Regarding my sixth assertion (that Sally Hemings had children by more than one man):  

Now that I have had the chance to review the DNA reports and ancilliary material, I'd like to withdraw this one.

We do not know for sure how many children Sally Hemings had.  The plantation records for Monticello record a number of children, one of whom was named Eston.  

However, there is another man, named Thomas Woodson, whose parentage is uncertain.  Woodson's descendants report family and oral history claiming descent from Sally Hemings, but Thomas Woodson does not appear in the Monticello Plantation records as her son.  The absence is not conclusive, however, since some of the names may have been erased or scratched out.

So--we can say with some reasonable certainty that Eston Hemings was a son of Sally Hemings, and that Thomas Woodson may or may not have been.

The DNA tests demonstrate with reasonable precision that Eston's father was a Jefferson, and Woodson's father was not.  We just don't know who Thomas Woodson's mother really was--in as much as his name is not in the Plantation book, the supposition is that he was not a son of Hemings.  But that is just supposition--its not certain.

Hence it is not a fair claim to say that Sally had children by more than one man.  Professor Finkelman's posts today in this regard are spot on.

All best,
Kevin
Kevin R. Hardwick, Ph.D.
Department of History
James Madison University

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