After 150 Years of Uncertainty…
American historian Annette Gordon-Reed published a book in 1997 which analysed the Jefferson-Hemings controversy, and the flaws in the “accepted truth.” Her scrutiny of the historiography of the saga found that 19th century historians had merely accepted assumptions without further investigation. They dismissed the Hemings family’s testimony as “oral history”, deeming Jefferson’s family testimony as the only truth. The story which had been propagated by the Jefferson’s was that the father of Hemings’ children was Peter Carr. However, the 1998 DNA analysis showed there was no match between the Carr line, and the Hemings’ descendant who was tested.
The breakthrough you ask? That there was a match between the Jefferson male line and Eston Hemings’ descendant! Eston was Sally’s youngest son, and his DNA was the link which shed light on the astounding controversy, proving that the Carr story was a fabrication, and, revealing the absolute truth that Thomas Jefferson did indeed have intimate relations with a slave. Not just once, either. Two decades later, archaeologists today were to discover a long-hidden secret that provided an even bigger revelation of her life.
What Happens in Paris, Doesn’t Stay in Paris
Ah Paris…the city of love. Not the city of teenage pregnancy. It was in Paris that historians agree Jefferson began a sexual relationship with the young Hemings. He was in his mid-40s, and she was barely 16. It was at this time that, according to Hemings’ son Madison, Hemings became pregnant by Jefferson. The pair returned to the U.S. in 1789, and it seems that the child she bore was not the only one that would call Jefferson “father.”
Sally went on to have six children following her return from Europe, and reports from the time suggest that they were indeed all Jefferson’s due to the strong features and strong resemblance to their father. This relationship was kept extremely discreet; any sort of relations with a slave would be scandalous, particularly against the name of a man running for the position of President. It was not until over 20 years later that the facts would come to light, and the controversy would come to the fore.
Unproven Allegations
Come the spring of 1802. After 20 years, the “Jefferson-Hemings controversy” was born. One of Jefferson’s opponents, James T. Callender, published a report which smeared his reputation, after reports of several light-skinned slaves at the Monticello plantation. Jefferson never denied the allegation publicly, nor did he divulge the father of Hemings’ children in his detailed “Farm Book.” However, his family attempted to hush the story in later years, denying Jefferson’s hand in the controversy.
The children he allegedly fathered who survived into adulthood were freed once they were of age, which nigh confirmed the rumours that he was indeed their biological father. His family once again, as well as historians to this day, vehemently deny the paternity allegations. It was not until 150 years later, when historians began reanalysing the evidence, that a new piece of information would subvert the accepted truth.
A Monumental Discovery
For over 90 years, Monticello has been lovingly maintained and restored by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. It is frequently subject to the probing of historians, archaeologists and the general public alike. However, in 2017, said probing was fruitful. During a dig, archaeologists, in their restoration efforts, discovered a piece of the puzzle which had eluded them for quite some time. They discovered the concealed living quarters of Sally Hemings! Their excavation was initially proposing to uncover the original layout of the Monticello plantation’s Southern Wing, however they definitely stumbled across something much more exciting.
Despite several decades’ worth of work, the room had remained untouched and undiscovered. Something which had slipped through the fingers of social scientists had finally made itself known, and was a discovery which set the nation aflame once again with the headlines of the Jefferson-Hemings controversy.
Hidden in Time
It was extremely fortunate that the archaeological team came across the room, particularly owing to the fact that the southern Pavilion of the estate had been subject to a large number of changes, both during and after Jefferson’s lifetime. A museum had been constructed and many people had passed on through (and above) the hidden living quarters. You may think; how did a whole room just disappear?
Well, in 1941, the installation of a modern bathroom concealed the room, completely covering any trace of an opening. Again in the 1960s, the bathroom underwent a renovation to accommodate the increasing number of guests at Monticello. Even still, the changes did not reveal Hemings’ long-lost living quarters. The point which alerted archaeologists, and motivated them to dig deeper (literally), came to them in a most surprising fashion.