As a far distant Australian with an interest in Virginia's Episcopal history, I was surprised and not a little irritated by the lengthy discussion about Jefferson/Hemmings. Folk interested should work offline and not waste other people's time. The quickest way of losing forum support is for people to take up an issue of only marginal interest to the majority of subscribers.

    Sexual abuse of women was so common in the days of slavery (and not only in the US) that any discussion of it in relation to famous figures such as Thomas Jefferson takes the history of the US absolutely nowhere, other than for prurient minds or those preoccupied with reopening old wounds. It  ignores the sexual abuse of other women, usually the poor, unable to resist their male oppressors. A study of prostitution should cure people about focussing only on abuse of slaves. 
     We go through similar genealogical nonsense in Australia with claims to descent from First Fleeters (equiv to Pilgrim Fathers or DAR) and worse still, from idiots who persist in believing that descent, via the 'wrong side of the blanket' means something, either historically or in today's world. 
     Please keep this valuable forum for genuine enquiries and avoid worthless point scoring.


     Ian
(Dr) Ian Welch
Division of Pacific and Asian History
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
College of Asia and the Pacific
Australian National University
Canberra



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