If you thought DNA proved President Jefferson fathered a child of his slave -- think again! Fresh from Jefferson country, a local researcher sheds new light on the old legend. For the first time ever, the reader is introduced to the president's younger brother, Randolph Jefferson, and his sons. New findings that focus on the infamous, yet inconclusive DNA; Jefferson's health and his activities; accounts of witnesses; origin of the myth; and the possibility that Sally's children were fathered by other men carrying the Jefferson Y chromosome are discussed. Numerous sources are examined in an attempt to resolve ambiguities and to determine relevance and credibility. The author follows the Hemingses in their trek west revealing little-known facts about an extraordinary family in their fulfillment of the "American dream." Along with the most thorough examination of the Sally Hemings controversy to date, new discoveries and details are revealed as never before available to the general public. As the subtitle implies, this volume exposes "fallacies, omissions, and contradictions in the Hemings genealogical search." This book is a must-have reference for everyone interested in the stories behind the headlines of a unique slave family and their relationship to a great American president.
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About the Author
The author has a rich family history in early Albemarle County, Virginia and has been studying the historic neighborhood and its inhabitants for 30 years. James A. Bear, Jr., Emeritus Director and Curator of the Thomas Jefferson (Memorial) Foundation contributed the foreword for this effort. His 30-year tenure at Monticello produced significant research and numerous publications; but he is best known for his work as editor of Jefferson at Monticello and as co-editor of both Jefferson's Memorandum Books and The Family Letters of Thomas Jefferson.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Exceptional Work of Original Scholarship,
By
This review is from: Jefferson Vindicated - Fallacies, Omissions, and Contradictions in the Hemings Genealogical Search (Paperback)
When the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation issued a report in January 2000 concluding that Thomas Jefferson probably fathered all of Sally Hemings' children, I was shocked (because it seemed so out of character with what I had learned during decades of studying Jefferson) but assumed the issue was settled. After all, Sally's son Eston had been matched by DNA to a Jefferson father, and as a man of science Jefferson would want us to follow truth wherever it led us. Three months later, I was invited to join with a group of more than a dozen Jefferson scholars from around the country -- most of whom either had "distinguished" or "eminent" in their academic title, had held chaired professorships, or had at least chaired their department or its graduate studies program. Most have had books on sale at the Monticello gift shop. We all served as volunteers and without compensation.After a year-long inquiry in which we examined every argument we could find, to my great surprise we concluded with but a single very mild dissent that the story of a sexual relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings was probably false. We found that paternity advocates had altered key historical documents (changing as many as 13 words in a single sentence to totally reverse the original meaning), and that many of the arguments were based upon false "facts" and others that when placed in context disclosed no "special privileges" for Sally or her children (when compared to the treatment received by other descendants of Sally's mother, Betty Hemings). A very brief summary of some of our conclusions can be found here: http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=95000747 . I would add that, after our report was released to the media in April 2001, the American Political Science Association tried to set up a debate for their 2002 annual meeting on this issue, and not a single one of the prominent scholars who had endorsed the paternity theory (including Professors Joseph Ellis and Annette Gordon-Reed) was willing to defend that position in a debate. Most explained they had "moved on" to other issues. During this year-long inquiry it was my great good fortune to meet Cynthia Burton, a Virginia genealogist who for decades has been studying Jefferson's neighborhood. I have been a professor at Jefferson's University of Virginia for more than two decades, and I worked at prominent think tanks as early as 1971. I've known some truly brilliant people over those years. But I'm not sure I've met anyone, without advanced academic degrees, who was more of a natural scholar -- in the finest Jeffersonian tradition of pursuing truth wherever it may lead -- than Cynthia Burton. She has a genuine thirst for knowledge and a willingness to track down original materials that greatly exceeds that of most of the Ph.D. students I have taught or advised over the years. Some of her most valuable advice as an informal "consultant" during the work of the Scholars Commission was in shooting down or persuading me to moderate arguments that at first glance looked compelling. She pointed out numerous factual errors in the TJMF (in late 2000 re-named "Thomas Jefferson Foundation," dropping the word "Memorial" from its name) report -- including some that some of us had accepted as fact that strengthened the case against paternity. For example, the TJMF report asserted that Randolph Jefferson's youngest son was 17 when Eston Hemings was conceived (adding a seventh potential father carrying the Jefferson DNA who was likely at Monticello when Eston was conceived), but Ms. Burton's original research led her to conclude he was more likely about 11. The