She was the half sister of his deceased wife (Jefferson’s father in law fathered Sally off one of his slaves) and probably resembled her. Whether Thomas Jefferson was the father of her children is open to question. But she was far more than a “maid”. In many respects slaves were more akin to family than hired help would have been and the whole “peculiar institution” was far more complex than most people can imagine.
I agree with you.
Being Southern, I think it’s a fascinating part of our history that was buried for far too long.