James,

Thank you for an illuminating explanation. I guess I did too many of the 
yellow and green pea charts in high school to get the gist of the 50% 
probability in each cross.

In any event, I think if very speculative to seriously consider that Sally 
Hemings children were fathered by a slave that may or may not have existed. 
We have circumstantial evidence that she had a relationship with Thomas. We 
have none that she had a relationship with a slave who may or may not have 
existed.

It is my opinion that placing the possibility of a slave paternity to 
Sally's children into the mix of probabilities is to unduly muddy the waters 
and dilute the circumstancial evidences that point to Thomas himself as the 
father.

And that is without mentioning that Sally did not marry. If she had a long 
term relationship with another slave, why not take Thomas up on his offer of 
a free cooking pot to any slaves who intermarried on his plantation. Why did 
she not marry this man? Unlike with Thomas, there was no law preventing her 
from doing so. It sould seem that the theory of a slave as father to her 
children, would unduly throw sand on the character of Sally herself. And for 
what? To keep the full character of Thomas Jefferson from being known????

Anne

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

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