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.
Digging Deeper
Behind the Scenes at James Madison's Montpelier
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.