The founding father, James Madison, had a slave (born 1799) named Paul Jennings. Jennings was a mulatto - his father was an Englishman and his mother was a black slave owned by Madison (who herself was part Indian). Jennings later in life found a man who agreed to write down his oral history (Jennings was illiterate). Jennings had this man record his history in 1865 which is the year the book was published. (Jennings died in 1874).

Jennings, as I said, was Madison's slave, but Daniel Webster bought Jennings from Madison so he could be free. (Yes, the same Daniel Webster of Webster's dictionary). Nonetheless, despite being legally free, Jennings stayed close with Madison and Dolley until they both died.

Jennings was 15 when the Brits burned the White House and was working in the White House the day it happened. He knew President Madison very well and was around him a lot as he served food and did errands, etc. He was in and out of the Oval Office a lot.

On the day the British burned the White House (1814) President Madison was away on a retreat at his home in Virginia (Madison was a Virginia native, like several of the founders). He said a free colored man named James Smith was at the retreat with Madison and Madison sent him to D.C. to give warning to everyone about the American Army retreating. Jennings said he looked out the White House window and saw Smith ride up on a horse waving his hat. He yelled "Clear out now. General Armstrong has ordered a retreat." Jennings said everyone scrambled and chaos ensued with people running around everywhere. Everyone in the WH expected the British any minute.

Jennings said that historians got some of the story of the White House burning wrong. For example, they always said Dolley Madison saved the famous portrait of George Washington, but Jennings said this is "totally false." He said the portrait was hung high up and it would have taken a ladder to get it down. He was there with Dolley and said she did nothing but take some personal items and silverware and then got in her coach and rode off (he witnessed this personally). Jennings said a Frenchman working as a "doorkeeper" and a White House gardener climbed up there, got the portrait down, then had it shipped out on a coach. (Whether this was on Dolley's orders, he didn't say).

Jennings said during all the commotion, some "rabble" came into the White House and began looting and stealing shite. No, it wasn't the British as it would be "a few hours" before the British actually arrived. It apparently was just local people looking for free widescreen TV's and what not.

Jennings said Dolley Madison, after she escaped the White House, went to some random house across the river and "called in" to stay there for the night. As soon as the "lady of the house" found out who Dolley was, she yelled and screamed at her saying "Damn you Dolley, get out of my house." (The lady was mad because Madison had her husband out fighting in the war). Dolley didn't argue and rode up the street to another house where she found refuge. Jennings said Dolley's personal slave, who witnessed the event, later told him the story.

Despite this incident, Jennings said most everyone liked Dolley. He said "Dolley Madison was a very fine woman and was beloved by all, both white and black." Whenever American soldiers marched by during the war, Dolley invited them inside the White House for "wine and refreshments."

After the war, Jennings said the White House broke out in celebration. Mrs. Sally Coles, who was a cousin of Dolley, told the butler to serve drinks to all the servants. Some of the servants "stayed drunk for 2 days." (I am not clear if this happened in the White House or somewhere else).

After Madison died, Dolley came on hard financial times and was basically destitute. Jennings kept check on her and would often deliver goods to her (courtesy of Daniel Webster).

By the way, Dolley Madison is one of the few "founders" that has both oil paintings and an actual photograph. A photograph was taken of her in the 1840's during the Polk administration (she was standing beside Polk). So Dolley witnessed the American Revolution, the War of 1812, married a President, know all the other founders personally, and lived to see America expand west all the way to the Pacific.

Whole Book

Dolley Madison, 2nd from right. President Polk in the middle.