report of the Scholars Commission is scheduled to be released in November in book form: http://www.cap-press.com/books/1179 ; http://www.amazon.com/Jefferson-Hemings-Controversy-Report-Scholars-Commission/dp/0890890854/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1243450383&sr=1-2 . At present, I believe the single most useful volume on this issue is JEFFERSON VINDICATED, by Cynthia Burton. It is a wonderful example of how an individual who lacks advanced academic degrees but possesses a true thirst for knowledge and a commitment to pursuing the truth can make a real difference. And it puts to shame much of the modern "scholarship" on this issue written by prominent professors who have not bothered to do the kind of original research that characterizes Ms. Burton's volume. I highly recommend it. Prof. Robert F. Turner Chairman Jefferson-Hemings Scholars Commission (2000-2001)
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
JEFFERSON VINDICATED....." INDEED",
By
This review is from: Jefferson Vindicated - Fallacies, Omissions, and Contradictions in the Hemings Genealogical Search (Paperback)
The author, Cyndi Burton, was most fortunate in securing a forward by one of the most knowledgeable Jefferson historians alive today, Mr. James Adams Bear, Jr. Emeritus Director of Monticello. On his watch many revealing Jefferson books were published, among them the little known book, Thomas Jefferson and His Unknown Brother,(brother Randolph invited to Monticello exactly 9 months prior to Eston Hemings's birth), The Hemings Family at Monticello, the Jefferson Memorandum Books, the Family Letters of Thomas Jefferson, and others. And as author Burton says, "no curatorial research at Monticello has matched Bear's in magnitude." To write the forward for Cyndi Burton's "EXPOSE" is most corageous in a climate of political correctness and historical revisionism surrounding the Jefferson-Hemings DNA "fiasco." I know this because as a Jefferson family historian and assistant to Dr. E.A. Foster with the now infamous DNA Study, you the reader, have been "CONNED" and mislead prior to the publication of this very revealing book. NOTHING proves Thomas Jefferson guilty of fathering ANY slave child.Yes, I too am familiar with seemingly hundreds of e-mails between Dr. Foster and myself in which he was aware of OTHER Jeffersons, namely Randolph, younger brother of Thomas but according to him was unable to get permission from Nature Journal to put tham as possible suspects in the study, space limitations you know. Thus in the absence of this information Nature wrote the damning headline, Jefferson fathers slave's last child. The Carr brothers were the prime suspects in Dr. Foster's study and the "aim" of his study, when DNA eliminated them Nature knew of NO other Jefferson to suspect (they had not received any Foster information to the contrary), thus it just has to be THOMAS. A very scientific statement I must say. Mrs. Burton has expanded on many topics in great detail, not sensationalism or bias reporting and is a thorough and careful genealogist in the Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia area and knows of what she writes. It is time that the public becomes aware that Madison Hemings interview with Samuel Wetmore in the Pike County Republican is riddled with inaccuracies and this is a prime "piece of evidence" relied upon by the "he's guilty" crowd. You can read all about this article in this exciting book, but on just one claim that Madison Hemings claims to be named for James Madison upon the occasion of Dolley Madison's visit to Monticello on January 19, 1805 let us wander back. Close inspection of this claim would lead the reader to believe that Dolley Madison announces to her husband, James Madison, Secretary of State, and to President Thomas Jefferson (she was acting as his Hostess), that she is sorry that she has heard that a slave is to give birth to a MALE and she must name him after her husband. You will note that I stress MALE here because as we all know this was well before science was able to inform us of the sex of an unborn child. Never mind the severe winter, frozen rivers and roads she must be on her way. The Madison Papers indicate that the Madisons NEVER traveled to Virginia from Washington during the winter months. Thus, how are we expected to believe ANY of the suspect statements of Samuel Wetmore/Madison Hemings. A good account of this newspaper article, Jefferson denials of the rumors, and much more in detail are in this "nuts and bolts" study under the glare of the magnifying glass of a supurb researcher and author. My hat is off in salute to Cyndi Burton and James Bear, Jr. Yours will be also after reading this interesting account of all the lies, misinformation, and biased research to arrive at preconceived agendas. By all means if you are interested in your country's truthful history and especially that of Thomas Jefferson I urge you to please read this book.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New Light on Hemings-Jefferson Controversy,
By
This review is from: Jefferson Vindicated - Fallacies, Omissions, and Contradictions in the Hemings Genealogical Search (Paperback)
I chose five stars because of the author's original research. In my view as a Hemings-Jefferson paternity agnostic who has read both sides' arguments closely, that research in a variety of new sources has enabled the author to shed a substantial amount of new light on the controversy. I read this book carefully soon after it became available in Charlottesville, and I'm not surprised that former Monticello director James A. Bear, Jr., would endorse it by contributing its foreword. Any serious student of the controversy must read this book.Steven T. Corneliussen Poquoson, Virginia
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