Prof. Finkelman if Madison Hemings told us that he was named by Dolley
Madison (correct spelling), are we not to "assume" that he was correct, or
at least Monticello did? A Monticello DNA Study was made based upon his
statements, correct or incorrect. I and others believe he or the author lied
and the author, Samuel Wetmore, WAS an abolitionist (see In Defense of
Thomas Jefferson, The Sally Hemings Sex Scandal) by William G. Hyland, Jr.
Wetmore even used the old Harriet Beecher Stowe (author of Uncle Tom's
Cabin), subtitle for his title, Life among the Lowly. The Pike Co. article
was heavily attacked one week later by the politically opposition newspaper,
The Waverly Watchman. You will note that NOWHERE does Madison or Wetmore
state that HIS MOTHER actually told him that.
No one doubts that he was named for James Madison but the doubt is the date
claimed. Can we imagine that Dolley Madison, living in Washington,
supporting Mr Jefferson as part time Hostess at the White House, would
announce that she must rush to Monticello and name a slave child after her
husband....what if the child had been a female? Braving the severe winter
(Jan. 19, 1805) she would trek over rivers and bad roads for three or four
days to reach her goal, without benefit of companionship of her husband or
Mr Jefferson. To top off this tirade the statement is made that "like all
white slave owners Dolley did not follow through with a promised gift."
There are several doubtful statements made in this Pike Co, Ohio article
such as the claim that Mr Jefferson and Sally had made a "contract" to free
Sally's siblings at age 21..........SO why didn't he? Is he not a man of his
word? Harriet II was allowed to "run away" at age 21 while her brother
Beverly was held until age 24 before he was permitted to "run away." These
are just two of several unproven claims. Has anyone questioned why it was
more than five years after Mr Jefferson and Sally returned to Monticello
from Paris before she had her first recorded child?
Yes, I did drop an "e" in one of my spellings of Dolley but does that
deserve a complete paragraph in a busy and valuable VA-HIST post......where
are your priorities?
Herb Barger
www.tjheritage.org
www.jeffersondnastudy.com
````````````````````````````
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paul Finkelman
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2012 7:03 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] (VA-HIST] "The Monster of Monticello"
What Mr. Barger shows is exactly what I have suggested about memory and
discussions of what happened a long time ago. We may not be able to trust
"micro" details, such as the date of a visit many years earlier, especially
in this case, since the person describing the event was just born when the
event took place. This does not mean other aspects of the memory -- larger
issues -- are not correct. So Madison Hemings may have the wrong date for a
visit by Dolley Madison decades earlier. This does not mean he was not
named for James Madison, or that his father was not Thomas Jefferson. It
only means that he was wrong about the date of something that took place
right after he was born.
I note for example, that Mr. Barger spells the name of Madison's wife as
"Dolly" in the 4th line of the email and later as "Dolley" -- should I
conclude from this that anything Mr. Barger says is wrong because he does
not know, or cannot decide, how Mrs. Madison spelled her name? Or should I
conclude that his micro-error really does undermine all of his arguments?
(I may still think his arguments are wrong, as in fact I do, but not
because he cannot decide how to spell Mrs. Madison's name.)
----
Paul Finkelman
President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, NY 12208
518-445-3386 (p)
518-445-3363 (f)
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