Department of Research
DOCUMENTARY AND HISTORICAL RESEARCH AT MONTPELIER
Documentary Research
Montpelier's African American Descendants' Project
Resources
The Montpelier Research Department conducts historical inquiry into the life and times of James and Dolley Madison, the Enslaved Community and their descendants, and the United States Constitution. Our research supports Montpelier’s educational and interpretive programs, curatorial exhibitions, and publications.
Research Projects
The Montpelier Research Department conducts numerous projects in support of our mission. Our digital database, available to researchers, scholars, and the general public by appointment, is regularly updated with historical documents and current research reports. To learn more about the work we do, see sample projects, and visit online exhibitions, use the buttons to the right.
Digging Deeper Blog
Our blog is where you can get a behind-the-scenes look at all of our projects, and learn more about what our researchers do. Dive into the day-to-day world of historical research!
The Naming Project: Judy
James Madison received John as a gift from his father, along with John’s mother Sinar and his five siblings. John accompanied Madison to Philadelphia in ...
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Ten Words with James Madison
How does your vocabulary match up to James Madison’s? Take our Madisonian Vocabulary Quiz and find out!
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The Naming Project: John
James Madison received John as a gift from his father, along with John’s mother Sinar and his five siblings. John accompanied Madison to Philadelphia in ...
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Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: “The Guest of the Nation” Visits Montpelier
Journals, letters, and newspaper accounts help us trace Lafayette’s three stops at Montpelier in 1824-25, from ceremonial greetings to dinner table discussions to poignant farewells.
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The Congressional Election of 1789
Questionably-drawn voting districts, flip-flops, getting out the vote, and - surprise! - cordiality between the candidates. It's election season, 1789.
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The Naming Project: Charity
Charity was listed on James Madison Sr.’s personal property tax records for three years (1782-1784), after which time she disappears from the historical record.
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The Naming Project: Demas (Demars)
Demas was born September 12, 1777. James Madison Sr. gave Demas – along with mother Eliza and his brothers and sisters – to his daughter ...
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The Naming Project: Jason
In 1803, Jason escorted 11-year-old John Payne Todd from Montpelier to his boarding school in Alexandria, and then delivered horses to William Thornton in Washington. ...
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The Naming Project: Reuben
Reuben, a weaver, appears in James Madison Sr.’s tax records in the 1780s. In 1795-96, he had a 3-month bout of rheumatism that prevented him ...
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Connect Past to the Present
Visit The Mere Distinction of Colour Exhibition!
The Team
Hilarie M. Hicks, MA
Senior Research Historian
Hilarie M. Hicks came to Montpelier in 2010 and joined the Research Department in 2011. She served on the research and writing team for the award-winning exhibition The Mere Distinction of Colour. Hilarie’s current research interests include plantation operations, James and Dolley Madison, and any topic that she hasn’t looked into yet. Having earned her B.A. at the College of William and Mary and her M.A. from the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies, Hilarie’s historic site experience includes working as a historical interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg (VA), as curator of interpretation at Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens (New Bern, NC), and as executive director of the Rosewell Ruins (Gloucester, VA). She is a board member of the Orange County Historical Society and volunteers as a judge for the We the People student competition.
Hilarie has since accepted the position of Director of Museum Programs at Montpelier in 2022.
