Hemings, Sally

1. A slave who was owned by Thomas Jefferson. Based on recent evidence from DNA and from the timing of Jefferson's visits to Monticello, most scholars now think it probable that Jefferson, a widower, was the father of one and possibly more of her four surviving children.

The allegation that Jefferson had a slave mistress circulated among his political opponents during his life and has long been voiced by many African-Americans. Until recently, most historians dismissed it because there was no corroborating evidence.

Example Sentences

For the descendant community, it gets a little old: “Sally Hemings. Sally Hemings.”

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He was also the great-grandson of Elizabeth Hemings, Sally Hemings’s mother.

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