Department of Research
DOCUMENTARY AND HISTORICAL RESEARCH AT MONTPELIER
Documentary Research
Montpelier's African American Descendants' Project
Resources
The Montpelier Research Department conducts historical inquiry into the life and times of James and Dolley Madison, the Enslaved Community and their descendants, and the United States Constitution. Our research supports Montpelier’s educational and interpretive programs, curatorial exhibitions, and publications.
Research Projects
The Montpelier Research Department conducts numerous projects in support of our mission. Our digital database, available to researchers, scholars, and the general public by appointment, is regularly updated with historical documents and current research reports. To learn more about the work we do, see sample projects, and visit online exhibitions, use the buttons to the right.
Digging Deeper Blog
Our blog is where you can get a behind-the-scenes look at all of our projects, and learn more about what our researchers do. Dive into the day-to-day world of historical research!
The Naming Project: Gideon
Gideon was one of several enslaved people given by James Madison Sr. to his son Francis in January 1773. Gideon worked on Francis’s property in Culpeper County in 1783.
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The Naming Project: Harriet
Harriet was a skilled weaver, whom Dolley Madison deeded to her son in 1844. He tried to sell Harriet to several buyers, finally selling her for $275 on December 24, 1845.
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The Naming Project: Joseph
Joseph’s name appears only once in the documentary record, when James Madison wrote that Joseph’s health had not worsened, but a second tumor had appeared.
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The Naming Project: Betty
Betty, sometimes called “Big” or “Old” Betty, was enslaved by James Madison Sr. and possibly by his father Ambrose. She married Anthony and was the mother of Billey Gardner.
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The Naming Project: Solomon Taliaferro
Enslaved by Nelly Madison, Solomon Taliaferro was freed by her grandson in 1853. He married twice, had at least one grandchild, and was a member of the United Brethren Church.
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“The President is Worse Today:” Madison’s 1813 Illness
Madison’s weeks-long bout of fever is hardly remembered today, but it threatened his life and his presidency at a critical time in U. S. history.
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The Naming Project: Peter
Peter performed valuable services for the Madisons on a trip to Philadelphia in 1805. By 1829, he was worth “nothing” to the appraisers of Nelly Madison’s estate.
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The Naming Project: Elizabeth
Two-year-old Elizabeth, her baby brother Caleb, and their mother Charlotte were sold by John Payne Todd to Henry Moncure, when he bought Montpelier in 1844.
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The Naming Project: Stephen
Stephen was one of 50 enslaved people Dolley Madison transferred to her son in 1844. Little else is known about him, except that he took “vegetable pills” when he was sick.
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The Naming Project: Polly
Polly appears on James Madison Sr.’s tax records from 1782-1786, the only years when enslaved people were listed by name. Nothing else is known about her.
Read MoreThe Team
Hilarie M. Hicks, MA
Senior Research Historian
Hilarie M. Hicks came to Montpelier in 2010 and joined the Research Department in 2011. She served on the research and writing team for the award-winning exhibition The Mere Distinction of Colour. Hilarie’s current research interests include plantation operations, James and Dolley Madison, and any topic that she hasn’t looked into yet. Having earned her B.A. at the College of William and Mary and her M.A. from the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies, Hilarie’s historic site experience includes working as a historical interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg (VA), as curator of interpretation at Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens (New Bern, NC), and as executive director of the Rosewell Ruins (Gloucester, VA). She is a board member of the Orange County Historical Society and volunteers as a judge for the We the People student competition.