I have been watching the USA Election 2020 and something made me realise by reading many comments between Trump vs Biden from Facebook via Deaf New Zealanders. I thought of putting the interesting connection story from one of the Presidents here, and they can learn more from this blog. Let start with James Monroe and what was his connection to the Deaf community in the USA and in Europe.

James Monroe was the fifth president of the USA and he born  April 28, 1758 – July 4, 1831, in Westmoreland County, Virginia, USA. James married Elizabeth Kortright in 1786 in New York, and they have had three children. Their children were Eliza, James Spence and Maria Hester but James died sixteen months later in 1800. Maria married to a cousin – Samuel L Gouverneur who he was a nephew under Elizabeth Kortright and the wedding took placed at the White House as the first President’s daughter to marry there in 1820.

Maria and Samuel have three children who were James Monroe Gouverneur (1822-1885), Elizabeth Kortright Gouverneur and Samuel Lawrence Gouverneur Jr. Maria and Samuel noticed there was something wrong with James – their first son and his health and they began to fear of leaving him in New York. James Monroe – the President, travelled to see his daughter and the family, and he realised that his grandson was deaf.

How does James Monroe – the President, knew his grandson was deaf? Because in his past, he took another child – St. George ‘John’ Randolph to Paris where there is a school for the Deaf, during the envoy to England in 1806.

James M Gouverneur went two different Deaf Schools – New York School (Fanwood) for the Deaf in 1817-1818 and Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. Sadly, there were not much more details about him, and I have researched many university papers, journals and Deaf history pages from the USA. Nevertheless, there was some confusing information about James M Gouverneur between several researchers and genealogist members.

The rumour was James M. G., became insane in the early adult life and admitted to Mt. Hope Retreat Hospital, Baltimore until he died after staying there for thirty-five years. Another rumour that James M. G., fall in love with a woman and asked her for the marriage. He has never married and more likely that this woman turned him down, but the other rumour was a child called Ruth Monroe Gouverneur if she is exited at all.

James M. G. died at Spring Grove Asylum in Catonsville, Maryland on April 14th, 1865 and buried in an unmarked grave at Baltimore Cemetery.

There were no drawings, paintings or portraits of James M. G. anywhere. It would be nice to have one, so anyone can look at him. I will continue to dig more research, and there are more Deaf Historians are doing the same as well. It is wonderful to learn our Deaf History.