Jefferson Descendants Nix Hemings Kin

AP/via Newsday ^ | May 5, 2002 | Michael Buettner

[Bonaparte]

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- An organization for descendants of Thomas Jefferson voted Sunday not to extend membership to descendants of one of Jefferson's slaves reputed to have borne several of his children.

The Monticello Association in a closed meeting decided to continue to restrict membership to Jefferson's descendants through his daughters Martha and Maria.

The group will continue to exclude descendants of Sally Hemings, a slave at Monticello with whom Jefferson has long been rumored to have had a sexual relationship.

[SuziQ]

Inbred people...ugh..

Flounder heads.

[CaptIsaacDavis]

The DNA evidence actually DESTROYED the case put forth by Marxist historians attempting to smear Jefferson. They had built their case almost entirely on a "proximity" scenario involving Hemmings' first child, which was born shortly after Jefferson returned from Paris. However, the study found that there was NO connection to the Jefferson line for that child. Did that get the coverage? No way... Instead, the absurd and improbable suggestion that an elderly Jefferson and 30ish Hemmings got together -- following years of public scandal involving malicious lies about the first Hemmings child and public and private denunciations of race-mixing by Jefferson. To believe the story is to believe that Jefferson was an unprincipled liar, which his life revealed him to be anything but! Kudos to the Jefferson estate for having the courage to stand up to this socialist realism!

[dodger]

NATURE, once among the finest scientific journals in the world, has indeed become an outlet of leftoid agit-prop. Still a lot of good science therein (mostly by default and legacy), but the staff are almost all hard Labour-Socialist-Communist.

[dodger]

They are denied entry into the Thomas Jefferson lineage because their descent is not proven. Skin color has little, if anything, to do with it. Indeed, the color argument probably LOWERED the bar for admission. There is no demonstrated lineal descent from TJ. Why then, but for PC color hysteria, should they be affirmed. My hubby's name is Thomas ... do we get in, too?

[UbIwerks]

NATURE, once among the finest scientific journals in the world, has indeed become an outlet of leftoid agit-prop. Still a lot of good science therein (mostly by default and legacy), but the staff are almost all hard Labour-Socialist-Communist.

The DNA evidence showed that some Jefferson sired Sally Hemmings's children. It doesn't conclusively prove that the third President did it.

It's believed that a nephew of Thomas Jefferson had an affair with Sally Hemmings.

Btw... does anyone remember when the Nature story about Hemmings and Jefferson came out? It was reported in the media right before the 98 congressional elections (to show that other Presidents were immoral like Clinton).

[Pearls Before Swine]

Aren't Sally Hemings' present day descendants white?

Who cares? My comment was tongue-in-cheek. The question of who is related to who may be amenable to genetic analysis. However, this isn't your average country club--if one branch of the family doesn't want to identify with the other, or doesn't even think they are related, whose business is it? Not the government's, certainly. Ours, only in the sense we might care about celebrity gossip.

[jackbill]

Aren't Sally Hemings' present day descendants white?

Actually, Sally Hemings was at least half-white herself. It is widely thought that she was the half-sister of Jefferson's wife.

[opinionator]

Any of Jefferson's legitimate descendants may procreate with members of any race. Therefore, in theory, this group may have members that are of mixed heritage.

[Pharmboy]

Agreed. I always defend TJ when they accuse him on l'affaire Hemings but I do not like the man because of his conduct during the RevWar (he was court martialed) and his rumor mongering and lie-spreading against Adams and ESPECIALLY General Washington.

[monkey]

Jefferson didn't fight in the Revolution; he was Governor of Virginia during most of it. He was never court-martialed. You may be thinking of Jefferson Davis, who was court-martialed early in his career.

[Pharmboy]

No sir--it is YOU who are mistaken, but you are certainly correct in that he "didn't fight in the Revolution." From http://www.americanpresident.org/KoTrain/Courses/TJ/TJ_In_Brief.htm:

During the Revolution, Jefferson served two years as governor of Virginia, barely escaping capture by British forces by fleeing to Monticello, his home. He was later charged with being a coward for not confronting the enemy.

And from http://sc94.ameslab.gov/TOUR/tjefferson.html:

In June 1779, Jefferson was elected governor of Virginia. His political enemies criticized his performance as war governor mercilessly. He was charged with failure to provide for the adequate defense of Richmond in 1780-81, although he knew a British invasion was imminent, and of cowardice and "pusillanimous conduct" when he fled the capital during the moment of crisis. In June 1781 he retired from the governorship. The Virginia assembly subsequently voted that "an inquiry be made into the conduct of the executive of this state." Jefferson was exonerated: in fact, the assembly unanimously voted a resolution of appreciation of his conduct. The episode left Jefferson bitter, however, about the rewards of public service.

[Xenalyte]

You called?

[EllaMinnow]

Jesse Jackson is busy having Andrew Jackson exhumed so DNA testing can be done. If Old Hickory is indeed an ancestor of the Reverend Jackson, said Reverend will commence lobbying to have his own mug on the $20.00 bill.

If this doesn't pan out, he's going after Stonewall -

[monkey]

Jefferson was no more court-martialed than Clinton was.

Court martial: a court consisting of commissioned officers and in some instances enlisted personnel for the trial of members of the armed forces or others within its jurisdiction

[ChaseR]

Very interesting post. Thank you.