Sally Hemings

Sally Hemings was an enslaved African American woman born in Virginia around 1773 and held by Thomas Jefferson.

Sally Hemings was an enslaved African American woman born in Virginia around 1773 and held by Thomas Jefferson. She is widely believed to have had a long relationship with Jefferson and to have borne several of his children, a conclusion supported by historical and genetic evidence. She died in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1835.

Early life and family

Sally Hemings was born around 1773 in Charles City County, Virginia, British America, to an enslaved mother, Elizabeth Hemings. She grew up in the household connected to the Wayles and Jefferson families. Her family ties made her the half-sister of Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson.

Life with Thomas Jefferson

Hemings was enslaved by Thomas Jefferson and lived at Monticello. She worked in domestic roles. In 1787, she accompanied Jefferson's daughter to France. While in Paris as a teenager, she was legally free under French law and negotiated conditions before returning to Virginia.

Relationship and children

Accounts from Monticello and later historical research indicate that Hemings bore children fathered by Jefferson. Historical and genetic evidence supports the conclusion that Jefferson fathered her children. Her children Beverly, Harriet, Madison, and Eston Hemings survived to adulthood.

Later life and legacy

After Jefferson's death, Hemings lived in Charlottesville with some of her children. She was never formally emancipated in Virginia, but she lived in relative freedom. She became a central figure in discussions of slavery, power, family, and the history of the Jefferson household.