Kevin,

You have a reasonable approach to the matter. I've been fairly convinced 
since I read Fawn Brodie many years ago. I leave a little room for doubt, 
but NOT because he was a great, wonderful, founding father, but because 
there is always the chance that we are misreading the circumstances. I think 
that Jon Kukla made a good case in Jefferson's Women, by looking at how 
Jefferson interacted with other women during his life. He was quite clumsy 
with women, failed to consider them as equal human beings, killed his 
beloved wife by excessive child-bearing, failed to provide a decent 
education for his daughters, and more than I can remember at the moment. 
Topping that off was The Hemingses of Monticello which explore the 
relationship by his actions both recorded and not, towards the Hemings 
family which was distinctly different than his relationship to most of his 
other slaves.

I do not come at this subject as a trained historian or geneologist, but as 
a lover of stories. And Sally and Tom are a good story whether you decide it 
has fiction running through it, or if you decide that is is strictly 
factual.

Anne

Anne Pemberton
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http://www.erols.com/apembert
http://www.educationalsynthesis.org 

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