FOSSETT, MARTHA ANN (PATSY)
by Julia Munro
JUEL ID/KEY: P47081
Martha Ann Fossett (often referred to as Patsy) is known for her having been owned by Thomas Jefferson (P43611) and Professor Charles Bonnycastle (P43623). Records of Monticello state that she was born on May 11, 1810, making her seventeen years old at the date of the Monticello (PL8532) dispersal sale, on September 29, 1827, following Thomas Jefferson's death (on July 4, 1826). At the sale, Jefferson's estate, including 140 slaves, were put up for sale. Patsy Fossett was bought by Charles Bonnycastle for $395; it is unknown as of yet how long she remained in his service, although she was not named as part of his household in his Will of 1841 (following his death on October 31, 1840).
Patsy's parents were both slaves at Monticello as well: her mother, Edith (Edy) Hearn was a cook and her father, Joseph (Joe) Fossett was a blacksmith. Joseph was one of a few slaves freed by Thomas Jefferson. Unfortunate yet typical of slave sales at the time, the Fossett family was broken up and dispersed by the auction. Patsy was one of eight children who, along with their mother, were bought by four different masters.
See also: Rev. Peter Fossett, enslaved at Monticello, owned by Colonel John R. Jones
PRIMARY SOURCE INFORMATION
1. References to the Individual in the JUEL Digitized Transcripts
(Links below are to JUEL's full-text digital transcripts of primary sources that refer to the individual. If no links display, this indicates that either the JUEL digitized texts have not yet been tagged with the individual's ID/Key, or, that no reference is made to the individual in any JUEL digitized texts, or, that the primary source has not yet been digitized).
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2. Library Call Numbers/Bibliographic Records
3. Additional Sources of Information
"Sale of Monticello." Melvin Urfosky, 2001. Monticello.org.
Peter Fossett's Recollections of 1898. Monticello.org