Son of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings (1808–1856)
Eston Hemings Jefferson
Born
Eston Hemings
May 21, 1808
Monticello, Virginia, U.S.
Died
January 3, 1856 (aged 47)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Occupation(s)
Carpenter, musician
Spouse
Julia Ann Isaacs
(m. 1832)
Children
3, including John Wayles Jefferson
Parent(s)
Sally Hemings Thomas Jefferson
Relatives
Beverly Hemings (brother), Harriet Hemings (sister), Madison Hemings (brother)
Eston Hemings Jefferson (May 21, 1808 – January 3, 1856) was born into slavery at Monticello, the youngest son of Sally Hemings, a mixed-race enslaved woman. Most historians who have considered the question believe that his father was Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States.[1] Evidence from a 1998 DNA test showed that a descendant of Eston matched the Jefferson male line, and historical evidence also supports the conclusion that Thomas Jefferson was probably Eston's father.[1][2][3][4] Many historians believe that Jefferson and Sally Hemings had six children together, four of whom survived to adulthood.[5] Other historians disagree.[6]
Jefferson freed Eston and his older brother Madison Hemings in his will, as they had not yet come of age at his death. They each married and lived with their families and mother Sally in Charlottesville, Virginia, until her death in 1835. Both brothers and their young families moved to Chillicothe, Ohio, to live in a free state, where Eston Hemings earned a living as a musician and entertainer.
In 1852 Eston moved with his wife and three children to Madison, Wisconsin, where they changed their surname to Jefferson and entered the white community. Their sons both served in the Union Army, and the older one, John Wayles Jefferson, achieved the rank of colonel. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee, becoming a wealthy cotton broker and never married.
Eston's other children, Beverly and Anna Jefferson, married into the white community, and their descendants have identified as white. Beverly Jefferson's five sons were educated and three entered the professional class as a physician, attorney, and manager at the railroad.[7] One of their male-line descendants was tested in the 1998 DNA study that found the link to the Jefferson-male line.[2]
^ ab"Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: A Brief Account". Monticello Foundation. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
^ ab"Genetic Study Proves Jefferson Did Father Child with His Slave". The Post-Crescent. November 1, 1998. p. 8. Retrieved April 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^Jordan, Daniel P. "Statement on the TJF Research Committee Report on Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings". Monticello Foundation. Archived from the original on 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
^Stanton, Lucia. "Appendix H: Sally Hemings and Her Children: Information from Documentary Sources". Monticello Foundation. Archived from the original on 2008-07-15. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
^"Sally Hemings « Thomas Jefferson's Monticello". Archived from the original on 2012-10-20.
^Turner, Robert F., ed. (February 2011) [2001]. "The Jefferson-Hemings Controversy: Report of the Scholars Commission" (PDF). Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society / Carolina Academic Press. Retrieved August 31, 2022. The question of whether Thomas Jefferson fathered one or more children by his slave Sally Hemings is an issue about which honorable people can and do disagree. After a careful review of all of the evidence, the commission agrees unanimously that the allegation is by no means proven; and we find it regrettable that public confusion about the 1998 DNA testing and other evidence has misled many people. With the exception of one member, whose views are set forth both below and in his more detailed appended dissent, our individual conclusions range from serious skepticism about the charge to a conviction that it is almost certainly false.
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