More to the story of Benjamin Randolph
Benjamin Randolph, a cabinetmaker in Speedwell, crafted the writing "Lap Desk" desk at which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
He had a number of prominent clients, including John Dickinson, Captain John Macpherson (owner of the mansion "Mount Pleasant"), Michael Gratz, and Samuel Rowland Fisher. He joined fellow cabinetmaker Thomas Affleck in the major commission to make furniture for John Cadwalader's Philadelphia city house.
Among those who rented lodgings from him were George and Martha Washington, and Peyton Randolph (no relation).[3] Jefferson rented lodgings in 1775 when a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. He later described the lap desk made for him by Randolph:
He married Mary Wilkinson Fennimore, and retired to his property in Burlington County, New Jersey. He died in December 1791, and was buried in the burial ground at St. Paul's Church, Philadelphia.[3]
Benjamin Randolph, a cabinetmaker in Speedwell, crafted the writing "Lap Desk" desk at which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
He had a number of prominent clients, including John Dickinson, Captain John Macpherson (owner of the mansion "Mount Pleasant"), Michael Gratz, and Samuel Rowland Fisher. He joined fellow cabinetmaker Thomas Affleck in the major commission to make furniture for John Cadwalader's Philadelphia city house.
Among those who rented lodgings from him were George and Martha Washington, and Peyton Randolph (no relation).[3] Jefferson rented lodgings in 1775 when a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. He later described the lap desk made for him by Randolph:
Early in the American Revolutionary War, Randolph provided crates for the Continental Army. He later closed his shop and joined the war effort. He put his shop and tools up for sale in 1778, in preparation for retirement.[3]
He married Mary Wilkinson Fennimore, and retired to his property in Burlington County, New Jersey. He died in December 1791, and was buried in the burial ground at St. Paul's Church, Philadelphia.[3]
