Ambrose Madison

Family

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Madison-14

Ambrose Madison was born on 17 Jan 1696.[1]in Orange, Orange, Virginia, the of known children and sons of John (Jr.) and Isabella Minor Madison.

On 24 August 1721, when he was in his mid-twenties, Ambrose married Frances Taylor in King and Queen Co Virginia, and they became the parents of three known children, one son and two daughters:

1. James Madison Sr.,
2. Elizabeth (Madison) Beale
3. Frances (Madison) Hite

On 27 August 1732 Ambrose died of unknown causes [SIC: poisoned] in Montpelier, Orange County, Virginia, at the age of thirty-two and was buried in the Madison Family Cemetery.

Biography

https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Madison_Ambrose_ca_1696-1732

Ambrose Madison was a merchant and planter. The grandfather of President James Madison, he was murdered by three enslaved people shortly after moving to the estate that would become Montpelier. Born in King and Queen County, he acquired land and dealt in large sums of money from a young age. His father-in-law, a surveyor, had long been interested in the Piedmont region of Virginia and acquired land in the part of Spotsylvania County that later became Orange County. In 1723 he gave 4,675 acres to his two sons-in-law, including Madison, who sent a team of mostly enslaved people west to clear the land and plant tobacco. In the spring of 1732 Madison and his family moved to the estate, which he called Mount Pleasant. A few months later, however, he fell ill and died. Three enslaved people were convicted of poisoning him and one was executed.

Madison was born about 1696 in King and Queen County, the son of John Maddison, a ship's carpenter and later county justice and sheriff, and Isabella Todd Maddison. No birth records for Madison exist, but a surviving financial record indicates he was of legal age in 1717, meaning he could have been born no later than 1696. The Maddison family had been in Virginia since at least 1653, when John Maddison, an English immigrant, patented land in Gloucester County. Ambrose Madison's generation dropped the surname's second d.

Nothing is known of Madison's early years or education. His father owned land and likely was wealthy. On July 7, 1721, Madison purchased from the merchant John Baylor, among other things, "1 Super fine hatt" and "2 negro women off the Ann & Sarah" for more than 192 pounds. According to the historian Ann Miller, he "was dealing in large sums of money," especially for a young man, and he paid his debts quickly and in full.

On August 24, 1721, Madison married Frances Taylor, the daughter of Colonel James Taylor, a surveyor in King and Queen County. The couple had two daughters and one son, James Madison Sr. Colonel Taylor had long been interested in the Piedmont region of Virginia, exploring what became Orange County as early as 1704–1705 and in 1716 joining the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe expedition, organized by Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood to cross the Blue Ridge Mountains into the Shenandoah Valley. In 1721, Taylor was hired by several men to survey 20,000 acres of land in Spotsylvania County, and as payment he received 4,675 acres located along the Southwest Mountains in what later became Orange County, adjoining property he already owned. He claimed the land in the names of his two sons-in-law, Ambrose Madison and Thomas Chew. Required by law to improve the land, Madison sent a team mostly of enslaved laborers to clear his portion and begin planting tobacco.

In the meantime, Madison acquired land in Spotsylvania and Caroline counties and worked as a merchant, mostly in Caroline County. In July 1727 he engaged in land speculation, purchasing 863 acres in Spotsylvania County for 80 pounds and selling a month later for double the price. In 1728 he purchased 3,333 acres that included the site of present-day Gordonsville, calling the estate Black Level. In her short biography, Miller describes Madison as "somewhat tightfisted if not downright parsimonious" but still an "established, prosperous, [and] reasonably well-educated member of the gentry."

In 1728, William Todd, one of the men who hired Taylor, Madison's father-in-law, to survey their 20,000 acres formally accused Taylor of fraud, and Taylor, Madison, and Chew all appeared before the governor's Council in Williamsburg. A second survey was done and no fraud found. The bad feelings continued over the years and through at least one additional court case.

In the spring of 1732, probably in coordination with Thomas Chew, Madison sold all of his land in Caroline County and moved his family from their home there to the acreage along the Southwest Mountains. In April he was one of six partners in a 10,000-acre patent called Brookesby, in Greene County, eleven miles west of what would become Montpelier. In all Madison held more than 10,000 acres and built a plantation complex he called Mount Pleasant. Twenty-nine enslaved people—including ten men, five women, and fourteen children—worked the land and served the family.

