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Sarah "Sally" Hemings (c. 1773 – 1835) was a female enslaved person with one-quarter African ancestry who was enslaved by president of the United States Thomas Jefferson, one of many he inherited from his father-in-law, John Wayles. Hemings' mother was Betty Hemings, the daughter of an enslaved woman and an English captain, John ...
Learn about the life of Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman who bore children by Thomas Jefferson, her owner and master. Explore her childhood, time in Paris, return to Virginia, and legacy at Monticello.
Jan 28, 2010 · Sally Hemings was an enslaved woman who had a longstanding relationship with Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. Learn about her life, children, descendants and the DNA evidence that supports their paternity.
- 4 min
Jun 27, 2024 · Sally Hemings was an American slave who was owned by U.S. Pres. Thomas Jefferson and is widely believed to have had a relationship with him that resulted in several children. (Read Joseph Ellis’s Britannica essay on the Sally Heming’s affair.)
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Jun 16, 2018 · June 16, 2018. CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Hundreds of people count themselves as descendants of Thomas Jefferson. And their numbers grew substantially after a DNA test in 1998 bolstered the case...
- Farah Stockman
Learn about the historical controversy and evidence surrounding the alleged relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman at Monticello. Find out how DNA testing, historical documents, and oral accounts support or challenge the claim that Jefferson fathered her children.
Sally Hemings (1773-1835) was an enslaved woman who had six children with Thomas Jefferson, four of whom survived to adulthood. She was Jefferson's property from 1774 and accompanied him to France in 1787, where she served as his daughter's maid.