"The TJMF issued a report in January 2000 concluding that Thomas Jefferson probably fathered one if not all of Sally Hemings' children."
That quote from Herbert Barger (http://www.angelfire.com/va/TJTruth/background.html), the Jefferson Family Historian. You can read his spin on the DNA testing at that link. He adds that, "The truth is, they don't know." They were only able to conclude that one of Sally Hemmings offspring shared DNA with the Jefferson offspring, and that was Eston Hemings, her youngest son, who could have also been the son of any one of other Jefferson men around at the time, including Jefferson's sons.
The truth will probably never be known. Yet the truth also is that white men breeding with slaves happened all the time on plantations. And Thomas Jefferson's plantation was particularly known for having many red headed slaves running around. His own wifes father was notorious for breeding with his slaves, and Sally Hemmings was said to be only part black herself, that she resembled Jefferson's wife, and was most likely her half sister. Historians haven't been able to find any pictures of Sally Hemmings to confirm this, but they have found a reliable eyewitness description of her, and she was apparently quite beautiful, and white looking.
I personally believe that it is likely that Thomas Jefferson had children with Sally Hemmings.
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syntheid
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Date: 2003-12-15 05:53 pm (UTC)That quote from Herbert Barger (http://www.angelfire.com/va/TJTruth/background.html), the Jefferson Family Historian. You can read his spin on the DNA testing at that link. He adds that, "The truth is, they don't know." They were only able to conclude that one of Sally Hemmings offspring shared DNA with the Jefferson offspring, and that was Eston Hemings, her youngest son, who could have also been the son of any one of other Jefferson men around at the time, including Jefferson's sons.
The truth will probably never be known. Yet the truth also is that white men breeding with slaves happened all the time on plantations. And Thomas Jefferson's plantation was particularly known for having many red headed slaves running around. His own wifes father was notorious for breeding with his slaves, and Sally Hemmings was said to be only part black herself, that she resembled Jefferson's wife, and was most likely her half sister. Historians haven't been able to find any pictures of Sally Hemmings to confirm this, but they have found a reliable eyewitness description of her, and she was apparently quite beautiful, and white looking.
I personally believe that it is likely that Thomas Jefferson had children with Sally Hemmings.