December 24, 2025 • 9 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, it’s not every day a U.S. president’s funeral has to be paused because of a swearing parrot—but then again, Andrew Jackson never followed the rules, even in death. As guests gathered to mourn the seventh president, his longtime pet had other ideas. Historian Mark Cheatham, a professor of history at Cumberland University and a leading scholar on Andrew Jackson and the Jacksonian era, joins us with the true story of the funeral crash that left everyone stunned—and the historical scandal no one saw coming.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is our American stories and some of our favorite
stories to tell our stories about our history. From George
Washington to Jackie Robinson. We love bringing you in depth
looks into the lives of great Americans. Today's story is
less about a great American but his pet parrot that
had to be removed from his funeral. History Professor Mark
(00:32):
Cheatham tells us one of his favorite stories that he
learned while working at Andrew Jackson's plantation, the Hermitage. Here's Mark.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
When I was a docent at the Hermitage the summer
between at junior and senior years of college, one of
my favorite stories to tell was that of Paul the Parrot.
I never questioned its validity at the time, but several
years ago I decided to check on this story and
see was it actually true. Marsha Mullen, the authority on
(01:04):
all things Andrew Jackson at the Hermitage, directed me to
Reverend William Menefee Norman's recollections, which are in volume three
of Samuel G. High School's book Andrew Jackson in Early
Tennessee History, and speaking about Jackson's eighteen forty five funeral,
Normant recorded before the sermon and while the crowd was gathering,
(01:26):
a wicked parrot that was a household pet got excited
and commenced, swearing so loud and long as to disturb
the people, and had to be carried from the house.
It's a great anecdote, and it's one I've told many
times over the years. But the story became even more
interesting for me because Normant was a graduate of Cumberland University,
(01:50):
where I currently teach. He was one of a group
of Cumberland University students who visited Jackson shortly before the
former president died in June of eighteen forty five. According
to one Norman obituary, there are few if any people
living today who saw General Andrew Jackson in the flesh
since the death of Judge Nathan Greene of Lebanon, Tennessee
(02:13):
a few years ago. Reverend Normant is the only survivor
of that little group of students of Cumberland University that
in the spring of eighteen forty five visited Old Hickory
at his famous country home, the Hermitage, fifteen miles from Nashville. Here,
Reverend Normant described their visit. Cumberland University is at Lebanon,
(02:35):
about fifteen miles from the Hermitage. In the early spring
of eighteen forty five, six of US Cumberland students decided
we wished to meet General Jackson one Saturday morning. We
packed our lunches and gotten a stagecoach which went near
the Hermitage on the way to Nashville. When we arrived,
Andrew Jackson Donaldson, nephew of the General, met us and
(02:58):
conducted us to the big East room where the General
was sitting before the fire. It was a wood fire,
and huge logs were burning. The fireplace was about five
feet high. Mister Donaldson introduced us to the General as
courteously as though we were a distinguished guests, and without
rising the Hero of New Orleans shook hands at once.
(03:20):
We saw that the famous man was very feeble. After
this introduction, we all sat around the fire. The General
puffed occasionally at a short stem silver pipe, which he
held in his left hand. In his right hand he
held a long hickory cane. A bible lay on the
floor beside him. The General was very religious at this time,
(03:41):
and when we told him who we were, some of
us studying for the ministry, he leaned forward with his
chin on his stick and exclaimed a noble calling young gentleman.
He then advised us to make the most of our
opportunities and become upright citizens. To tell the truth, we
were rather to disappointed because he did not tell us
(04:01):
of battles and duels. Could this gentle religious, old gentleman
be the man whose by the eternal had sounded in
the halls of Congress, on the field of battle and
dueling ground? Yet we sat looking at the living reality
of our boyish dreams, an old man, feeble and lonely,
who spoke of his wife as that sainted woman, and
(04:24):
whose grave he daily visited. Up above the mantelpiece hung
two long, dueling pistols, mute witnesses of days gone by,
and I think these pistols occupied most of our attention.
We spent more than an hour talking with the General,
and when we were ready to leave, he again shook
hands and wished us happiness and help. Normant's obituary went
(04:49):
on to report, while still at school, word reached Cumberland
University that General Jackson was dead only six weeks before
he had shaken his hand. Reverend Normant says he went
to the funeral and that the General's parrot, excited by
the multitude and the wailing of the slaves, let loose
perfect gust of cusswords. The slaves of the General were
(05:12):
horrified and awed at the bird's lack of reverence. The
last quotation from this obituary is interesting for more than
just Paul swearing. Normans claimed that the enslaved people's wailing
set off Paul's blue streak, and that they were horrified
and awed by the parrot's lack of reverence. Presents a
(05:34):
view of enslaved people as being more pious than their
Southern slave owners. That's an interesting perspective, but it isn't surprising.
