I agree with Mr Hogg's suggestion about required reading. May I please suggest the several books reviewed on The Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society web page, www.tjheritage.org. For those without access online I list a few: ""Jefferson Vindicated, Fallacies, Omissions and Contradictions in the Hemings Genealogical Search" (this excellent book by Charlottesville genealogist, Cynthia H. Burton, with a foreword by none other than a Past Director of Monticello, Mr. James Adams Bear, Jr., gets into the "nuts and bolts" of this issue. Another excellent Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society publication, "The Jefferson-Hemings Myth, An American Travesty", "Down from the Mountain, The Oral History of the Hemings Family by Judith P. Justus", (an excellent oral family record of the Hemings and Woodson Families that outlines the Eston Hemings family beliefs that they descended from a "Jefferson uncle", a reference to Randolph Jefferson, brother of Thomas. Mrs. Justus also covers a New York City meeting by author, Fawn Brodie, with two of John Weeks Jefferson's (subject of the DNA Study representing Eston Hemings), sisters to "persuade" them to change their ORAL family claims from "an uncle" to Thomas Jefferson himself. Here you will also find the Dr. and Mrs. James F. McMurry, Jr. deeply researched and enlightening books, "Anatomy of a Scandal, Thomas Jefferson and the Sally Story" (a rebuttal to the old rumor that Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson and Sally Hemings were half-sisters.........NOT true according to their very detailed research. Their other book, equally deeply researched, fully covers the original James Callender Campaign lies, "Jefferson, Callender and the Sally Story, the Scandalmonger and the Newspaper War of 1802". There are also many other great books at the web page. Herb Barger Jefferson Family Historian Founder, the Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society -----Original Message----- From: Research and writing about Virginia genealogy and family history. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Hogg Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 8:17 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [VA-ROOTS] Thomas Jefferson et alia Maybe there should be a list of required reading before being allowed to comment on this subject.