I have never understood why this seems so complex to people. As a
widower the relationship of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson is
entirely plausible to me. Imagine the emotional impact on Jefferson
upon seeing what appeared to be a "reincarnation" of his beloved
Martha appear in front of him, much as he had first seen her, (Sally
was Martha's half sister, and reportedly similar in appearance)
arriving as guardian of "their" daughter when he was in Paris. It
would, of course, for such a fastidious man, always be a secret
pleasure, one he would be ashamed to admit. But so very human.
-- Stephan
On 29 Apr 2008, at 23:36, Henry Wiencek wrote:
> Corneliussen, Hardwick, and Herb Barger all mention the possibility
> that a
> slave with the Jefferson DNA could have fathered Sally Hemings's
> children
> (possibly the slave named Sandy). I don't think this is likely.
> Jefferson's
> daughter Martha scrutinized the Farm Book for any scrap of evidence
> that
> would exonerate her father on the Hemings charge. Had this other
> Jefferson
> slave existed Martha would certainly have found him and told her
> children
> about him; Jeff and Ellen Randolph would have pointed the finger at
> him
> instead of at the Carrs.
>
> I also don't think the "Jefferson uncle" oral history in Eston's
> line proves
> anything one way or the other. In general, the historical testimony
> on all
> sides of this issue is a vexing mess--Madison Hemings, the Randolphs,
> Callender, and Edmund Bacon all got some things wrong and some
> things right.
> The Woodsons are a mystery. And then we have the Fossetts--but
> that's for
> another time.
>
> As Herb mentions, the McMurrys have tried to knock down the story
> of Sally
> being the half-sister of Martha Jefferson, but I do not find their
> argument
> persuasive at all. If that story had originated as a political
> smear and was
> baseless, as the McMurrys suggest, I think Ellen or Jeff Randolph
> would have
> brought it up to deny it.
>
> Herb raises an excellent point -- we should try to extract DNA from
> the
> remains of Madison's son. History would be served, but the family
> doesn't
> want it done. A pity. It could answer a couple of big questions.
>
> Henry Wiencek
>
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