Jefferson at Monticello : Recollections of a Monticello Slave and of a Monticello Overseer [Paperback]

James Adam Bear (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 22, 1967

Covering the years from 1781 into the 1820s, these valuable accounts remain the chief source of information about Thomas Jefferson's domestic and personal life, interests, habits, appearance, and day-to-day activities at Monticello.

Isaac Jefferson and Edmund Bacon were each sixty-five years old when their recollections were recorded. What they remember best, of course, are scenes from the past made vivid and immediate by details involving their own experience. Although their recollections of Jefferson differ in a number of ways, apparent in both accounts is a concern for the master whose involvement in national affairs made his life so different from their own.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This volume reproduces two out-of-print accounts which are 'the only substantial contemporary documents' treating the domestic life of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello....These two accounts, one by a slave and the other by an overseer, give glimpses of 'Mr. Jefferson' at close range. The narratives tend to complement each other and are in basic agreement in their treatment of the master of Monticello. The editor's copious notes enhance the value of this publication.

(Journal of Southern History )

The view of the master of Monticello from the eyes of a slave provides an unusual and engaging glimpse of the domestic life of Jefferson. Less familiar than the memoirs of Isaac....is the account based on the reminiscences of Edmund Bacon, who served as overseer or, as Jefferson called him, farm manager at Monticello from 1806 to 1822....The narratives serve to broaden the picture left by contemporary records of Jefferson's personal characteristics and his private life at Monticello.

(Noble E. Cunningham, Jr. North Carolina Historical Review )

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: University of Virginia Press; Later Printing edition (May 22, 1967)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813900220
• ISBN-13: 978-0813900223
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,046,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The Sage Up Close September 9, 2012

By George J. Heidemark

If the brillant American Sphinx Thomas Jefferson intrigues you, this will be an interesting read.This contains no shocking revelations but it does give you Jefferson up close by one of his former slaves- Issac Jefferson and a former overseer- Col. Edmund Bacon.Issac makes some interesting observations such as how Jefferson bowed to everyone he met, how he folded his arms while he talked and how he used a gun to order poachers off his land.( I never heard a story of Jefferson with a gun so this was interesting) Bacon helped to manage Jefferson's farm so he saw the President in an intimate way.He describes farming operations at Monticello in great detail but the most fascinating part is when he deals with the famous founders personality and private life.( He mentions the fact that Jefferson rose early,had straight posture, never cursed , did not eat much meat and was kind to the poor)He also addresses the issue of Jefferson's always being in debt. If you want a good biography Joseph Ellis, Noble Cunningham, Dumas Malone and Alf Mapp are must reads- but if you desire some up close observations of the man- this is a good read.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Jefferson Scholarship February 15, 2009

By Cheryl R. Leigh

Let's hope that 21st c. scholars are including Madison Hemings' memoirs alongside those of Isaac Jefferson and Capt. Bacon.