Exposing the Myths You've Always Believed about Thomas Jefferson: From Sally Hemmings to His "Deism"

So can I. Jefferson was a person of his time as I am a person of my time. It was what it was.

Amazon.com has the book

Before Annette Gordon-Reed, Fawn Brodie argued for Jefferson being the father of Sally Hemings' children. (Sally was the half-sister of Jefferson's wife who had died before any of Sally's children were born.) Brodie did turn up some interesting evidence: in 1870 one of Sally's children, Madison Hemings, told the census taker that he was the son of Thomas Jefferson (the census taker wrote that information in the margin of the page--I have seen the census record), and the same Madison Hemings was interviewed by a newspaper which reported his claim to be Jefferson's son. In fact, two lineages of Sally's descendants preserved an oral tradition that Jefferson was their ancestor.

Before 1998, Jefferson scholars tended to favor the theory that Sally's children were fathered by one of Jefferson's nephews (two brothers surnamed Carr).

The DNA showed that at least one of Sally's children had Jefferson DNA--but that could be from Jefferson himself, his brother, or other relatives with the Jefferson surname. Another lineage of Sally's children appeared to have Carr DNA but that got swept under the rug because the new orthodoxy was that Thomas Jefferson fathered all of Sally's children.

What we do know is that at least one of Sally's children had Jefferson DNA, but I think it is mainly the combination of that and the oral tradition among her descendants which produces the readiness to say Thomas Jefferson was the father rather than one of his close relatives.

Madison Hemings would not have known for sure--all he knew was what his mother told him, assuming he was telling what he thought was the truth. But perhaps his mother said "Thomas Jefferson's brother was your father" but he preferred to claim Thomas Jefferson himself. Who knows?

As I recall, the publication date of the DNA study was moved up so it would come out before the 1998 elections--to try to make Bill Clinton's affair with Monica seem less serious because "look at what Jefferson did! All Presidents do things like that!"

Before Annette Gordon-Reed, Fawn Brodie argued for Jefferson being the father of Sally Hemings' children. (Sally was the half-sister of Jefferson's wife who had died before any of Sally's children were born.) Brodie did turn up some interesting evidence: in 1870 one of Sally's children, Madison Hemings, told the census taker that he was the son of Thomas Jefferson (the census taker wrote that information in the margin of the page--I have seen the census record), and the same Madison Hemings was interviewed by a newspaper which reported his claim to be Jefferson's son. In fact, two lineages of Sally's descendants preserved an oral tradition that Jefferson was their ancestor.

Before 1998, Jefferson scholars tended to favor the theory that Sally's children were fathered by one of Jefferson's nephews (two brothers surnamed Carr).

The DNA showed that at least one of Sally's children had Jefferson DNA--but that could be from Jefferson himself, his brother, or other relatives with the Jefferson surname. Another lineage of Sally's children appeared to have Carr DNA but that got swept under the rug because the new orthodoxy was that Thomas Jefferson fathered all of Sally's children.

What we do know is that at least one of Sally's children had Jefferson DNA, but I think it is mainly the combination of that and the oral tradition among her descendants which produces the readiness to say Thomas Jefferson was the father rather than one of his close relatives.

Madison Hemings would not have known for sure--all he knew was what his mother told him, assuming he was telling what he thought was the truth. But perhaps his mother said "Thomas Jefferson's brother was your father" but he preferred to claim Thomas Jefferson himself. Who knows?

As I recall, the publication date of the DNA study was moved up so it would come out before the 1998 elections--to try to make Bill Clinton's affair with Monica seem less serious because "look at what Jefferson did! All Presidents do things like that!"

I believe paternity has been proven by the fact that there is no record of Randolph being there during her conception times but Thomas Jefferson WAS there. He owned her. Her’s is the only family he freed.

So for me, it’s settled.

If you are arguing it from the standpoint that Jefferson was such a good man that he could never do that, then it seems to fly in the face of logic to believe that on his brother’s I frequent visits that Jefferson would allow him to rape his maid and that each and every time produced a baby.