![]() ![]() A published author of historical articles, Russell saw value in Jennings’s stories of the Madisons, and knew a forum where they could be presented to the reading public. Russell seems to have provided the catalyst. He could have written down his recollections himself, had he wished. Eventually, Jennings purchased his freedom and took a job in the Pension Office in Washington, where his anecdotes about the Madisons caught the attention of Russell, a colleague. Born into slavery at Montpelier, he was a dining room servant at the White House and a body servant to Madison during the president’s retirement. ![]() Paul Jennings could certainly recollect an eventful life. In the preface to A Colored Man’s Reminiscences of James Madison (1863), John Brooks Russell explained the project’s genesis: “as was a daily witness to interesting events, I have thought some of his recollections were worth writing down in almost his own language.” ![]()
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