Sometime in June or July 1832 Madison began to feel ill, and when his condition worsened, he wrote his will on July 31, 1732. He divided his land among his children, with the plantation going to James Madison Sr. when he reached age eighteen. He was then nine. On August 22, three enslaved people were arrested on "Suspition of Poysoning" Madison. Pompey was owned by Joseph Hawkins, a neighboring farmer, while Turk and a young woman named Dido were both enslaved by Madison. Five days after the arrest, on August 27, Madison died at Mount Pleasant and was buried in the family cemetery there.

On September 6, 1732, the three enslaved people were tried and convicted of "feloniously Conspiring the Death" of Ambrose Madison. Pompey was hanged that day and his appraised value of £30 reimbursed to Hawkins. The other two received twenty-nine lashes each before being returned to Madison's widow. According to the historian Douglas B. Chambers, it was the "first known conviction of slaves for the use of poison against their master in Virginia." The motives for the murder remain unknown. Turk's name disappears from records shortly after, suggesting he may have been sold. The name Dido, however, appears frequently over the years. "It is likely, therefore," Chambers writes, "that the central message of the murder (about the limits of the master's power and of the slaves' resistance to it) echoed for a long time among the descendants of both free and slave at Montpelier."

Time Line

ca. 1696 - Ambrose Madison is born in King and Queen County, the son of John Maddison and Isabella Todd Madison.

July 7, 1721 - Ambrose Madison purchases from John Baylor, a King and Queen County merchant, "1 Super fine hatt" and "2 negro women off the Ann & Sarah" for more than 192 pounds.

August 24, 1721 - Ambrose Madison and Frances Taylor marry in King and Queen County. They will have a son and two daughters.

1723 - Colonel James Taylor patents 4,675 acres along the Southwest Mountains in what later becomes Orange County, doing so in the names of his sons-in-law Ambrose Madison and Thomas Chew.

July 1727 - Ambrose Madison purchases 863 acres of land in Spotsylvania County from Major Augustine Smith for 80 pounds. He sells a month later for almost twice that amount.

1728 - Ambrose Madison purchases 3,333 acres of land, including the site of present-day Gordonsville. He calls the property Black Level.

1728 - William Todd accuses Colonel James Taylor of fraud committed while surveying 20,000 acres of land in the Piedmont region. A second survey is done and no fraud found.

Spring 1732 - Ambrose Madison, Thomas Chew, and their families move from Caroline County to their new land along the Southwest Mountains in what later becomes Orange County.

April 1732 - Ambrose Madison is one of six partners in a 10,000-acre patent called Brookesby, in Greene County.

June–July 1732 - Ambrose Madison falls ill, possibly due to the effects of being poisoned.

July 31, 1732 - Ambrose Madison writes his last will and testament, dividing his land among his children. He leaves his plantation, Mount Pleasant, to his son, James Madison Sr.

August 22, 1732 - Three enslaved people are arrested on "Suspition of Poysoning" Ambrose Madison.

August 27, 1732 - Ambrose Madison dies at Mount Pleasant, his estate in the part of Spotsylvania County that later becomes Orange County. He is buried two days later in the family cemetery.

September 6, 1732 - Three enslaved people—Pompey, Turk, and Dido—are tried and convicted of "feloniously Conspiring the Death" of Ambrose Madison. Pompey is hanged the same day. Turk and Dido are given twenty-nine lashes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ambrose Madison BIRTH 17 Jan 1696 King and Queen County, Virginia, USA DEATH 27 Aug 1732 (aged 36) Orange County, Virginia, USA BURIAL Montpelier Estate National Historic Site Montpelier Station, Orange County, Virginia, USA PLOT National Park Service reports he & his wife are possibly buried in front of Pres. Madison's monument. MEMORIAL ID 8358953 · View Source

MEMORIAL PHOTOS 0 FLOWERS 38 Buried in an unmarked grave. (Source: National Park Service)

Ambrose Madison was the grandfather of Pres. James Madison; he was the son of John Madison II & Isabella Minor Todd. He & Frances had the following children: John III, Col. James Madison Sr., Elizabeth, and Frances Madison.

In the spring of 1732, Ambrose & family moved to Mount Pleasant (now Montpelier), VA. By Aug. of 1732, Ambrose had died, leaving his young wife to raise their children and run the plantation until Col. James Madison Sr. took title at the age of 18.

James Madison Sr. built a new plantation, Montpelier, and when Pres. James Madison was 9, they moved to the present-day mansion of Montpelier located on the same land as Mount Pleasant.

Ambrose was well-connected and well-established member of the VA gentry, and held several public office, married very well, and owned thousands of acres in both the Tidewater and Piedmont areas of VA. Ambrose was born in of, Orange Co., VA, and died at Montpelier, Orange Co., VA, at the age of 32.

