Virginia Historical Society Podcast

On January 13, 2011, Susan Kern discussed her book, 'The Jeffersons at Shadwell.' In The Jeffersons at Shadwell, Susan Kern merges archaeology, material culture, and social history to reveal the fascinating story of Shadwell, the birthplace of Thomas Jefferson and home to his parents, Jane and Peter Jefferson, their eight children, and more than sixty slaves. Kern's scholarship offers new views of the family's role in settling Virginia as well as new perspectives on Thomas Jefferson himself. The story of Shadwell affects how we interpret much of what we know about Thomas Jefferson today. Dr. Kern is a visiting assistant professor of history at the College of William and Mary. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)