 Levy Family Cemetery "Monticello"
Sitting alone in the midst of historic Monticello, home of President Thomas Jefferson, is the burial spot of Rachel Phillips Levy, mother of Monticello's purchaser following the death of Jefferson. A marker details the story of MONTICELLO AND THE LEVY FAMILY: This is the grave of Rachel Phillips Levy (1769 - 1839), daughter of Jonas & Rebecca Machado Phillips of Philadelphia and mother of Uriah P. Levy USN (1792 - 1862) who purchased Monticello in 1836. an ardent admirer of Jefferson, Commodore Levy believed that the houses of great men should be preserved as "monuments to their glory", and he bequeathed Monticello in his will to the "People of the United States." The government relinquished its claim to the estate however and litigation over the will deprived Monticello for seventeen years of an owner to care for it. In 1879 Jefferson Monroe Levy (1852 - 1924), who shared his Uncle Uriah's admiration for Jefferson, gained clear title to Monticello and began to make badly needed repairs. After adding considerable land from the original Monticello tract, he sold the house and 662 acres to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation in 1923. At two crucial periods in the history of Monticello, the preservation efforts and stewardship of Uriah P. and Jefferson M. Levy successfully maintained the property for future generation. |
