be transferred in accordance with the will. Legacy In their wealth and social status, the Randolphs were much like other families of the Chesapeake elite. If anything set them apart it was their participation in the political life of the colony, clearly traceable to William Randolph's example. Randolphs and close relatives formed the predominant political faction in the colonial government during the 18th century, with many members of the elected House of Burgesses and the appointed, and more exclusive, Council. Most of the Randolphs, like the rest of the Virginia gentry, strongly supported the Revolution. However, John Randolph (son of Sir John), in opposition to both his brother Peyton and son Edmund, remained loyal to Great Britain and left Virginia. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, and 18-year-old John Marshall was at Valley Forge for the trying winter of 1777–1778. See also Randolph family of Virginia Ancestry of Thomas Jefferson Notes References Bibliography Colonial Wills of Henrico County, Virginia, Part One, 1654–1737, abstracted and compiled by Benjamin B. Weisiger III, p. 90. http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.usa.states.virginia.counties.henrico/2157/mb.ashx Daniels, Jonathan Worth. 1972. The Randolphs of Virginia, Doubleday. Eckenrode, H.J. 1946. The Randolphs: The story of a Virginia family. New York: The Bobbs Merrill Company. Fischer, David Hackett, 1989. "Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America", Oxford University Press, USA. Kukla, Jon. 1981. Speakers and clerks of the Virginia House of Burgesses 1643–1776. Richmond, VA: Virginia State Library. Malone, Dumas (Ed.). 1963. Dictionary of American biography, volume VIII: Platt-Seward, 371–372. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Randolph, Wassell.. William Randolph I of Turkey Island (Henrico County) Virginia and his immediate descendants. Memphis, Tenn.: Seebode Mimeo Service : Distributed by Cossitt Library, 1949. External links Portrait of William Randolph: Virginia Historical Society Portrait of Mary Isham Randolph: Virginia Historical Society Picture of Virginia Historical Marker for Turkey Island Photographs from Turkey Island, including excavation of Randolph's mansion 1751 Fry-Jefferson Map 1650 births 1711 deaths American planters American slave owners American slave traders English emigrants People from Stratford-on-Avon District People from Henrico County, Virginia William Randolph Speakers of the Virginia House of Burgesses