In a quiet patch of forest about a mile east of Monticello, 13 [Washington & Lee University](http://www.wlu.edu “Washington & Lee University”) students are uncovering the story of a figure largely forgotten since the days of Thomas Jefferson.

As part of a six-week course, the students are excavating thousands of tiny artifacts that illustrate the life of [Edmund Bacon](http://books.google.com/books?id=5RBKqtYTiCsC&q=Edmund+Bacon&source=gbs_keywords_r&cad=5_2#search_anchor “Google Book Search: Jefferson at Monticello: The Private The Private Life of Thomas Jefferson”), who supervised Jefferson’s slaves from 1806 until 1822.

Much of the previous archaeological research at Monticello and other historic estates has focused on the elite property owners and their slaves. Little has been done, however, to discover what life was like for that era’s middle-class white workers, such as Bacon, who played key roles in the day-to-day operation of plantations such as Monticello.

[Read](http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/clues_to_the_common_man/40578/ “Read the Article”) (Charlottesville Daily Progress)