Dolley Madison Papers
A Register of the Collection in the Library of Congress
Prepared by Mary Wolfskill
Revised and expanded by Dan
Oleksiw
Manuscript Division,
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
2005
Contact information:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mss/address.html
Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division,
2007
Finding aid URL: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms007075
Latest revision: 2008 December
Title: Dolley Madison
Papers
Span Dates: 1794-1852
Bulk Dates: (bulk 1836-1849)
ID No.: MSS31005
Creator:
Madison, Dolley,
1768-1849
Extent: 1,700
items;
5 containers;
2 linear feet;
4 microfilm reels
Language: Collection material in
English
Repository:
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Abstract: Wife of President James
Madison and prominent Washington, D.C., hostess. Correspondence, financial
papers, invitations, calling cards, and other papers relating primarily to
personal and family matters including settlement of the Dolley Madison, James
Madison, and William Madison estates.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person
or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed
alphabetically therein.
Personal Names
Causten,
Anna Payne, 1819-1852--Correspondence.
Clay,
Henry, 1777-1852--Correspondence.
Cutts, R.
D. (Richard Dominicus), 1817-1883--Correspondence.
Laurie,
James--Correspondence.
Lee,
Elizabeth Collins, d. 1858--Correspondence.
Madison,
Dolley, 1768-1849--Estate.
Madison,
Dolley, 1768-1849.
Madison,
James, 1751-1836--Estate.
Madison,
William, 1762-1843--Estate.
Mason,
John Y. (John Young), 1799-1859--Correspondence.
Moncure,
Henry W. (Henry Wood), 1800-1866--Correspondence.
Morris,
Anthony, 1766-1860--Correspondence.
Morris,
Phoebe--Correspondence.
Smith,
Richard--Correspondence.
Todd, John
Payne, 1792-1858--Correspondence.
Todd,
Rebecca--Correspondence.
Todd,
Samuel Poultney--Correspondence.
Organizations
Montpelier (Va. : Dwelling)
Locations
Virginia--Social life and customs.
Washington
(D.C.)--Social life and customs.
Occupations
Presidents'
spouses--United States.
Provenance:The papers of Dolley Madison, wife of President James Madison and
prominent Washington, D.C., hostess, were transferred to the Library of
Congress from the Smithsonian Institution in 1866. Additions to the papers were
received by gift, purchase, and transfer, 1909-2004.
Processing History:The papers of Dolley Madison were arranged and described in 1981. The
collection was expanded and revised in 2005.
Copyright Status:The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Dolley Madison
is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Microfilm:A microfilm edition of part of these papers is available on four
reels. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division concerning
availability for purchase or interlibrary loan.
Preferred Citation:Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Dolley Madison Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
| Date |
Event |
| 1768, May 20 |
Born, Guilford County, N.C. |
| 1790 |
Married John Todd (died 1793) |
| 1794 |
Married James Madison (died 1836) |
| 1801-1809 |
Acted as hostess for President Thomas Jefferson while her
husband, James Madison, served as secretary of state
|
| 1809-1817 |
First Lady during James Madison's presidency |
| 1817-1836 |
Resided with James Madison at their plantation, Montpelier,
Va., until his death
|
| 1837 |
Returned to Washington, D.C., and resumed her position as a
prominent hostess
|
| 1849, July12 |
Died, Washington, D.C. |
The papers of Dolley Payne Todd Madison (1768-1849) date from 1794 to
1852, although the bulk of the material falls in the period after the death of
her husband, James Madison, in 1836. The papers consist primarily of
correspondence but also include financial papers, invitations, visiting cards,
and miscellaneous material. The collection is organized in two segments of
original and reproduced items, with a chronological arrangement for each
segment.
The correspondence is concerned mainly with family matters including
the settlement of Dolley Madison’s estate as well as those of William Madison
and James Madison. The disposition of her estate dominates the correspondence
after 1849, particularly in letters between trustees John Young Mason and
Richard Smith. Family members who figure prominently as correspondents include
John Payne Todd, surviving son of Dolley Payne and John Todd (1763-1793), her
nieces Anna Payne Causten and Rebecca Todd, and her nephews R. D. Cutts and
Samuel Poultney Todd.
Other correspondence reflects the extent of Dolley Madison's personal
friendships and the use of her influence and contacts to benefit others.
Correspondents include Anthony Morris (1766-1860), a Philadelphia merchant and
unofficial United States representative to Spain from 1810 to 1814, and his
daughter, Phoebe; James Laurie of the American Colonization Society; Henry W.
Moncure, a Richmond merchant who eventually bought Montpelier from Madison to
ease her financial crisis; and Elizabeth Collins Lee, close friend and
confidante.
Also in the collection are such items as inventories of household
furnishings at Montpelier and in Washington, accounts with a grocer, and lists
of visitors and visits returned by Mrs. Madison. Additional material, including
a holograph letter to Dolley Madison from Henry Clay, 1836, regarding the
manuscript of James Madison’s
Notes of Debates on the Federal Convention of 1787, and a
page from her diary or notebook, 1845, was added to the collection after the
microfilm edition was completed.
A partial index to the original material is available in the
Manuscript Division Reading Room.
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Available on microfilm. Shelf no. 18,940
| Container |
Contents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BOX 1
REEL 1
|
Originals |
|
BOX 1
REEL 1
|
Correspondence |
|
BOX 1
REEL 1
|
1794-1842
|
|
(9
folders)
|
|
BOX 2
REEL 1-2
|
1843-1845
|
|
(5
folders)
|
|
BOX 3
REEL 2-3
|
1846-1849
|
|
(6
folders)
|
|
BOX 4
REEL 3-4
|
1850-1852
|
|
(2
folders)
|
|
BOX 4
REEL 3-4
|
Undated
|
|
(5
folders)
|
BOX 5
REEL 4
|
(1
folder)
|
|
BOX 5
REEL 4
|
Invitations,
1838-1848
|
|
BOX 5
REEL 4
|
Visiting cards,
undated
|
|
BOX 5
not filmed
|
Reproductions,
1809-1849
|
|
|
|
| BOX 5
|
Addition |
|
| BOX 5
|
Correspondence |
|
| BOX 5
|
Letter from Henry Clay,
original and transcript,
1836
|
|
| BOX 5
|
Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt,
1843
|
|
| BOX 5
|
Engraving of Madison,
undated
|
|
| BOX 5
|
Page from diary or notebook
entitled “Extract from the Revd. Dr. Bethune’s Discourse on the death of Genl.
Jackson,” original and transcript,
1845
|
|
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