White views of African Americans were complicated during and after slavery.
Mark Smith's book How Race Is Made, Slavery, Segregation, and
the Senses offers the simple yet powerful argument that Southern
(05:58):
whites viewed African Americans as dirty and loathsome at the
same time that they allowed them in their homes as
servants and nannies, or, in the case of some white masters,
in the slaved women as they raped them. The same
dichotomy holds true for African American morality and religion. Whites
believed and slaved people practiced a heathen African religion, not religions,
(06:22):
mind you. Yet they also thought enslaved people often possessed
a spirituality that gave them greater moral insight and wisdom
than their white Christian masters. In the case of Jackson's funeral,
the perception is that members of the Hermitage's enslaved community
were appalled by Paul's language, which she presumably learned from
(06:44):
Old Hickory or other whites on the plantation, because they
were too moral to have used that language themselves. Of course,
this interpretation ignores the agency of enslaved African Americans and
the complexity of their religious beliefs and practices. It also
overlooks the reality that the enslaved people at the funeral
might have been mourning the uncertainty they faced. But those
(07:07):
enslaved at the Hermitage needed only to look at his
son to see how things could get worse. Andrew Jackson
Junior struggled with alcoholism, and unlike his father, he was
a terrible money manager. The prospect of Junior taking over
may have been enough to produce the wailing that Normant
and others heard that spring day in eighteen forty five.
(07:28):
If that was the reason for the enslaved people sorrow,
they were right to worry. Over the next eleven years,
Junior not only sold off the Hermitage's piece by piece,
but he also sold many of them as well.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
And a thanks, a special thanks to Cumlin University history
professor Mark Cheatham telling us the story of Andrew Jackson's
cursing parrot, but also about so much more. And my goodness,
imagine meeting the president under those circumstances and to hear
the reading of a man more and to get back
(08:02):
into the mind and time of the day. And we
love bringing people back in history. What a life Jackson led,
by the way, General the US Army, he served in
both Houses of Congress, went by the name Old Hickory.
You also heard the hero of New Orleans, and of
course in the end there's King mob two. Those were
his three big nicknames. And by the way, if you
(08:24):
have stories about American history now we love telling them,
but send them to us. Send them to our American
Stories dot com. And if you want to be a
part of this team, feel free to give or donate
as well. We are a nonprofit and it is free
to listen to our American Stories, but it is not
free to make again. If you want to be a
(08:45):
part of our team, go to our American Stories dot
com and give two. We'd love your stories and we'd
love any help you can give us. Do a little,
do a lot, but if you can help, do your part.
It's the story of Andrew Jackson's cursing parrot here on
our American Stories.
This is our American stories and some of our favorite
stories to tell our stories about our history. From George
Washington to Jackie Robinson. We love bringing you in depth
looks into the lives of great Americans. Today's story is
less about a great American but his pet parrot that
had to be removed from his funeral. History Professor Mark
(00:32):
Cheatham tells us one of his favorite stories that he
learned while working at Andrew Jackson's plantation, the Hermitage. Here's Mark.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
When I was a docent at the Hermitage the summer
between at junior and senior years of college, one of
my favorite stories to tell was that of Paul the Parrot.
I never questioned its validity at the time, but several
years ago I decided to check on this story and
see was it actually true. Marsha Mullen, the authority on
(01:04):
all things Andrew Jackson at the Hermitage, directed me to
Reverend William Menefee Norman's recollections, which are in volume three
of Samuel G. High School's book Andrew Jackson in Early
Tennessee History, and speaking about Jackson's eighteen forty five funeral,
Normant recorded before the sermon and while the crowd was gathering,
(01:26):
a wicked parrot that was a household pet got excited
and commenced, swearing so loud and long as to disturb
the people, and had to be carried from the house.
It's a great anecdote, and it's one I've told many
times over the years. But the story became even more
interesting for me because Normant was a graduate of Cumberland University,
(01:50):
where I currently teach. He was one of a group
of Cumberland University students who visited Jackson shortly before the
former president died in June of eighteen forty five. According
to one Norman obituary, there are few if any people
living today who saw General Andrew Jackson in the flesh
since the death of Judge Nathan Greene of Lebanon, Tennessee
(02:13):
a few years ago. Reverend Normant is the only survivor
of that little group of students of Cumberland University that
in the spring of eighteen forty five visited Old Hickory
at his famous country home, the Hermitage, fifteen miles from Nashville. Here,
Reverend Normant described their visit. Cumberland University is at Lebanon,
(02:35):
about fifteen miles from the Hermitage. In the early spring
of eighteen forty five, six of US Cumberland students decided
we wished to meet General Jackson one Saturday morning. We
packed our lunches and gotten a stagecoach which went near
the Hermitage on the way to Nashville. When we arrived,
Andrew Jackson Donaldson, nephew of the General, met us and
(02:58):
conducted us to the big East room where the General
was sitting before the fire. It was a wood fire,
and huge logs were burning. The fireplace was about five
feet high. Mister Donaldson introduced us to the General as
courteously as though we were a distinguished guests, and without
rising the Hero of New Orleans shook hands at once.
