Jefferson was born on April 13th, 1743 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Jefferson's family lived in a modest home because his father was a surveyor and cartographerm, and he was one of the first white settlers to put down roots in the foothills of Albemarle County, Virginia, on the frontier. Jefferson was the third child of eight children and six of them were girls and one was a boy. Jefferson was very intelligant and attended the College of William and Mary in 1760-1762. Jefferson studied widely in law, in science, and in both ancient and modern history, philosophy, and literature. After college Jefferson served in the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1769 until 1775. Between that time, in 1772, he married Martha Wayles Skelton and had six childeren. However, Jefferson also wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Before he became president, he served as vice president for John Adams in 1797. Then, in 1801 he was elected third President of the United States, and he served two terms until 1809.