Monticello Association Update
News for members of the Monticello Association
January, 1999
DNA Test Results
As most of you know, Dr. Eugene A. Foster, of Charlottesville, recently published the results of a study he completed to determine if any of Sally Hemings children could have been fathered by Thomas Jefferson. Dr. Foster concluded, according to an article in the British magazine Nature that Ms. Hemings last child, Eston, was almost certainly fathered by Mr. Jefferson. He also concluded that descendants of Ms. Hemings first child, Tom Woodson, almost certainly were not fathered by Mr. Jefferson, contrary to a popularly held belief dating back to the time of his presidency. The status of Ms Hemings' other children was not addressed.
Considerable media attention has been devoted to Dr. Foster's article with a concomitant focus on the Monticello Association. The media questions which affect the Association essentially boil down to, "Can Eston Hemings' (or any of Ms. Hemings) descendants be buried in the family graveyard at Monticello?" and "Can they join the Monticello Association?"
Executive Committee Meets
The Executive Committee of the Association met at Monticello on 6 December 1998 to consider the impact of Dr. Foster's study on the Association. V. Schackelford was invited to the meeting as was Dr. Dan Jordan, President of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation. Dr. Jordan advised the committee of actions the Foundation was taking in response to Dr. Foster's article. His press release of 2 November is included with this newsletter.
There were two principal outcomes of the meetings. First the committee agreed that the Association should get an independent legal review of the deed & covenants conveying the one-half acre addition to the graveyard in 1923. The purpose of the review is to determine if any of Mr. Jefferson's unacknowledged, out-of-wedlock off-spring are to be considered "descendants". Second the committee will seek an independent review of Dr. Foster's study. From the outset the committee has stated that it would accept the results of the study subject to further review if deemed appropriate. the committee has recent anecdotal evidence that several authorities have taken issue with the manner in which the study was conducted. Although the committee has no reason yet to doubt the accuracy of Dr. Foster's findings, they now feel that further independent verification is warranted. The Executive Committee plans to meet early in 1999 to discuss these 2 reviews.
Other Sources
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation maintains a world wide web page on the Internet which contains current data regarding Mr. Jefferson and studies relating to him. You may refer to that site for additional information regarding Dr. Foster's study and others relating to Ms. Hemings.
Association Newsletter
The executive committee has decided to periodically publish a newsletter to keep the membership abreast of activities affecting the Association. This is the first one. Tentatively we plan quarterly issues, however the schedule will depend somewhat on the existence of items and issues that affect the Association and its membership.