We Were Always Free: The Maddens of Culpeper County, Virginia: A 200-Year Family History
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We Were Always Free: The Maddens of Culpeper County, Virginia: A 200-Year Family History

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We Were Always Free: The Maddens of Culpeper County, Virginia: A 200-Year Family HistoryIn August of 1758, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, a poor Irish immigrant named Mary Madden bore a child, Sarah Madden, whose father was said to be a slave and the property of Colonel James Madison, father of the future president of the United States. This daughter, though born a free mulatto, became indentured to the Madisons. There she worked as a seamstress to pay off the fine of her birth until she was 31 years old. Sarah Madden bore ten

In August of 1758, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, a poor Irish immigrant named Mary Madden bore a child, Sarah Madden, whose father was said to be a slave and the property of Colonel James Madison, father of the future president of the United States. This daughter, though born a free mulatto, became indentured to the Madisons. There she worked as a seamstress to pay off the fine of her birth until she was 31 years old.

Sarah Madden bore ten children and when the term of her indenture was over, she and her youngest son, Willis, struck out for themselves--Sarah as a seamstress, laundress, and later, with Willis, a dairy farmer and tavern keeper. Stories of Willis and Sarah were passed down in Madden family lore through the generations--their hard work, their business sense, their ability to overcome obstacles, poverty, illiteracy, prejudice. This is the chronicle of those generations, a 200-year history of a kind unusually complete in American history. Two factors make it so--that Sarah Madden and her offspring kept their stories alive, and that they saved hundreds of important documents of their freedom, hardship, and daily work.

These documents came to light in 1949 when author T.O. Madden, Jr. (great great grandson of Sarah Madden) conceived a powerful desire to know more of his bygone generations. He began to investigate, and his search for family brought him to a hidebound trunk originally belonging to his great grandfather Willis. Its contents brought tears to his eyes. Stored there, awaiting discovery, were papers dating back to the mid-eighteenth century, freedom papers, papers of indenture, deeds of land, Sarah Madden's laundry and seamstress record books, letters, traveling passes. In addition, the leather trunk held an exciting, full set of business records for the days of the nineteenth century when Madden's Tavern flourished as a center of activity in Orange County and as a place for travelers to rest on the road to Fredericksburg.

Since that day, T.O. Madden, Jr., has been deeply researching his family, using census reports, other official sources, familly, and friends. All have led to his ably reconstructed family history, and to his own remarkable story. We Were Always Free is a unique and very American family saga.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 06/17/1992
ISBN: 9780393350128
Pages: 256
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.57d
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SKU: 38882632745

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I was so hopeful and really wanted this to be as good as the sellers claimed. After all, they boast of a lifetime replacement (a joke and be sure to read the ridiculous terms lol). I have a "pocket pitty" and she loves rubber toys. There is not much I have found that can withstand her force; however, reading reviews AND seeing their warranty, I wanted to give it a try. Typically, I stick with Java wood and XL super dense knotted ropes, as that has been the only thing that can last any real amount of time. Thankfully, she never goes after our stuff or household items/furniture, just her toys. The ball arrived. I checked it over. It looked semi promising. I was hopeful. The design does allow for them to leverage their paw strength by getting it between the rubber bars and then pull with their teeth. Within 3 minutes of her having it, she already had a bar ripped off. Within 5 minutes, she had 3 bars ripped off. Don't get me wrong, she had a blast. But this is by no means strong enough for an actual aggressive chewer. Perhaps there is just not anything rubber that can handle her jaws, but now I can't get a replacement because the warranty only covers if the product is defective. It doesn't cover chewing damage (on any of their products). The advertising is very misleading so be aware. Why a replacement if she will just destroy it again you may wonder? She loves to go after a ball, but now I know she can kill this one, I keep them in a drawer and only let her play fetch with it while supervised. I will say though, I you have a puppy, I think this would be great for them as long as they are not extra large. The material has give, which is nice. But if you have a real aggressive chewer, don't waste the money.
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My dog destroyed this, but it took a little longer than it usually does. Would love to know how the lifetime replacement works. There is no information that I see on how to contact the seller.
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This ball has held up to regular puppy chewing for 3 months now. At first I was worried my retriever would get her mouth stuck in it, but it hasn't been a problem since she has gotten bigger. Supervision required for smaller pups. One thing to note is that the ball was shipped with a strong rubber smell, but that has gone away with use and washing. Super easy to clean! It is a heavier ball making it bounce well and it doesn't damage the walls. Super durable. She's been chewing on it every day and there is no damage to it at all. The scratches, holes, or pieces missing. It's stayed intact for months!
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