Family Members Parents John Madison 1660–1728

Isabella Minor Madison unknown–1728

Spouse Frances Taylor Madison 1700–1761

Siblings Catherine Madison Gaines 1683–1760

Roger Madison 1701–1801

Isabella Madison Abney 1740–1806

Children Photo James Madison 1723–1801

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8358953/ambrose-madison

Children Photo James Madison 1723–1801

In June or July of 1732, Ambrose Madison fell ill apparently the victim of poisoning. Historian Ann L. Miller has written, the poison 'did not kill him outright but rather caused sufficient damage to his system to condemn him to a slow death over several months.' He died August 27, 1732. Three of his slaves were convicted of the murder.

1. ID: I29822
2. Name: Ambrose MADISON
3. Sex: M
4. Birth: 1700 in Virginia
5. Death: 27 AUG 1732 in "Montpelier", Orange Co., VA
6. Reference Number: 29822

Father: John MADISON b: 1660 in St. Stephens, King & Queen Co., VA

Mother: Isabella Minor TODD b: 1670 in "Toddsbury", Ware Parish, Gloucester Co., VA

Marriage 1 Frances TAYLOR b: 30 AUG 1700 in Rapadan, Orane Co., VA

   * Married: 24 AUG 1721 in Rapidan, Orance Co., VA

Children

  1. Has Children James MADISON b: 27 MAR 1723 in Port Conway, Prince George Co., VA

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mysouthernfamily/...

Ambrose MADISON

ABT 1695 - 27 Aug 1732

ID Number: I1858

RESIDENCE: Spotsylvania & Montpelier Plnt. Peidmont, Orange Cos. VA

BIRTH: ABT 1695, Orange Co.(now Green Co.) VA

DEATH: 27 Aug 1732, Montpelier, Orange Co, Va

BURIAL: Montpelier Plnt. Peidmont, Orange Co. VA

RESOURCES: See: Notes [S11] [S172] [S273] [S324] [S438] [S489] [S662] [S721] [S747] [S759]

Father: John MADISON II

Mother: Isabella Minor? TODD?

Family 1 : Frances TAYLOR

MARRIAGE: 24 Aug 1721, St. Margaret's Parish, Rapidan, Orange Co. VA

+James MADISON Sr.

+Elizabeth MADISON

+Frances MADISON

Notes

Submitter: Bushy Hartman Subject: AMBROSE MADISON BIBLE:

"The following Bible record of the Madisons was copied by Major Isaac Hite, of Belle Grove,

Frederick County, Va., aid to General Muhlenburg at the siege of Yorktown, and was taken from his note book by Miss S. Jaquelin Davison for publication in this magazine:"

Ambrose Madison m. Frances Taylor 8/24/1721, d. 8/27/1732. His wife. d. 11/25/1761

James Madison Sr. b. 3/27/1723 m. Nelly Conway who was b. 1/9/1732 m. 9/11/1749

Elizabeth Madison 6/14/1725-1/6/1773

Frances Madison 3/6/1726, m. Tavener Beale and afterwards, Jacob Hire. Killed by the Indians 7/1776

James Madison, son of James and Nelly Madison, 3/5/1751-6/28/1836 Francis Madison, son of same, b. 6/18/1753

Ambrose Madison, son of same, 1/27/1755-10/1793

Catlett Madison 2/10/1758-3/18/1758

Nelly Conway Madison b. 2/14/1760 m. Isaac Hite, son of Isaac Hite, 2/2/1783

William Madison b. 5/5/1762 m. Fanny Throckmorton, d. 7/20/1843 Sarah Madison b. 8/17/1764

m.Thomas Macon

Elizabeth Madison 2/19/1768-6/1775 Reubin Madison 9/19/1771-5/17/1775

Frances Taylor Madison b. 10/4/1774 m. Dort Robert H. Rose, and she d. 10/1823

Col. James Madison Sr. d. 2/29/1801

His wife, Mrs. Nelly Madison, d. 2/11/1829, aged 78 yrs.

Deed: Madison, Ambrose and Chew, Thomas 15 Nov 1723 Spotsylvania County 4674a. Beginning at five small pines, thence and extending on the West side a great run. Patents No. 11, p. 294

Madison, Ambrose 11 Apr 1732 Spotsylvania County 10000a See Braxton, Colonel George; Brooke, Robert, Wm., Humphs 11 Apr 1732 Patents No. 14, p. 399

MADISON, AMBROSE, St. Mark's Parish, d. July 31, 1732, p. Tuesday Feb. 10, 1732-3. Wit. James Barbour, Robert Martin, George Penn. Ex. my wife; my brother John Madison; Francis Conway; Joseph Brock. Leg.

