Which DNA study did you assist?
Paul Finkelman
President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law
and Public Policy
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, New York 12208-3494
518-445-3386
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>>> Herbert Barger <[log in to unmask]> 07/16/08 5:49 PM >>>
Phebe,
I am a Jefferson Family Historian who assisted with the
Jefferson-Hemings DNA Study. My reviews of this book can be found by
scrolling way down through the many posts. I have no idea at all what
the "body fluids" means. Probably just some piece of "soap opera"
material that would further confuse the issue and make a topic for
another CBS mini-series.
Don Kukla has no authority on which to base his writings that TJ
fathered Sally's children. On several occasions he refers to: "before
his liaison with Sally Hemings, "Jefferson's children by Sally Hemings",
"in many ways, Thomas Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings had
always been exploitive and selfish", "we know nothing about the
emotional character of the relationship between the master of Monticello
and his "concubine". Really Mr. Kukla, you have no proof that any of the
above are true do you?
Mr Kukla did not not find any research or report on any information of
the Madison Hemings claim that a Sally child was born shortly after they
returned from France. My research reveals that Sally was at a training
course for five weeks away from the Jefferson residence, in April 1789
(just 9 months prior to their arrival at Monticello.) Since Adrian
Petit, TJ's faithful servant, had picked up Sally and Maria at the Adams
residence in England and delivered them to TJ's residence in Paris, he
was well aware of who she was. Could he have fathered a Sally child
while at the school? After TJ returned to political life he had Adrian
Petit to come and assist him with his excellent attention to duty. Later
at around the time Sally was having her first recorded child, Harriet I,
in Oct 1795, Adrian Petit had been moved to Monticello as Mr.
Jefferson's overseer. It is significant to note that Sally had NO
children for over these five years before Adrian had arrived at
Monticello. Sally was age 22 when Adrian began working at Monticello.
Of course we had no DNA to test for Adrian Petit who did not stay for
too long before returning to France and there was no Thomas Jefferson
record of a child being born dying shortly after Sally returned to
Monticello, as Madison claimed. There is nothing in Sally's records to
indicate that her children were fathered by a single father. As we know,
there were three or four separate fathers for her mother's children. If
we were to accept (and we definitely do NOT), the Monticello conclusion
that possibly ALL of Sally's children were fathered by Thomas Jefferson
when only ONE was DNA tested, we would be guilty, in my opinion, in
deceiving the public with inaccurate research.
Herb Barger
Jefferson Family Historian
Founder, Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society
www.tjheritage.org
Before going on vacation, I picked up a copy of Mr. Jefferson's Women by
our good friend Jon Kukla.
Now I know that Jon is outstanding in his research but one area of the
book leaves me a bit puzzled.
Does it mean that other than Sally Hemings there were no other
"encounters" in his life? I raise this question because there is
discussion about Jefferson's interest in "body fluids."
If Jon or anyone who has read this book could clarify this for me it
would be most welcome.
Phebe Morgan
Sarasota, FL
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