We Were Always Free: The Maddens of Culpeper County, Virginia: A 200-Year Family History
SKU: 38882632745

We Were Always Free: The Maddens of Culpeper County, Virginia: A 200-Year Family History

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We Were Always Free: The Maddens of Culpeper County, Virginia: A 200-Year Family HistoryIn August of 1758, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, a poor Irish immigrant named Mary Madden bore a child, Sarah Madden, whose father was said to be a slave and the property of Colonel James Madison, father of the future president of the United States. This daughter, though born a free mulatto, became indentured to the Madisons. There she worked as a seamstress to pay off the fine of her birth until she was 31 years old. Sarah Madden bore ten

In August of 1758, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, a poor Irish immigrant named Mary Madden bore a child, Sarah Madden, whose father was said to be a slave and the property of Colonel James Madison, father of the future president of the United States. This daughter, though born a free mulatto, became indentured to the Madisons. There she worked as a seamstress to pay off the fine of her birth until she was 31 years old.

Sarah Madden bore ten children and when the term of her indenture was over, she and her youngest son, Willis, struck out for themselves--Sarah as a seamstress, laundress, and later, with Willis, a dairy farmer and tavern keeper. Stories of Willis and Sarah were passed down in Madden family lore through the generations--their hard work, their business sense, their ability to overcome obstacles, poverty, illiteracy, prejudice. This is the chronicle of those generations, a 200-year history of a kind unusually complete in American history. Two factors make it so--that Sarah Madden and her offspring kept their stories alive, and that they saved hundreds of important documents of their freedom, hardship, and daily work.

These documents came to light in 1949 when author T.O. Madden, Jr. (great great grandson of Sarah Madden) conceived a powerful desire to know more of his bygone generations. He began to investigate, and his search for family brought him to a hidebound trunk originally belonging to his great grandfather Willis. Its contents brought tears to his eyes. Stored there, awaiting discovery, were papers dating back to the mid-eighteenth century, freedom papers, papers of indenture, deeds of land, Sarah Madden's laundry and seamstress record books, letters, traveling passes. In addition, the leather trunk held an exciting, full set of business records for the days of the nineteenth century when Madden's Tavern flourished as a center of activity in Orange County and as a place for travelers to rest on the road to Fredericksburg.

Since that day, T.O. Madden, Jr., has been deeply researching his family, using census reports, other official sources, familly, and friends. All have led to his ably reconstructed family history, and to his own remarkable story. We Were Always Free is a unique and very American family saga.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 06/17/1992
ISBN: 9780393350128
Pages: 256
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.57d
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SKU: 38882632745

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J
Verified Purchase
Jack
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
No comment
Format: Hardcover
My grandkids loved it I read it over and over to them
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Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2021
W
Verified Purchase
W'sgigi
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
Grandson loves this book & so do I!
Format: Hardcover
Great book! My 5yr old grandson cracks up when we read it.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2020
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Verified Purchase
C.L.
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 5
Wonderful!
Format: Hardcover
Absolutely hilarious for all ages
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Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2021
L
Live Outside
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
Father and son both have a great imagination
Format: Hardcover, Format: Hardcover
I think Little Fox showed his father, Poppa Fox that he also some great imagination in this cute picture book by Jorma Taccone. I had to laugh as I read this book as I could totally relate to how Poppa Fox felt. As a parent, or just a human being, you feel like you’re doing the right thing, having fun and then bam, you’re thinking aww, what just happened? I thought it was sweet when Poppa Fox played pretend with Little Fox on their way home from school. Having a rough day at school, Little Fox needed something to make him happy again and his father was doing just that. Using father’s imagination, the two of them, pretended to be race cars as they raced off to the bus stop. As the night wore on, this game of pretend continued, only now Little Fox was getting more involved. What started out as a fun, friendly game was now turning violent, messy and involved, leaving Poppa Fox picking up the pieces. I liked how the book progressed from a fun friendly game to an intense involved event. I think the illustrations fit perfectly with the text as you could see this transformation and the drama unfolded right before your eyes. The text fonts were great too as they varied in sizes, shapes and colors depending on the situation. I enjoyed Poppa Fox patience as he handled the situation with his son, Little Fox. I had to laugh when Little Fox wanted his father to read to him 5,000 books before he went to bed. Now, wouldn’t that be a nice library for a child to have in their house? There is some violence in the book as they play pretend, so you may want to consider this, if that bothers you but it is pretend. I thought this was a fun, entertaining read and I highly recommend it.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2020
K
Kindle Customer
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
Really magical!
Format: Kindle
I loved everything about this book from the illustrations to the all the scenarios. I especially loved Poppa Fox's and Little Fox's relationship. A wonderful father-son duo. 😊
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Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2020

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