Even in the event modern-day profile advise that George was at Andrew Jackson’s front side as he passed away, which Currier & Ives print or other prominent depictions of your president’s deathbed get-off him out.
Our most readily useful research regarding their life originates from Jackson’s correspondence which have a prospective customer to have Charlotte and also the about three students. Within the November of 1830, the guy published a few letters to help you Robert Johnstone Chester, giving Charlotte while the around three people to help you him having $800. Jackson penned one Charlotte had specifically expected to be sold so you can Chester, “are disconted [sic] where she now’s.” 13 Jackson highlighted exactly how that it product sales will be throughout the ideal desire of your own enslaved anyone involved. He had simply purchased Charlotte before everything else, he blogged, because Charles had questioned your to, in which he was just willing to promote their unique now given that Charles got agreed to it. “I did not wish to independent their particular & their particular youngsters, away from charles, such as for example his college students,” Jackson composed, disregarding the fact that he’d currently split them because of the getting Charles to help you Washington, D.C. and you can making the remainder family relations for the Tennessee. Jackson had got most of the aim of delivering Charles house up until he heard of so it request: “We enquired out-of charles if or not he had been contented to spend their unique & the youngsters; he answered about affirmative.” 14
Charlotte and her pupils are available in Hermitage records about 1840s and you can 1850s, long-past the latest day on the advised exchange. 15 No head record of Charles’ otherwise Charlotte’s viewpoints, we need to rely on Jackson’s characters to speculate how they thought regarding entire condition and what can has altered. Probably the expanded breakup lay such as for example a strain on the relationships that Charles manage willingly get off his spouse, however, the guy balked at the idea out of leaving three pupils around age eight. Or even Jackson and you will Chester merely couldn’t agree on a price having a lady whom Jackson called “among the best servants I actually spotted, was it not for their ungovernable feeling, and you will tongue.” 16 Long lasting facts might possibly be in this situation, it appears that Charles’ members of the family is spared brand new long lasting separation one to a-sale might have composed. Other members of Andrew Jackson’s family were not thus happy.
In reality, several members of Jackson’s enslaved team arrived to the latest White Home using purchase, unlike travel out-of Tennessee. Historian William Seale contended you to definitely Jackson improved just how many enslaved someone and you will decreased the amount of totally free, hired servants in his home during the period of their presidency to save cash, very he may has actually seen the purchase off even more enslaved laborers due to the fact a repayment-reducing measure. 17 It absolutely was a greater financing upfront than just hired labor, it produced a lifetime of labor into the president.
Excerpt out of Andrew Jackson’s bank-book for April 16, 1832, indicating a check to help you their observed nephew Big A beneficial.J. Donelson to own “a mulato girl, servant, bought because of the your to own Andrew Jackson, that he gave in order to Mary Rachel, child out of A great. J. and you can Emily Donelson”
Possibly its dating got ended and you can Charlotte did inquire Jackson to help you offer their own to Chester, however got a distinction away from center
A different enslaved child, a keen eight-year-old girl titled Emeline, came into the beautiful Tallahassee, FL women fresh new Light House early in 1832. She are purchased since the a present to have Mary Emily Donelson, Jackson’s grandniece, by the his nephew, Major Andrew Jackson Donelson. Donelson produced the purchase into the president’s behalf and you may Jackson refunded your on girl afterward. 20
The brand new revenue, however, almost certainly never occurred
Mary Emily lived-in this new Light House with her dad, which served since president’s individual secretary, and additionally of many members of their unique prolonged loved ones. Emeline, on the other hand, most likely never ever lived together with her loved ones once more.
