Milley Bolden

Little is known about Milly Bolden’s early life. She lived in Georgetown where she was enslaved by Francis Scott Key, a prominent lawyer who later wrote the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” She married Joseph Bolden, an enslaved man who worked for President James Madison at the White House. While working there, Joseph used his earned wages to purchase his own freedom. It is unclear who paid him the wages, but they presumably came from either the Madisons or from working elsewhere in Washington, D.C., in his limited free time.¹ After he purchased his freedom, Joseph bought the freedom of Milley. In 1810, Key, a cousin to First Lady Dolley Madison, wrote to her and told her that “Your Servant Joe has been anxious to purchase the freedom of his wife.” The letter suggests Key preferred not to part with her, but he offered to do so for $200. Joe asked Dolley to loan him $200, which she did on the condition that Milley repay her by working at the White House alongside her husband for the duration of Madison’s presidency. It is unclear what duties she performed for either Key or the Madisons. When Key freed her, he also drew up manumission papers for “herself & child,” which indicates she had a child who came to live at the White House too. However, no further documentation for this child at the White House can be found.² 

When President Madison’s term ended and he returned to Virginia, Milley and her husband did not move with them. Dolley’s niece Mary Cutts reported that Joe “spent his money freely and was obliged the latter years of his life to sell oysters for a living.” Presumably, Milley was still with him and also struggling to make ends meet. Cutts does not mention where she saw Joe selling oysters, but she spent much time in Washington, D.C., so it is likely that Milley and Joe remained in the capital after their time in the White House.³ 

Thank you to the Papers of James Madison, to Hilarie M. Hicks, Senior Research Historian, James Madison's Montpelier, and to Holly Shulman, editor of the Dolley Madison Digital Edition, for providing research assistance with this biography.