Podcast appearances and mentions of Mary V Thompson

Episode 6: “Leaving” Nancy Carter Quander was just a child when George Washington died in December 1799, but his death changed her life forever. Washington's decision to emancipate his enslaved people in his will had consequences for Mount Vernon's enslaved community and their descendants that persist into our own time. In this episode, we look at the meaning of freedom for a community intertwined through marriage and kinship, its continued evolution after Martha Washington's own death in 1802, and how members of the descendent community are recovering their family histories. Featuring: Jessie MacLeod, Associate Curator, George Washington's Mount Vernon Mary V. Thompson, Research Historian, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington Dr. Cassandra Good, Assistant Professor of History, Marymount University Dr. Bruce Ragsdale, former Director of the Federal Judicial History Office Dr. Lynn Price Robbins, historian of George and Martha Washington and Early America Judge Rohulamin Quander, President and Founder, Quander Historical and Educational Society William Norwood Holland, Jr., J.D., retired, National Labor Relations Board Ann Louise Chinn, Founder, The Middle Passages Ceremonies and Port Markers Project Stephen Hammond, Syphax Family Historian and Scientist Emeritus, The United States Geological Survey Dr. Scott Casper, President, The American Antiquarian Society Full transcripts, show notes, and bibliographies available at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.

Episode 5: “Resisting” In May 1796, Ona Judge self-emancipated by fleeing from President George Washington's Philadelphia home. Her escape was just one example of the many ways that Mount Vernon's enslaved community resisted their bondage. Some acts were subtle and easy to miss, others were much more dramatic, regardless the threat of punishment was ever present. In this episode, we follow Judge's flight to freedom, and explore the stories of Hercules Posey and Harry Washington, to examine how enslaved people defied George and Martha Washington's authority. Featuring: Jessie MacLeod, Associate Curator, George Washington's Mount Vernon Dr. Marcus Nevius, Associate Professor of History and African Studies, University of Rhode Island Mary V. Thompson, Research Historian, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington Dr. Cassandra Pybus, Professor of History Emerita, The University of Sydney Ramin Ganeshram, Executive Director, Westport Museum for History and Culture Full transcripts, show notes, and bibliographies available at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.

Episode 4: “Living” Kate, her husband Will, and their children lived and worked on Muddy Hole Farm. When her family suffered a tragedy, they drew strength from the kinship ties and friendships they shared with other members of Mount Vernon's enslaved community. In this episode, we examine daily life, culture, and religious practices of the enslaved people at the plantation. We also explore how on-going archeological work at Mount Vernon helps us piece together the enslaved community's lived experience and recover their voices when the written record falls silent. Featuring: Dr. Brenda Stevenson, Hillary Rodham Clinton Endowed Chair in Women's History, St. John's College, Oxford University Dr. Eleanor Breen, City Archaeologist, City of Alexandria Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz, Director of Collections and Visitor Engagement, Stratford Hall Plantation, and Director of Education and Historic Interpretation, Virginia's Executive Mansion Mary V. Thompson, Research Historian, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington Dr. Jason Boroughs, Research Archaeologist, George Washington's Mount Vernon Dr. Marcus Nevius, Associate Professor of History and African Studies, University of Rhode Island Jessie MacLeod, Associate Curator, George Washington's Mount Vernon Full transcripts, show notes, and bibliographies available at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.

Episode 2: “Laboring” As an overseer, Davy Gray was entrusted by George Washington with the management of the enslaved laborers on Dogue Run Farm. His weekly reports to Washington revealed progress toward Washington's goal of transforming Mount Vernon into a model of British agriculture. But Gray was also enslaved, just like the men, women, and children he oversaw. In this episode, we explore Gray's complicated story to learn about the daily labor of Mount Vernon's enslaved community and Washington's relentless quest to make his plantation into a self-sustaining enterprise. Featuring: Jessie MacLeod, Associate Curator, George Washington's Mount Vernon Thomas Reinhart, Director of Preservation, George Washington's Mount Vernon Mary V. Thompson, Research Historian, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz, Director of Collections and Visitor Engagement, Stratford Hall Plantation, and Director of Education and Historic Interpretation, Virginia's Executive Mansion Dr. Lorena Walsh, Research Historian Emerita, Colonial Williamsburg Dr. Bruce Ragsdale, Independent Scholar and former Director of the Federal Judicial History Office Full transcripts, show notes, and bibliographies available at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.

