We need to take care not to make the opposite error, either, and presume that Jefferson's paternity has been dis-proven. There is strong circumstantial evidence to suggest that Jefferson was the father of some of Heming's children.
But in the absence of documentary or scientific "proof" (scare quotes here, because all evidence has to be interpreted--it is the very rare historical fact that "speaks for itself") of the matter, that's all we have--a circumstantial case that is, to my eye anyway, about what it was 25 years ago. It was plausible then, and it is plausible now. The DNA evidence did allow us to rule out some of the other contenders for paternity, most prominently the Carr brothers, for at least one of Heming's children. We know, however, that Hemings had children by at least two different men, so the Carr brothers are still very much in the picture, at least so it seems to me. To my eye, the walk away from all of this is that enslaved women were extremely vulnerable to sexual exploitation.
Scrupulous scholars will usually signal matters of evidential interpretation of this nature in their annotation or in the text of their argument.
___________________________
Kevin R. Hardwick
Associate Professor
Department of History, MSC 8001
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
________________________________________
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of James Burnett [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2012 8:43 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: 12191716Z12 Re: Wikipedia
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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