Lyle,

You are very observant. The Wash Post article is either not knowledgeable or
the reporter is too lazy to check, GOOGLE, otherwise he could see that the
Jefferson fiasco is just that. Neither do I believe the Madison connection
and I have done study on it.

Herb Barger
Jefferson Family Historian

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lyle E. Browning
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 4:46 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VA-HIST] New Presidential Descendant Claimant

Today's Richmond Times Dispatch had an article about a Massachusetts  
pediatrician who claims via oral history to be descended from James  
Madison's father and from James Madison. Difficulties in getting  
genetic testing done and by whom, etc. are preventing forward motion  
at the moment.

The Washington Post's Jonathan Mummolo wrote the article and in it was  
a paragraph: "Despite genetic evidence that has linked Hemmings' line  
to Jefferson's family, and documentary evidence that historians say  
points to Jefferson as the father, there are still some who deny the  
link."

The first part about linking SH's line to Jefferson's family is true  
via DNA. The second part about documentary evidence is highly  
contested and cannot be ascertained with certainty. The third part  
goes completely off the rails by tarring those who might deny that TJ  
was the father.

Of such things is disinformation promulgated. The first step is to  
make a statement that is true. Then you warp it one degree as the  
second part did, and then the third part is introduced as the new  
"truth" and we're off to the Goebbels finals with a flourish.

Let the fireworks begin.

Lyle Browning 

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