Anita:  Hi. I have a life-long interest in the enslaved and free people who lived at Mt. Vernon with a special interest in William "Billy" Lee who was a personal servant to  the Washington family.  I have been busy as of late because my niece entered kindergarten several weeks ago and we are babysitting her almost every day now.  We are all fine.  I will be talking with you more about this and am also happy to learn of your ancestor Mary Bowden.  Could you send me your off site and snail mail address so that we can talk further about this please?  Jane Steele.

-----Original Message-----
>From: Anita Wills <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Sep 20, 2007 5:10 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] Mount Vernon Opens Rebuilt Slave Cabin
>
>In 1999 I visited George Washington Birthplace, and saw the cottage where my ancestor, Mary Bowden lived.  The servants who lived there slept in an area over the kitchen. The cottage is  right by the Main House, where the Washington family lived. Anyone who visits GWBP should check out the cottage, and the interpreters. 
> 
>It was probably comfortable for those times, and better than many accommodations. Yet, my ancestor fled that place at least three times that we know of. Although she was serving an Indenture of thirty years, she still desired her freedom. After all most slaves did not live long lives, and thirty years was a life time (it just so happens that she did live to be over 80 years of age). 
> 
>Anita 
>> Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:54:59 -0400> From: [log in to unmask]> Subject: Mount Vernon Opens Rebuilt Slave Cabin> To: [log in to unmask]> > Dear list members:> > An article in today's Washington Post, with a photo online, reports > on the opening of a rebuilt slave cabin at Mount Vernon: "its highest- > profile slavery exhibit in years, a 16-by-14-foot log cabin modeled > on the field hands' quarters on Washington's vast estate." I can't > reproduce the article here for copyright reasons, but you can read it > at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/19/ > AR2007091902464.html.> > --Jurretta Heckscher
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Lillian Jane Steele