James Madison received John as a gift from his father, along with John’s mother Sinar and his five siblings. John accompanied Madison to Philadelphia in 1787 and New York in 1788.
The Naming Project: John
Real or Faux: The Art of Imitation in Madison’s Montpelier
A small discovery during the restoration led to the recreation of a unique architectural feature in the north passage.
Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: “The Guest of the Nation” Visits Montpelier
Journals, letters, and newspaper accounts help us trace Lafayette’s three stops at Montpelier in 1824-25, from ceremonial greetings to dinner table discussions to poignant farewells.
The Congressional Election of 1789
Questionably-drawn voting districts, flip-flops, getting out the vote, and – surprise! – cordiality between the candidates. It’s election season, 1789.
Finding Ghosts in Montpelier
Learn how ghost evidence led to some important discoveries during the restoration of the Madison house.
Digitizing the Restoration
Learn how a current grant project is bringing a new life to the numerous boxes of records created during the restoration of the Madison house.
The Naming Project: Charity
Charity was listed on James Madison Sr.’s personal property tax records for three years (1782-1784), after which time she disappears from the historical record.
The Naming Project: Demas (Demars)
Demas was born September 12, 1777. James Madison Sr. gave Demas – along with mother Eliza and his brothers and sisters – to his daughter Nelly when she married Isaac Hite.
The Naming Project: Jason
In 1803, Jason escorted 11-year-old John Payne Todd from Montpelier to his boarding school in Alexandria, and then delivered horses to William Thornton in Washington.
The Naming Project: Reuben
Reuben, a weaver, appears in James Madison Sr.’s tax records in the 1780s. In 1795-96, he had a 3-month bout of rheumatism that prevented him from weaving.