The assumption that Sally Hemings was the child of a black women and a white man seems accepted. Her children are also assumed to have been the children of a white man. Under the Virginia law at that time, they were white.Why then did Jefferson seek permission (also a requirement of statute) for Madison and Eston Hemings, freed under the terms of his will, to remain in Virginia. It was also provided by statute that the child of a slave women was born a slave, If the child were white and freed when an adult, why did he not become a "white man" and automatically divested of those requirements that control black freed slaves, i.e., leave the Commonwealth unless granted permission to stay by the General Assembly? Richard E. Dixon Clifton, VA 20124-2115 703-830-8177 fax 703-691-0978 To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html