(03:20):
We saw that the famous man was very feeble. After
this introduction, we all sat around the fire. The General
puffed occasionally at a short stem silver pipe, which he
held in his left hand. In his right hand he
held a long hickory cane. A bible lay on the
floor beside him. The General was very religious at this time,
(03:41):
and when we told him who we were, some of
us studying for the ministry, he leaned forward with his
chin on his stick and exclaimed a noble calling young gentleman.
He then advised us to make the most of our
opportunities and become upright citizens. To tell the truth, we
were rather to disappointed because he did not tell us
(04:01):
of battles and duels. Could this gentle religious, old gentleman
be the man whose by the eternal had sounded in
the halls of Congress, on the field of battle and
dueling ground? Yet we sat looking at the living reality
of our boyish dreams, an old man, feeble and lonely,
who spoke of his wife as that sainted woman, and
(04:24):
whose grave he daily visited. Up above the mantelpiece hung
two long, dueling pistols, mute witnesses of days gone by,
and I think these pistols occupied most of our attention.
We spent more than an hour talking with the General,
and when we were ready to leave, he again shook
hands and wished us happiness and help. Normant's obituary went
(04:49):
on to report, while still at school, word reached Cumberland
University that General Jackson was dead only six weeks before
he had shaken his hand. Reverend Normant says he went
to the funeral and that the General's parrot, excited by
the multitude and the wailing of the slaves, let loose
perfect gust of cusswords. The slaves of the General were
(05:12):
horrified and awed at the bird's lack of reverence. The
last quotation from this obituary is interesting for more than
just Paul swearing. Normans claimed that the enslaved people's wailing
set off Paul's blue streak, and that they were horrified
and awed by the parrot's lack of reverence. Presents a
(05:34):
view of enslaved people as being more pious than their
Southern slave owners. That's an interesting perspective, but it isn't surprising.
White views of African Americans were complicated during and after slavery.
Mark Smith's book How Race Is Made, Slavery, Segregation, and
the Senses offers the simple yet powerful argument that Southern
(05:58):
whites viewed African Americans as dirty and loathsome at the
same time that they allowed them in their homes as
servants and nannies, or, in the case of some white masters,
in the slaved women as they raped them. The same
dichotomy holds true for African American morality and religion. Whites
believed and slaved people practiced a heathen African religion, not religions,
(06:22):
mind you. Yet they also thought enslaved people often possessed
a spirituality that gave them greater moral insight and wisdom
than their white Christian masters. In the case of Jackson's funeral,
the perception is that members of the Hermitage's enslaved community
were appalled by Paul's language, which she presumably learned from
(06:44):
Old Hickory or other whites on the plantation, because they
were too moral to have used that language themselves. Of course,
this interpretation ignores the agency of enslaved African Americans and
the complexity of their religious beliefs and practices. It also
overlooks the reality that the enslaved people at the funeral
might have been mourning the uncertainty they faced. But those
(07:07):
enslaved at the Hermitage needed only to look at his
son to see how things could get worse. Andrew Jackson
Junior struggled with alcoholism, and unlike his father, he was
a terrible money manager. The prospect of Junior taking over
may have been enough to produce the wailing that Normant
and others heard that spring day in eighteen forty five.
(07:28):
If that was the reason for the enslaved people sorrow,
they were right to worry. Over the next eleven years,
Junior not only sold off the Hermitage's piece by piece,
but he also sold many of them as well.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
And a thanks, a special thanks to Cumlin University history
professor Mark Cheatham telling us the story of Andrew Jackson's
cursing parrot, but also about so much more. And my goodness,
imagine meeting the president under those circumstances and to hear
the reading of a man more and to get back
(08:02):
into the mind and time of the day. And we
love bringing people back in history. What a life Jackson led,
by the way, General the US Army, he served in
both Houses of Congress, went by the name Old Hickory.
You also heard the hero of New Orleans, and of
course in the end there's King mob two. Those were
his three big nicknames. And by the way, if you
(08:24):
have stories about American history now we love telling them,
but send them to us. Send them to our American
Stories dot com. And if you want to be a
part of this team, feel free to give or donate
as well. We are a nonprofit and it is free
to listen to our American Stories, but it is not
free to make again. If you want to be a
(08:45):
part of our team, go to our American Stories dot
com and give two. We'd love your stories and we'd
love any help you can give us. Do a little,
do a lot, but if you can help, do your part.
It's the story of Andrew Jackson's cursing parrot here on
our American Stories.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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