Link sought to a Founding Father

Link sought to a Founding Father - The Boston Globe: "

By Kyle Alspach, Globe Correspondent July 22, 2007

DOVER -- Bettye Kearse's ancestors had ties to President James Madison -- they were slaves owned by the Madison family. But she thinks there's more to the story.

She says that Madison fathered a child by one of those slaves, producing her family line.

Her assertion is a matter of much debate, and proof hasn't been found. Kearse, 64, of Dover, still believes it, certain there's truth in a story that has become part of her family's lore."

[Click on link for entire story.]

Also click on this article in the Seattle Times:

African American seeks to prove genetic link to James Madison
By Jonathan Mummolo
The Washington Post

Bettye Kearse hopes to prove she is a direct descendant of James Madison.

MONTPELIER STATION, Va. — Bettye Kearse stepped inside the mansion at Montpelier, President James Madison's estate in Virginia, and found the walls stripped bare. Rooms that were once opulently adorned have been deconstructed by archaeologists to reveal the slatted wooden frame holding together the home of one of the nation's premier architects. . . . [more at link.]