Life Among the Lowly, Reminiscences of Madison Hemings

              NUSIBEE  I.
MADISOM   HSMINGS. "     '
I never knew of hut ona white man who bore the name of Heminps;   he was nn Eng¬ lishman and my g:reatgrftndfather.    He  w.i.^ cnptain of iin English   tradinn; Tes.^el  which palled boiweeti  Encland and  Wifliiimsburfr, . Va.» .then quite a port.    My grftncjtjioiher wns a fullblooaeii African, an<i possibly a nfllirt of   ihni country.    She was flic property of John'Wales, a  Welchman.    Opt. fleniinijs h.sppcned lo be in tiie port of \ViIliamsbiir«f at the lime my graodmolher was born, and acknowledginif   li^r fatherhood he   tried  to purchase her of .Mr,  Wales,  who would  not part »'i4ii tlie cbild^ tiiough he   was offered an extraordioarilj Iftrffc price for ber.    She was   named   Elizjibeih    llcrain^s.       Beinp thwarted in the piirehase, and deterroininp to   own hi.^ flesh and blood he resolved  to fftke the child hj force or stealth, but the knowledge of his iotefltion comin|y k) John Wales' e^rs, through leaky   felloe   serTnnts ^„^^lhe mother, she and the child were taken i^fethi "great house ¦' under their mnstei's iramcdliite core.    I have been informed that il was ttoi Ihe extra vftlue of that child over other slave children tb-at induced Mr, Waleg tf refss® to sell il, for flnT« misters then, as is later days, bad no compa net ions ©f coii-- gc'^enee wlilcli   r«ti«iaed   them from part- iag mother aai cbIM of however tender ftge, bttt lie wai rtstralned bj the fact that just about'tbif-tfTOe amal^infttioa  b«g»n,  and the child was so great  a curiositj   that its owner 4wif^   to   rawe it  birast'lf that he nis^lii; Bt® iteomeome.   Cspt, Hennings goon rtfterwaids siiled from Williamsburg, nefer to   rgttirn.   Spcli   ip, the g|»rj that comes d#wn to.«e,
"ftll&beth HeiiiiBgi gttw to womfinliood Is &€ frmilj of Jolin Walei, whose wife df Ipg Ste (»liA^i| w^ ^mhf the wl4-
hM sis nh'Mma-^ihne sons and three .Mm^mm, w'mt Bo*«fl, Jamef, Pel€F,_ Gritty, Sallj is4 fhena, f!«» eiilirfi went by tfa« Qftiat of'llcroiiigi,
Williawi^rf wm tha m^M of Vkg'm^^ abI of coMWi it wm « firlafawfttlcplitr®, wb^re the '«bloods" of the Colmy Md liie
Mary Colftg^^^* If^dtts Srtt at Wifliufi^
Wjihf, in4Bf®i^e€d Iftwafc It?* b»r of ilit :^fc«f»li»ttflpr Aerofoil J,    He was after-
te^l«tiif0 tmm 4ib«i8»le coontj, Tbos, hWstmn w»i.*-fMtor at t^® " greiU housw " jslLJisfcft.^^Pr^^fe«4»|i4i»»ftMat bii
imnflt®? Iwtte^ ft telfeT® ibat wm B€f »ame, though I am o®t fJOsltlfglY sure,) and m lntli»^j-tomng up ^Iween tbero wbkh rt|>e®e€ Into l©f», ft9«l tl>«f w«r« loarrled. Tbej rfl»f-w»«li wm% to |Jf* «* Ws cooi^trj ^M, li»il«€lto, 4fii 1b- 6mfm M. Uwe ba4 borii to tbti® ft iaiigbfer. wbonj tb®^ o»ib«I " Marife*. About tba Urn® «B® w^s bom mj mQ%htfr^ weofid imf Iter of Jolis W«le« A^ Ellrtt^ih' HitelQgS WM tern. Oil Iha 4«t| ^f'i^m Wi.lef, »j fwisdwotber, bis
'*"—**-- -'^^mmi^mmm'M wife, «»4 c®ft»- .
'   Ut tmt® ^ cmi^tff bis wift dltd, %mA
$ MIm i«# li^»e^t IB h% eoild a|«
^WB» -of Ali M^for- »Bi» !!«»¦ ttr^ -wkii ¦