Montpelier's Digital Doorway
Behind the Scenes at James Madison's Montpelier
Explore the people, projects, and process behind the stories we tell at James Madison's Montpelier.
Digging Deeper
Read the Latest Posts from our Team
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The Naming Project: Katey
Born July 26, 1782, Katey was an infant when James Madison Sr. gave her, her mother Truelove, and her brother and sisters to his newlywed daughter and son-in-law.
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The Naming Project: Pamela Barbour Taliaferro
Pamela Barbour, enslaved by Nelly Madison, married Frank Taliaferro and had two children, Solomon and Judy. After Nelly’s death, Pamela was able to choose her next enslaver.
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The Naming Project: Anthony
Anthony, age 17, escaped from Montpelier on June 14, 1786. He was captured a year later, escaped the next day, and was last known to be heading toward Philadelphia.
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The Naming Project: Daughter of Gabriel
“Gabriel & Daughter” appear on an 1845 list of enslaved people drawn up by Dolley Madison’s son, John Payne Todd. The name of Gabriel’s daughter is unknown to us.
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