OldSpeak

Book Review: Jefferson Vindicated: Fallacies, Omissions, and Contradictions in the Hemings Genealogical Search

By Dave Caddell
September 26, 2005

Jefferson Fathered Slave’s Last Child.
—Nature, November 5, 1998

…I would at this time only remark that as to the case of the lady there is not a gentleman in the U. States of either party who does not hold in detestation the pitiful propagation of so pitiful a tale.
—Letter by Robert Smith to Thomas Jefferson, July 4, 1805

In Jefferson Vindicated, Cynthia Burton offers convincing evidence for the absolution of Thomas Jefferson’s reputation, character and integrity. While providing a rich and insightful exploration into the history of Jefferson’s life and early 1800s party politics, Burton sets forth a compelling argument that undermines the thick layer of rumors surrounding Jefferson’s tarnished personal legacy—that he fathered the child of a slave, Eston Hemings. In addition to offering evidence of Jefferson’s innocence, Burton provides several potential theories as to who may have fathered Sally Hemings’s child. Burton unequivocally states that her motivation for writing this book was to defend Jefferson’s honor by presenting the fallacies, omissions and contradictions of this evolving legend. Although at times relying heavily on conjecture and circumstantial evidence, Burton provides credibility and persuasion for her “vindication” of Jefferson through detailed research and reasoning. With this book, she gives us a front-row seat into the day-to-day life of Thomas Jefferson through numerous records, writings and oral histories. 

This persuasive vindication of Jefferson’s character is a timely aftermath to shocking evidence providing truth to the claim that Jefferson carried on a relationship with Sally Hemings, including a recent DNA test proving that a Jefferson male fathered Hemings’s child. In a manner reminiscent of a relentless defense lawyer slashing the credibility of the prosecutor’s case, Burton destroys the relevance of the DNA test and conclusions of the many academics and experts who have weighed in on the matter. She fiercely penetrates the credibility of a publication regarding the DNA test released by Nature magazine in 1998 suggestively titled Jefferson Fathered Slave’s Last Child and similar conclusions drawn by the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation (TJMF), which is the leading authority on Jefferson history. In attempting to pave the road to truth, Burton calls into question the reasoning used by Helen F.M. Leary, whose genealogical analysis claims to prove that the Jefferson-Hemings legend is likely accurate. Despite the scientific and genealogical research claiming to prove the legend true, Burton provides her own independent presentation of the facts and rumors to dispel and undermine those attempts. 

In an effort to “set the record straight,” Burton presents a number of flaws in the various presentations purporting to establish evidence of the alleged Jefferson-Hemings relationship. Beginning with an assault on the relevance of the DNA test, Burton submits that the test is far from conclusive because the DNA was not taken from Thomas Jefferson or any of his descendants. Indeed, since Jefferson did not have a son to pass along his Y chromosome, blood was collected from descendants of Jefferson’s uncle (Field Jefferson), descendants of Jefferson’s Carr nephews and other test subjects for comparison. Moreover, only one descendent of Eston Hemings—Jefferson’s alleged son by Sally Hemings—was tested. And while the DNA tests conducted on the aforementioned blood samples confirm that Eston Hemings’ father was a Jefferson male, they do not prove that Thomas Jefferson was the father.

Burton continues her attack by analyzing the source of the “slanderous” rumors levied against Jefferson by claiming that the original attacks were alleged by political enemies of Jefferson while he was President, rather than credible witnesses to Jefferson’s habits and conduct. Burton’s claims here seem accurate since Federalists such as Alexander Rind (Loyalist turned Federalist) were notorious for disseminating anti-Jefferson rhetoric during this time. As an illustration of Burton’s relentless research, she points out that the first person to specifically assert that Jefferson had a relationship with a slave was James Thomas Callender—otherwise known as “Scandalmonger”—in his September 1, 1802 charge written in “The Recorder,” a Richmond, Virginia newspaper. 

As for the frequently cited assertion that Sally Hemings’ descendants had a striking resemblance to Thomas Jefferson, Burton simply dismisses the claim out of hand by pointing out that the DNA test already proves that a Jefferson male fathered Eston Hemings. But it is important to understand that a large group of men in Jefferson’s gene pool could have fathered Eston Hemings.

Even though all this evidence is striking, Burton goes on to provide a potentially devastating blow to the suggestion that Jefferson fathered Eston Hemings—a blow observed by both science and the freeing gates of common sense. Through her relentless research and some common sense, Burton illustrates that given Jefferson’s age, health and character, it is ridiculous to conclude that Jefferson was Eston Hemings’ father.  Foremost, it is inconsistent with modern medical research to suggest that Thomas Jefferson fathered a child at the age of 64—Jefferson’s age when Eston Hemings was born. As Burton points out, not only would this be unlikely today, it would be against overwhelming odds in the early 1800s. On top of Jefferson’s age, he suffered from severe bouts of rheumatism, which caused him unbearable pain in his back, legs and hips and severely restricted his mobility. Compounding his health problems even further is the fact that Jefferson seemed to suffer from severe urological problems, trauma to his urethra and probable impotence as a result of constant horseback riding.

As for Jefferson’s character, Burton claims that rumors of his liaison with a slave were an outright attack on Jefferson’s integrity and that Jefferson, through private correspondence, had unambiguously denied the charges more than once. In a letter written to Robert Smith, Jefferson’s Secretary of the Navy, Jefferson addressed the charges by assuring Smith that they were untrue. Accordingly, either Jefferson was a liar or the charges were the result of infectious political rhetoric designed to destroy his personal character. 

Like a veteran reporter, Burton’s curiosity and persistence were not satisfied by merely undermining the purportedly settled conclusion that Jefferson had a sexual affair with his slave. Instead, she brings to life the circumstances of Monticello as they have been passed down through time in the form of various writings and oral histories. Through these stories and testimonies, Burton submits that rather than Thomas Jefferson being the father of Eston Hemings, the probable candidate, among several, is Jefferson’s younger brother, Randolph Jefferson. Using the history made available by individuals who were present at Monticello during the early 1800s, Burton paints a portrait illuminating Randolph Jefferson as a man who partied with the slaves, drank a lot and maintained close friendships with other white men who had black mistresses. Significantly, Burton acknowledges the testimony of Edmund Bacon, the overseer of Monticello at the time, who claims to have witnessed a man—who was not Thomas Jefferson—leaving Sally Hemings’ room “many a morning.” In fact, in defense of Jefferson’s character, Bacon offered his own words to mark the legacy of Jefferson by declaring, “I have seen a great many men in my day, but I have never seen the equal of Mr. Jefferson. He may have had the faults that he has been charged with, but if he had, I could never find it out. I don’t believe that, from his arrival to maturity to the present time, the country has ever had another such a man.” 

Although the accuracy of this heavy claim is presently unknowable, Cynthia Burton, through her hard work and diligent effort, has done an admirable job of bringing balance to the discussion regarding the depth of the relationship Jefferson and Hemings shared, if any. Burton sheds fresh light on Thomas Jefferson’s character and integrity, while casting a dark shadow of doubt on the overwhelming weight of negativity about his personal life.  Although it is unlikely that anyone will ever know the real truth behind the alleged Jefferson/Hemings relationship, Burton presents a credible justification for her readers to do exactly what she intended—vindicate Jefferson.

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