I give and bequeath unto James Coleman — hundred acres of land according to survey — adjoining to the said Coleman's plantation;

I give and bequeath unto — hundred acres of land according as it is laid out — at the great Mountains to himself and his —;

I bequeath unto Daniel S — and fifty acres of land — and Abraham Estridge's line —;

I give unto David Roach one hundred acres of land, to be laid off some part of my land — Mr. George Braxton, Gentl. and others according —;

I give unto my daughter Elizabeth — acres of land adjoining to the above mentioned land — to begin at my upper line and so run down to the lower — thousand acres of land at the great Mountains, lying — now belonging to John Camm, Gentl., and my son James — heirs forever;

I give unto my daughter — one thousand acres of land adjoining to her sister Elizabeth — little Mountain, and also one thousand acres of land — Mountains lying between the land of my son James on — and land — Abraham Estridge —;

I give unto my son James my lands whatsoever that I am possessed of, to him and — forever, and that he possess the same when he shall arrive — ten years of age;

I lend unto my dear and well beloved wife Frances all and singular my real and personal estate not — bequeathed.(Page 172)

INDEX TO WILLS AND ADMINISTRATIONS : CATALOG CARD: Madison, Ambrose. DATE 1732, 1733. SOURCE Will Book A, 1722-1749 (Reel 26) p. 172-173. Will pb. Feb. 1732/3. p. 183-186. Inv. & appr. rec. 2 May 1733. Part of index to Spotsylvania County Wills and Administrations (1722-1800) Spotsylvania County (Va.) Wills. aat. COLLECTION Virginia wills and administrations.

Thomas Madison was named as a Godfather in the Ambrose Madison bible for James Madison, son of Ambrose Madison and Frances Taylor, who was born on 27 March 1723 and was baptized on 21 April 1723.

Ambrose Madison, son on John Mad(d)ison, Jr. and Isabella __?__ (Minor? Todd?) was born no later than 1700. This is an estimate. He married Frances Taylor, daughter of James Taylor, Jr., and Martha Thompson, on 24 August 1721. Frances Taylor, his wife, was born on August 30, 1700. He died on 27 August 1732, probably in King & Queen Co., VA (but perhaps in Spotsylvania Co., VA). He and Frances Taylor were the grandparents of James Madison, President of the United States.

“Sarah Madison Bible” record (a digital image of which is viewable at the Virginia State Library website http://eagle.vsla.edu/cgi-bin/bible.gateway?bib=0006-28660&conf=0 10000

Ambrose Madison ‘departed this Life August 27, 1732 being Sunday Night.

Source: versions of the Will, The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 6 (1899), pages 434-435, Spotsylvania Co., VA Will Book A, page 72 (a portion of the will is missing from the Will book), A copy of the Will found in the records of the Willis family of Orange County, VA (formerly lodged at the James Madison Museum in Orange Co., VA, now at the Orange County Historical Society). This version of the Will is printed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 26 (1982), pages 286-287]

There is an Ambrose Madison Account Book for 1725-1726 which is part of the Shane Collection lodged with the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, PA. It shows that Ambrose Madison was a some type of merchant with many accounts.

About 200 different names are listed (some repeated). Among them are the following people: John Pen, Sr., John Penn, Jr., George Penn, James Pendleton, Collo James Taylor, James Taylor, Jr., John Taylor, William Tayloe, John Madison, Thomas Madison, Mrs. Isabelle Madison, Edward Eastham and Richard Gregory.

On 7 November 1727 Ambrose Madison and Frances, his wife, of Drysdale Parish, King & Queen Co., VA, deeds this 863 acres in St. George’s Parish, Spotsylvania Co., VA to Humphrey Bell of London, Merchant. Witnesses were John Waller, Zachary Lewis, Robert Green. [Spotsylvania County, VA, Deed Book A]

On 7 August 1728 Ambrose Madison and Thomas Chew witnessed the deed of Henry Willis of King & Queen Co., VA to Thomas Beale of Richmond County, VA of 3333 acres on the East side of the Little Mountains in St. George’s Parish, Spotsylvania Co., VA. [Spotsylvania County, VA, Deed Book A]

[S2115]

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Madison&GSfn=...

Birth: 1700

Orange County

Virginia, USA

Death: Aug. 27, 1732

Orange County

Virginia, USA

Ambrose Madison was the grandfather of Pres. James Madison; he was the son of John Madison II & Isabella Minor Todd. He & Frances had the following children: John III, Col. James Madison Sr., Elizabeth, and Frances Madison.

