Feb 5th marks the date of James Hemings’ manumission / FREEDOM DAY in 1796
By: Tonya Hopkins aka The Food Griot: “Sharing Savory Stories on the Makings of America’s Cuisines”…; Co-Founder of the James Hemings Society
We may not know the specific day on which James Hemings (1765-1801) was born, but we do know his manumission (aka “freedom”) date:
On Feb 5th, 1796, America’s first classically trained chef de cuisine—who was enslaved and owned by Thomas Jefferson for most of his life—received his manumission deed (freedom papers). See those documents in the slideshow above, as well as the hyperlinked clip below.
The talented and highly skilled James Hemings asked for and negotiated his freedom, which was granted to him three years later. At the time, James would have already been 31 years old (if born between January 1st and February 5th) or would have turned 31 later that year on his unknown birth date in 1796. Of course, there’s much more to the story…
Accordingly, I’m re-sharing this Out•Take clip from the award-winning documentary film “James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen” , where I remind us that much has been lost—intentionally or otherwise…
Hungry for more?
Watch the movie: “James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen” —co-written by Chef Ashbell McElveen of the James Hemings Foundation & Society, in conjunction with director Anthony Werhun. It features scholars, celebrated chefs, experts on race, and culinary historians—including yours truly.
In fact, please join one of my PAID PATREON tiers for more on America’s missing history in the food & drink realms. This is ONE of the FEW ways food media scholars are compensated. Believe it or not.