Fort Myer in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Mary Randolph

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, November 29, 2013

1. Mary Randolph Marker

Inscription. Mary Randolph, wife of David Meade Randoph, and first person known to be buried at Arlington, was the eldest child of Thomas Mann and Ann Cary Randolph, of Tuckahoe. Her maternal grandfather was Archibald Cary, of Ampthill; Her paternal grandfather was William Randolph, of Tuckahoe. She was a direct descendant of Pocahontas; A Cousin of Thomas Jefferson; of Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, wife of George Washington Parke Custis, the builder of Arlington House; and of Robert E. Lee. Her brother Thomas Mann Randolph, Governor of Virginia 1819-1821, married Martha Jefferson, daughter of Thomas Jefferson. Her eldest son was William Beverley Randolph, through whom alone her line was descended. Her youngest son, Burwell Starke Randolph, when a midshipman in the U.S. Navy, fell from a mast and was crippled. Her devoted care of that injured son is said to have hastened her death, and would seem to explain her epitaph.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Women. In addition, it is included in the National Cemeteries series list.

Location. 38° 52.913′ N,

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77° 4.335′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Fort Myer. It can be reached from Sherman Drive 0.1 miles south of Lincoln Drive, on the left when traveling south. Marker is north and east of Arlington House along Custis Walk in Arlington Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Myer VA 22211, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Division and Unification (within shouting distance of this marker); Paying Tribute (within shouting

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, November 29, 2013

2. Mary Randolph Marker

distance of this marker); Growing Season (within shouting distance of this marker); Evolving Vision (within shouting distance of this marker); Piecing the Past Together (within shouting distance of this marker); Pierre Charles L’Enfant (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Platforms of Power (about 300 feet away); Trophy of War (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.

Other markers no longer nearby. A Garden Sustains (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Kitchen Garden (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Dependence on Slave Labor (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Arlington Estate, 1860 (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.

Also see . . .
1. The Grave of Mary Randolph. Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial National Park Service website entry (Submitted on June 19, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. Mary Randolph (1762-1828).

Mary Randolph Grave Site image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, November 29, 2013

3. Mary Randolph Grave Site

Virginia Women in History Honoree. (Submitted on November 30, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)

3. .The Virginia Housewife:. or Methodical Cook, by Mrs. Mary Randolph, "Method is the soul of Management" The Project Gutenberg eBook (Submitted on December 3, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)

Additional commentary.
1. The Virginia Housewife
Mary Randolph is perhaps most famous as the author of the first regional American cookbook The Virginia Housewife published in 1824.

— Submitted November 30, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.

Mary Randolph's Grave image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, November 29, 2013

4. Mary Randolph's Grave

In the memory of Mrs. Mary Randolph,
Her intrinsic worth needs no eulogium.
The deceased was born
The 9th of August, 1762
at Ampthill near Richmond, Virginia
And died the 23rd of January 1828
In Washington City a victim to maternal love and duty.

Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, March 19, 2016

5. Mary Randolph Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 30, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,055 times since then and 48 times this year. Last updated on June 28, 2019, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 30, 2013, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 5. submitted on March 20, 2016, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.