As I have already privately mentioned to Jon Kukla, I recall seeing this
story many years ago concerning Robert E. Lee in Lexington after the
Civil War, but I do not recall where I saw it.
Brent Tarter
The Library of Virginia
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-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Anna Berkes
Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2011 10:52 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] "An anecdote of Sir William Gooch"
Yes, very interesting! The same story is also told by Paul Jennings
about James Madison; he also mentions in his account that the same story
is told about George Washington. Another variant of the Jefferson
version is printed in _Virginia Folk Legends_, ed. Thomas E. Barden (UVA
Press, 1991). There's some good discussion of this story type in the
footnote (#83):
http://books.google.com/books?id=GN4_KGQKgSYC&lpg=PA10&ots=JvDceqjSAS&dq
=%22virginia%20folk%20legends%22&pg=PA327#v=onepage&q=Jefferson&f=false
and the introduction
http://books.google.com/books?id=GN4_KGQKgSYC&lpg=PA10&ots=JvDceqjSAS&dq
=%22virginia%20folk%20legends%22&pg=PA179#v=onepage&q=Jefferson&f=false.
It is apparently classified as folklore motif J914, "King shows humility
by mingling with common people."
Anna Berkes
Research Librarian
Jefferson Library
Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc.
-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Kukla [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 6:55 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VA-HIST] "An anecdote of Sir William Gooch"
"An anecdote of Sir William Gooch, sometime [i.e., former] Governor of
Virginia"
which I stumbled upon in *The Dublin Magazine for the Year 1764*:
Sir William Gooch being in conversation with a gentleman in a street of
Williamsburgh, returned the salute of a negro, who was passing by about
his master's
business. Sir,
said the gentleman, does your honour descend so far as to salute a
slave? Why (replied the governor) Yes: I cannot suffer a man of his
condition to exceed me in good manners.
Jon Kukla
________________
www.JonKukla.com <http://www.jonkukla.com/>
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