florida
Leon County is a county located in the state of Florida, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. At the 2010 Census, the population was 275,487. The county seat of Leon County is Tallahassee which also serves as the state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and settled just east of Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
. Such moves broke up both planters' and slaves' families. The Eppes took numerous slaves with them, among them descendants of Betsy Hemmings whom Francis' father had given to him.
Career
He established the Francis Eppes PlantationFrancis Eppes Plantation
The Francis Eppes Plantation was a small cotton plantation of 1920 acres situated in east-central Leon County, Florida, United States and established by Francis W. Eppes in 1829.-Location:...
in Florida, raising cotton as a commodity crop by the use of extensive slave labor.
Eppes had spent his formative years at Monticello
Monticello
Monticello is a National Historic Landmark just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, third President of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia; it is...
, where he learned about his grandfather's view that a liberally
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
educated citizenry is of critical importance in a democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
. He took an active interest in educational issues in Florida. In Tallahassee, he began 35 years of distinguished service to his community. In 1833, Eppes was appointed one of fourteen justices of the peace in Leon County. He served as intendant
Intendant
The title of intendant has been used in several countries through history. Traditionally, it refers to the holder of a public administrative office...
(mayor) of Tallahassee from 1841–1844 and again from 1856-1857.
In 1851, the Florida Legislature
Florida Legislature
The Florida State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution states that "The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a legislature of the State of Florida," composed of a Senate...
authorized two seminaries of higher learning in Florida. One seminary was to be located west of the Suwanee River and one to the east of the river. In 1854, Eppes tried to gain approval for the western seminary to be located in Tallahassee, but was rejected.
In 1856, Eppes initiated the proposal again, and offered to fund an initial endowment of $10,000, with a $2,000 per year stipend
Stipend
A stipend is a form of salary, such as for an internship or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from a wage or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work performed, instead it represents a payment that enables somebody to be exempt partly or wholly from waged or salaried...
and a new building. The legislature accepted the proposal, and that year the Florida Institute in Tallahassee became the State Seminary West of the Suwannee River
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
. Classes began in 1857. Eppes served on the Seminary's Board of Trustees for eleven years; for the last eight of those years, he served as president of the Board. The Seminary later became the Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
.
Eppes died on May 10, 1881 and was buried at Greenwood Cemetery, Orange County, Florida
Orange County, Florida
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida and is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 1,145,956....
. Three of his children had died earlier in Virginia and were buried at the Jefferson family cemetery at Monticello. Also buried there were Francis' Jefferson grandparents and mother. Later at least three of his grandchildren were also buried there. Today the cemetery is owned and operated by the Monticello Association
Monticello Association
Founded in 1913, the Monticello Association is a non-profit organization of the lineal descendants of Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of the United States. Jefferson was the designer, builder, owner and principal resident of Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia. Historically the Association has...
, a private lineage society of descendants of Jefferson. (This is separate from the Monticello plantation, owned and operated by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.)