Reunion to offer DNA, oral history to link slave descendants
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - About 100 descendants of slaves from Montpelier and other Orange County plantations plan to share their stories and collect DNA samples this week that may piece together their history.
President James Madison's Montpelier and the Orange County African American Historical Society are hosting the reunion Friday through Sunday at the central Virginia estate in Montpelier Station. It it meant to educate and celebrate the cultural history of the descendant community.
The reunion is 1 of a series of events commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. It also comes in the midst of a $23 million renovation to restore the home that Madison shared with his wife, Dolley, in the 1800s.
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President James Madison's Montpelier and the Orange County African American Historical Society are hosting the reunion Friday through Sunday at the central Virginia estate in Montpelier Station. It it meant to educate and celebrate the cultural history of the descendant community.
The reunion is 1 of a series of events commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. It also comes in the midst of a $23 million renovation to restore the home that Madison shared with his wife, Dolley, in the 1800s.