The Enslaved Community of President James Monroe with a Focus on Loudoun County

Research into Thomas Jefferson’s and James Madison’s slave ownership has been conducted for years but little has been publicized about James Monroe’s. He owned both land and slaves in several Virginia locales, including Loudoun County. In 1830 he was the owner of 1,828 acres in Loudoun and 66 slaves, making him the largest slave owner in the county.

Lori Hinterleiter Kimball and Wynne Saffer have spent several years locating and analyzing documents related to Monroe’s slaves, primarily the enslaved community in Loudoun County. Their work has resulted in a database of references, now available online to researchers and genealogists. Kimball has lived in Northern Virginia for 25 years and has done research on various local topics, including the Paxton family of Carlheim/Paxton in Leesburg; the historic Selma mansion and property; and freedom seekers Peyton Lucas and Frank Wanzer. She is president of the Loudoun Preservation Society; a member of the Black History Committee of Friends of Thomas Balch Library; and a member of the County’s Heritage Commission.

Wynne Saffer is a life-long Loudoun resident. He has completed numerous research projects, mapped the county by land ownership in 1860, and written several books about Loudoun’s history, including Loudoun Votes 1867-1966, A Civil War Legacy and Mount Zion Cemetery, Aldie, Virginia. He is a former member of the Black History Committee and a founding member of the Friends of the Arcola Slave Quarters. Wynne currently serves on the Boards of the Friends of the Thomas Balch Library; the Loudoun Historical Society; the Patriot Project; and the Sesquicentennial Committee of the American Civil War. Both Kimball and Saffer are recipients of Thomas Balch Library’s Loudoun History Award.