This is Part Two of Jim Ambuske's July 2019 chat with Washington Library Research Historian Mary V. Thompson. We’re recasting it in celebration of her 40th anniversary at Mount Vernon. If you missed Part One, please do give it a listen. Happy New Year to you all. About Our Guest: Mary V. Thompson is a long-time (38 year) member of the staff at Mount Vernon, where she is now the Research Historian. She is the author of In the Hands of a Good Providence: Religion in the Life of George Washington, A Short Biography of Martha Washington, and "The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret": George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project. He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/support

Forty years ago, Mary V. Thompson began her career at Mount Vernon as a museum attendant and history interpreter. She was quickly promoted to Curatorial Assistant, and within a few short years was named Curatorial Registrar, where she began researching numerous Washington and Mount Vernon related topics such as 18th-century foodways, animals, religion, Native Americans, genealogy, domestic life, & slavery. Today, she is the Washington Library’s indispensable Research Historian, and as many of our listeners no doubt know, she is the go to person for all things Mount Vernon and Washington. In celebration of Mary’s 40th anniversary at Mount Vernon, we’re pleased to bring you Jim Ambuske's July 2019 chat with her about her prize-winning book, “The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret: George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon,” which recently won the James Bradford Best Biography Prize from the Society of Historians for the Early Republic. Thompson and Ambuske talked over the course of two episodes about her experiences at Mount Vernon, her interest in the enslaved community at Mount Vernon, and of course, her book. So after you’ve finished with Part One here, be sure to check out Part Two as well. And if you’d like to purchase a copy of Mary’s book, head over to shops.mountvernon.org to grab yours. Congratulations Mary on 40 amazing years at Mount Vernon. Here’s to many more. About Our Guest: Mary V. Thompson is a long-time (38 year) member of the staff at Mount Vernon, where she is now the Research Historian. She is the author of In the Hands of a Good Providence: Religion in the Life of George Washington, A Short Biography of Martha Washington, and "The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret": George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project. He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/support

Forty years ago, Mary V. Thompson began her career at Mount Vernon as a museum attendant and history interpreter. She was quickly promoted to Curatorial Assistant, and within a few short years was named Curatorial Registrar, where she began researching numerous Washington and Mount Vernon related topics such as 18th-century foodways, animals, religion, Native Americans, genealogy, domestic life, & slavery. Today, she is the Washington Library's indispensable Research Historian, and as many of our listeners no doubt know, she is the go to person for all things Mount Vernon and Washington. In celebration of Mary's 40th anniversary at Mount Vernon, we're pleased to bring you Jim Ambuske's July 2019 chat with her about her prize-winning book, “The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret: George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon,” which recently won the James Bradford Best Biography Prize from the Society of Historians for the Early Republic. Thompson and Ambuske talked over the course of two episodes about her experiences at Mount Vernon, her interest in the enslaved community at Mount Vernon, and of course, her book. So after you've finished with Part One here, be sure to check out Part Two as well. And if you'd like to purchase a copy of Mary's book, head over to shops.mountvernon.org to grab yours. Congratulations Mary on 40 amazing years at Mount Vernon. Here's to many more. About Our Guest: Mary V. Thompson is a long-time (38 year) member of the staff at Mount Vernon, where she is now the Research Historian. She is the author of In the Hands of a Good Providence: Religion in the Life of George Washington, A Short Biography of Martha Washington, and "The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret": George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon. About Our Host:  Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

Mount Vernon Research Historian Mary V. Thompson discusses the Virginia slave system that was used on the plantations that George Washington grew up on. She explains how Washington first became a slave owner upon the death of his father when George was only 11. She discusses his marriage to Martha Dandridge Custis and the laws regarding the slaves of a widow. Thompson talks about how Washington's military service impacted his management and philosophy on slavery. She discusses his fierce temper and his approach to managing a plantation. She explains how the Washington's maneuvered around a Pennsylvania law to avoid the situation where their slaves living with them in Philadelphia could sue for their freedom. Thompson covers the story of West Ford and contends that he was not fathered by George Washington although many of his descendants claim that parentage. She talks about the special relationship between Washington and his personal slave servant Billy Lee and the manner in which George Washington freed his slaves in his will. She finishes with a discussion on how Mount Vernon has interpreted slavery over the years.HOST: Rob MellonFEATURED BREW: George Washington's recipe for small beerBOOK: "The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret"https://www.amazon.com/Only-Unavoidable-Subject-Regret-Washington/dp/0813941849MUSIC: Bones Forkhttps://bonesfork.com/