Unfortunately people don't read, don't understand, or it doesn't fit their
picture so they discard the facts.  I just bought Master of the Mountain by
Wiencek to read. What happens when I open up to the Hemings family tree?
Thomas Jefferson is diagrammed as the father of ALL of Sally's children.
Given the author couldn't get that straight now I am arguing with myself if
the book is worth reading. How much more is incorrect?

On Wed, Dec 19, 2012 at 9:33 PM, Hardwick, Kevin - hardwikr <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> For example, in the aftermath of the Hemings DNA testing, we know with
> reasonable certitude that someone descended from Thomas Jefferson's
> grand-father had sex with Sally Hemings, and fathered at least one of her
> children.  Some observers have concluded from the "fact" produced by the
> DNA tests (itself the result of a fairly complex scientific process) that
> the father of most of Hemings' children was Thomas Jefferson.  And yet, the
> group of potential fathers in the group of men descended from Thomas
> Jefferson's grand-father is considerably more extensive than just Thomas
> Jefferson (and moreover, we can not say with any certitude just how many
> persons belong to that group, since it is likely that some of the persons
> in that group were enslaved).  So to draw the conclusion that we have proof
> positive of Jefferson's paternity from the DNA data is an error of
> interpretation.  That is not what the facts of the DNA testing permit us
> logically to conclude.
>



-- 
Douglas Burnett
Satellite Beach
FL
As a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the
National Genealogical Society (NGS), the Florida State Genealogical
Society(FSGS) and the Virginia Genealogical  Society(VGS), I support and
adhere to the APG's Code of Ethics.

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