REPLY TO JURRETTA HECKSCHER VA-HIST. 10/22/08
"'Historians'" [???] say that such evidence points [I note you
use the word points] to Jefferson as the father." I think you are most
likely considering as historians liars who write that Jefferson is the
father of one or more or all of Sally Heming's children "acclaimed"
FICTIONAL NOVELS WHICH THESE AUTHORS PEDDLE AS HISTORY, who ignore much
recorded evidence which would lead one to believe (and conclude) the
opposite of their novels' musings. I don't put Hitler on a pedestal, but I
do put him in the bin with the worst human beings who have ever existed. I
guess weak, dirty minded people can't recognize qualities of character and
are unable to differentiate between worthy character traits and unworthy
ones. That's not correct. Let's back up a minute - can't recognize worthy
character traits as to their significance in an equation, behavior which one
must value in order to predict other behavioral patterns, and to estimate an
unknown factor . These are the folks it doesn't pay to bother to help,
because they will turn around and spit in your face because they don't like
the way you blink. And I don't consider the aforementioned liars as
historians. I apologize for my lack of knowledge on the subject of slaves'
lives in the early United States. I think such a study is a worthwhile
pursuit, and a most interesting pursuit, even just as a look at human
behavior - how bad human beings can be.
For example, Annette Gordon-Reed in THE HEMINGSES OF MONTICELLO
ignores historical evidence and takes unforgivable liberties weaving tales
about Thomas Jefferson. See JEFFERSON VINDICATED by Cynthia Burton & THE
JEFFERSON-HEMINGS MYTH published by The Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society.
These are 2 books full of information that refutes Reed's pronouncements.
For beginning starters: Thomas Jefferson's wife died 13 years before Sally
Hemings had her first child. His 13 years younger brother Randolph lived 20
miles away & often visited Monticello & socialized with slaves. Thomas
Jefferson stated at times Randolph was incompetent to manage his affairs and
others stated sometimes Randolph lacked intelligence. Sally began having
babies around the time Randolph was widowed & stopped having babies about
the time Randolph remarried; & Randolph had 4 sons who were of child bearing
age when Sally became pregnant. Only 1 of Sally's children was DNA tested.
T. Jefferson's daughter, husband who managed Monticello & 12 children moved
to Monticello whenever T. Jefferson was there. The son-in-law states his
room was so close to T. Jefferson's that he could see and hear when anyone
entered & left. Slaves were prohibited from being in his quarters when he
was present. As to Sally Hemings being T. Jefferson's wife's half sister,
read ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL - T. JEFFERSON & THE SALLY STORY that concludes
from extensive evidence that Martha Wayles Jefferson's father was not Sally's
father. Gordon-Reed deliberately denigrates the person who in his day in
ways, particularly written, did more than anyone else to end slavery &
establish democracy in the United States.
Adrian Zolkover
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jurretta Heckscher" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 5:10 PM
Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] New Presidential Descendant Claimant
> Mr. Browning (or is it Dr. Browning? sorry!), I'm truly confused by your
> comment here.
>
> You quote the reporter as saying the following:
>
> 1. Genetic evidence has linked Hemings's line to Jefferson's family.
> 2. Documentary evidence exists.
> 3. Historians say that such evidence points to Jefferson as the father.
> 4. There are still some who deny the link.
>
> Which of these statements do you contest? It seems to me that every one
> of them can be substantiated abundantly in postings on this list, from
> advocates on all sides of the question at hand, within the past month.
> Some of the historians in question have even participated in that
> discussion, or have recently published books to the same effect.
>
> If one wishes to continue to debate Jefferson and Hemings, surely one can
> come up with something more salient than a bald factual statement from a
> reporter -- a welcome exception, moreover, to the general tendency of
> reporters to misreport complicated historical issues.
>
> I say this, for what it's worth, as someone who finds this individual's
> claim of Madison descent dubious in the extreme. (I cannot find the
> Times-Dispatch article, but am familiar with the claim as recorded in
> other recent news reports.) The (apparent) entire absence of supporting
> contemporary evidence -- i.e., evidence from Madison's own time --
> renders it most likely to be, in my view, what several people on this
> list would have us suppose the Hemings- Jefferson link to be: a
> historically baseless family story founded in misdirected ancestral
> pride.
>
> The same goes for the story about a supposed George Washington slave
> liaison that Henry Wiencek has perhaps too dutifully (sorry, Henry) laid
> forth in An Imperfect God: the contemporaneous, or even more recent
> historical, supporting evidence that might lead a reasonable researcher
> to accept the tale's essential veracity simply does not exist.
>
> The Jefferson-Hemings link is of an entirely different order, and it is
> frankly an insult to the professional integrity of historians to pretend
> otherwise.
>
> Sorry to be peevish. My peeve is not directed at you, Mr. Browning, but
> my puzzlement is.
>
> -- Jurretta Heckscher
>
>
>
> On Oct 20, 2008, at 4:46 PM, Lyle E. Browning wrote:
>
>> 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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