We know that both the winter and summer kitchens also served as living quarters for some of the enslaved, but the majority of the slaves lived in cabins somewhere beyond the rear of the house. The exact location is unknown.

Yes. At age eleven he inherited ten slaves from his father. By the end of Washington's life, over three-hundred African-American slaves lived at Mount Vernon. (courtesy Mount Vernon). Link to our Washington and Slavery page. See similar questions...

Yes. Washington's attitude towards slavery changed as he grew older and especially as he fought for liberty in the Revolution. He emancipated his slaves in his will and his estate paid pensions to the older African Americans for decades. Link to "That Species of Property: Washington's Role in the Controversy Over Slavery" by Dorothy Twohig & George Washington's Will. See similar questions...

General Grant was the last of the United States Presidents that bought, owned, and worked a slave. The slave's name was William Jones. In 1858, while attempting to make a go in civilian life as a farmer near St. Louis, Missouri, Ulysses S. Grant bought the slave, William Jones, from his brother-in-law. Grant's also became the owner of record of his wife's inheritance of four slaves, but as was the case at the time, women could not actually own slaves, so they were under the control of Grant. See similar questions...

The Washingtons moved into the house in November 1790 with a household of about 24 — 8 black slaves and about 16 white servants. The blacks worked in the stables and the kitchen, or as personal servants for the family members. A ninth enslaved black later joined household. Biographical sketches of the 9 can be found here. See similar questions...

R. E. Lee personally owned at least one slave, an elderly house servant that he inherited from his mother. It is said that Lee continued to hold the slave as a kindness, since he was too feeble to have made his way as a free man. Although it is commonly believed that Lee owned the Arlington Plantation and the associated slaves, these and two other plantations totaling over 1,000 slaves were the property of Lee's father-in-law, George Washington Parke Custis. Upon Mr. See similar questions...

Chris has a younger brother and a sister, Amy and Daniel. Before his mother Sheila moved out, Chris, his parents, his maternal grandmother, and his two siblings all lived together in their trailer, but Chris sometimes slept in an adjacent small trailer they kept on their property. After Sheila moved out, Amy and Daniel stayed with Chris and his father and grandmother. But later, when Sheila left Kentucky, Amy and Daniel went with her. See similar questions...

According to Bruce Lincoln, "At present, the majority opinion among scholars probably inclines toward the end of the second millennium or the beginning of the first, although there are still those who hold for a date in the seventh century." (Death, War, and Sacrifice, 1991, pg 150) Humbach and Ichaporia seem to favor the Xanthos date of 1080 BC but mention the 630 date also. (Heritage, 1994, pg 11). A commonly given date is the seventh century B.C.E. See similar questions...

No. Not even close. The last dinosaurs to roam the earth, including the area that became Texas, became extinct about 66 million years ago. The earliest humans may not have arrived in this area of North America until shortly before 13,500 years ago (11,500 B.C.). Some scientists think humans probably arrived by 15,000 years ago or maybe even as much as 20,000 years ago. This still leaves quite a gap! See similar questions...

Most people picture tipis when they think about Indian homes. Tipis have been around a long time; stone circles dating back several thousand years have been found at various sites on the Plains. Paleoindian peoples, living near the end of the ice age, did not appear to have used tipis. Traces have been found of posts which probably anchored tent frames or similar structures. Caves and rockshelters were also used as homes by various peoples in the past. See similar questions...

Because it's still frequently asked. Usually, it's raised as a way of attacking Lincoln, sort of like a historical push-poll. See similar questions...

No. At that time, North Elba was a cul-de-sac in the wilderness with no clear roads to Canada. It was also far away from the main corridor for runaways going through eastern New York and western Vermont up through Vergennes to Burlington. The final stop was St. Albans, Vermont, where the fugitives would travel by boat up Lake Champlain to Canada. See similar questions...

Wrong. Some actually follow their masters willingly thinking that they are being treated as near equals. Most of these squirrels are known as blackies. They are mostly gray squirrels with too much pigmentation in their skin and fur (melanotic--as opposed to a lack of pigmentation like an albino). See similar questions...

Wein Peanut (PN), Ultra-Performance Peanut (PN-XL), Micro (L8), Micro Ultra (XL8) and the Ultra Slaves (SSL/XL). See similar questions...

Amazingly, through the Internet. After posting a query on a Lancaster County message board, I got a response from a lovely Mennonite woman, with whom I struck up a research relationship. After many email queries, she suggested I come visit the area and volunteered to find me some Amish friends to stay with. I was there for a week, milking at 4:30 AM and participating in the morning Bible study, as well as helping out with the cooking of meals. See similar questions...

The answer to this question is a complicated one. The short answer is that your home was available for entry. (We do recommend that people take steps to prevent animal damage problems. For information on what those steps are please click Animal damage prevention checklist). Typically, people think that animals are in their homes because human development took away theirs. While this is certainly true, it is not completely true. See similar questions...

The Las Vegas oasis was first noticed in 1829 by Spanish explorers. They named this valley "Las Vegas" which means "the meadows." Mormon settlers arrived shortly thereafter and made this area home. The town itself was founded in 1905 but did not begin its incredible growth spurt until Nevada legalized gambling in 1931. Since that time Nevada has been one of the fastest growing states in the Union. At over 1. See similar questions...

Door alignments suggest rooms were connected into "suites" of three to ten rooms. Perhaps each was home to a family, but we cannot be certain. Many firepits were found in rooms closest to the plaza, suggesting food preparation took place there. Backrooms were likely used as storage. See similar questions...

They realized that their lives were not as converted as they wished. Many had major conversions, some from very sinful lives. All wanted to surrender themselves in every way to God. They hungered for holiness. They wanted ways to atone for past sins. They saw the Rule as a means to those ends. The purpose of the Rule is never to "do what it says" as an end in itself but to "do what it says" as a discipline, a penance, that enables the penitent to "do what HE says. See similar questions...