Dear List Members: I am a professor at the University of Kentucky and am writing a book about James Madison and the Bill of Rights. One of the key chapters in the book is about the election between Madison and James Monroe for a seat in the U.S. House in the First Congress. I discuss the campaign in the weeks leading up to the voting on Feb. 2, 1789, and of course, the election results. I have used for that chapter all of the materials that you would expect: Papers of James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and George Mason; writings of Monroe and Patrick Henry; the Documentary History of the First Federal Elections by DenBoer; the diary of Francis Taylor, Madison's second cousin; land tax records at the Library of Virginia showing who was eligible to vote; biographies by Rives, Hunt, Brant, Ketchum, Ammon, and others; the works of Banning, Rakove, and other scholars, to name some of the sources for the chapter. My question for the list is whether there may be materials on the election that would not be found in any of the traditional sources. For example, I have concluded that the historical societies of the individual counties in the district do not have materials related to the election, but that may not be correct. I have also read that no poll books exist for the eight counties for that election. I have looked at commonplace books from politically active individuals, but they discuss how much livestock was sold and not the election. There may be diaries, unpublished letters, and other materials that I don't know about. I am looking especially for primary materials, although any suggestions for secondary sources would be welcome. Many scholars briefly discuss the election, but they do not consider it at length. Thank you in advance for your assistance with this. Richard Labunski Richard Labunski School of Journalism and Telecommunications University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0042 Office: (859) 257-5719 Home fax: (859) 873-3557 Internship Web site: http://JATinternships.uky.edu Author of: The Educated Student: Getting the Most Out of Your College Years <www.marleyandbeck.com> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html