President James Monroe was born here on April 28, 1758 to Spence and Eliza Jones Monroe and lived on this 500 acre farm until he left to attend the College of William and Mary. After his father's death, he sold the farm in 1783. The farm included marshes, oak trees, and an apple and peach orchard, and it adjoined a larger tract acquired by his great-great-grandfather Andrew Monroe, who came here from Scotland by 1650. Spence Monroe worked as a carpenter in addition to being a farmer, and this was a small middle class working farm rather than a large or prosperous plantation. James Monroe served with distinction during the Revolutionary War, fighting in six battles and being severely wounded at Trenton. George Washington praised his bravery and ability, and he finished the war serving as an aide to Governor Thomas Jefferson. He spent most of his life in public service, including service in the Virginia legislature, the Continental Congress, the U.S. Senate, as Minister to France, England and Spain, as Governor of Virginia, and as Secretary of State and Secretary of War before his election as President. His two terms as President, from 1817 to 1825, were known as the Era of Good Feelings, and his 1823 Monroe Doctrine on the rights of national self-determination remains the cornerstone of American foreign policy.