In the spring of 1782, Ambrose & family moved to Mount Pleasant (now Montpelier), VA. By Aug. of 1782, Ambrose had died, leaving his young wife to raise their children and run the plantation until Col. James Madison Sr. took title at the age of 18. James Madison Sr. built a new plantation, Montpelier, and when Pres. James Madison was 9, they moved to the present-day mansion of Montpelier located on the same land as Mount Pleasant. Ambrose was well-connected and well-established member of the VA gentry, and held several public office, married very well, and owned thousands of acres in both the Tidewater and Piedmont areas of VA. Ambrose was born in Of, Orange Co., VA, and died at Montpelier, Orange Co., VA, at the age of 32.

Family links:

Children:

 James Madison (1723 - 1801)*

Spouse:

 Frances Taylor Madison (1700 - 1761)*

Burial:

Montpelier Estate National Historic Site

Montpelier Station

Orange County

Virginia, USA

Created by: Alice Huitt Preston

Record added: Feb 05, 2004

Find A Grave Memorial# 8358953

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montpelier_(Orange,_Virginia)

The land, in the Piedmont of Virginia, was acquired by James Madison's grandfather, Ambrose Madison, and his brother-in-law Thomas Chew, in 1723. Ambrose and his family moved to the plantation, then known as Mount Pleasant, in 1732. When Ambrose died only six months later, poisoned, it was said, by three African American slaves, his wife Frances managed the estate. In time she was assisted by their only son, James Madison, Sr., later known as Colonel Madison. Colonel Madison's first-born son, also James, was born in 1751 at Belle Grove, his mother's family estate in Port Conway, but was soon taken to Montpelier where he spent his first years before being taken to a new house built by his father half a mile away. This new house forms the heart of the main house at Montpelier today. Built around 1764, with two stories of brick in Flemish bond, and a low, hipped roof with chimney stacks at both ends.

6 Ambrose Madison married Frances Taylor. children:

6.1. James Madison 1723-03-27 Spotsylvania Co VA d 1801-02-29 (?) Orange Co. VA

6.2. Elizabeth Madison 1724-06-14

6.3. Frances Madison 1726-03-06

[Frances Taylor's brother Zachary was the grandfather of President Zachary Taylor]

Ambrose Madison was the grandfather of Pres. James Madison; he was the son of John Madison II & Isabella Minor Todd. He & Frances had the following children: John III, Col. James Madison Sr., Elizabeth, and Frances Madison. In the spring of 1782, Ambrose & family moved to Mount Pleasant (now Montpelier), VA. By Aug. of 1782, Ambrose had died, leaving his young wife to raise their children and run the plantation until Col. James Madison Sr. took title at the age of 18. James Madison Sr. built a new plantation, Montpelier, and when Pres. James Madison was 9, they moved to the present-day mansion of Montpelier located on the same land as Mount Pleasant. Ambrose was well-connected and well-established member of the VA gentry, and held several public office, married very well, and owned thousands of acres in both the Tidewater and Piedmont areas of VA. Ambrose was born in Of, Orange Co., VA, and died at Montpelier, Orange Co., VA, at the age of 32.

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Oct 28 2017, 15:45:16 UTC

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GEDCOM Note

<p>Buried in an unmarked grave.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #36322d; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fafafa;" />(Source: National Park Service)<br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #36322d; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fafafa;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #36322d; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fafafa;" />Ambrose Madison was the grandfather of Pres. James Madison; he was the son of John Madison II & Isabella Minor Todd. He & Frances had the following children: John III, Col. James Madison Sr., Elizabeth, and Frances Madison.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #36322d; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fafafa;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #36322d; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fafafa;" />In the spring of 1732, Ambrose & family moved to Mount Pleasant (now Montpelier), VA. By Aug. of 1732, Ambrose had died, leaving his youngwife to raise their children and run the plantation until Col. James Madison Sr. took title at the age of 18.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #36322d; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fafafa;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #36322d; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:15px; background-color: #fafafa;" />James Madison Sr. built a new plantation, Montpelier, and when Pres. James Madison was 9, they moved to the present-day mansion of Montpelier located on the same land as Mount Pleasant.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #36322d; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fafafa;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #36322d; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fafafa;" />Ambrose was well-connected and well-established member of the VA gentry, and held several public office, married very well, and owned thousands of acres in both the Tidewater and Piedmont areas of VA. Ambrose was born in of, Orange Co., VA, and died at Montpelier, Orange Co., VA, at the age of 32.</p>

• Military_service: Virginia, United States - 01 Jun 1777
• Residence: Woodberry Forest, Orange County, Virginia, Brirish Colonial America
  • Reference: FamilySearch Genealogy - SmartCopy: Feb 8 2022, 1:31:37 UTC