America’s Shameless Desecration of The Grave of Thomas Jefferson's, Sally Hemings

Sally Hemings was a slave and Black American mother owned by Thomas Jefferson ...

America's Shameless Desecration of The Grave

of Thomas Jefferson's Sally Hemings --

The Original Salt-n-Pepper Couple

And One of America's Founding Mothers

Written By Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn de Graham

Copyright © 2025 Marvin Thomas Cox

DBA: Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn de Graham

All Rights Reserved

Author’s preliminary note; For the sake of NOT REWRITING history already written and verified true and factual, this article is basically comprised of excerpts as evidence from two established and trusted sources:  History.com and 

the late, journalist and author, Christopher Hitchens’ excellent book, titled, Author of America Thomas Jefferson.

The following is an attempt to share a very little and seldom known fact about our nation which most all Americans will find themselves ashamed to learn of in regards our nation’s shameful treatment of one of America’s founding mothers.

Select Excerpts From History.com:

“ ...Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States (1801-1809), was born on a large Virginia estate run on slave labor. His marriage to the wealthy young widow Martha Wayles Skelton in 1772 more than doubled his property in land and enslaved workers.

In his public life, Jefferson made statements describing Black people as biologically inferior and claiming that a biracial American society was impossible. Despite those public comments, strong evidence has led historians to conclude that Jefferson had a longstanding relationship with an enslaved woman named Sally Hemings, and the two had as many as six children together … “

“Who Was Sally Hemings?”

“… Sally Hemings (her given name was probably Sarah) was born in 1773; she was the daughter of Elizabeth (Betty) Hemings, and her father was allegedly John Wayles, Thomas Jefferson’s father-in-law. She came into Jefferson’s household as part of his inheritance from the Wayles estate in 1774, and as a child probably served as a nurse to Jefferson’s younger daughter, Mary (Maria). In 1787, Jefferson was serving as American minister to France when he sent for his daughter to join him, and 14-year-old Sally accompanied eight-year-old Mary to Paris, where she attended both Mary and Mary’s elder sister, Martha (Patsy). Sally returned with the family to their Virginia home, Monticello, in 1789, and seems to have performed the duties of a household servant and lady’s maid...”

“Rumors of a Relationship”

“… Rumors of a relationship between the widowed Jefferson (his wife Martha died in 1782, after a difficult delivery of the couple’s third daughter) and one of his enslaved workers circulated in Virginia society for years: Sally’s several children looked to be fathered by a white man, and some had features resembling Jefferson’s. In 1802, a less-than-reputable journalist named James Callender published an accusation of the affair in the Richmond Recorder. Jefferson had hired Callendar to libel John Adams in the 1800 presidential election, and Callender had expected a political appointment in the bargain; when he didn’t get it, he struck back at Jefferson in print, hoping to cause a scandal and hurt Jefferson’s chances for reelection (he was unsuccessful).

The supposed “Tom and Sally” liaison hovered in the background for much of the 19th century, threatening Jefferson’s heralded reputation as one of the most idealistic of the founding fathers. In 1873, Sally’s son Madison (born in 1805) gave an interview to an Ohio newspaper claiming that Jefferson was his father as well as the father of the rest of Sally’s children. Israel Jefferson, a formerly enslaved man from Monticello, verified this claim. In 1894, James Parton’s biography of Jefferson repeated a long-running story within the Jefferson and Randolph families (Jefferson’s mother was a Randolph) that Jefferson’s nephew Peter Carr had admitted that he himself was the father of all or most of Sally Hemings’ children...”

“Gathering Evidence”

“… In the second half of the 20th century, the historian Winthrop Jordan added new fuel to the fire, arguing in a 1968 book that Sally Hemings became pregnant only when Jefferson was in residence at Monticello. This fact was significant, as he was away fully two-thirds of the time. Jordan’s work sparked a new, more critical phase of Jefferson scholarship in which sought to reconcile Jefferson’s reputation as a principled lover of democracy with his admitted racism and the negative views he expressed about African Americans (common to wealthy Virginia planters of the time).

In November 1998, new biological evidence surfaced, in the form of a DNA analysis of samples from Field Jefferson, a living descendant of Jefferson’s paternal uncle, and from Eston Hemings (born in 1808). The analysis showed a perfect match between Y-chromosomes -- a match with less than one in a thousand chance of being random coincidence. The same study compared DNA between the Hemings line and descendants of Peter Carr’s family, revealing no match. Though the study established probability and not certainty (though several of Jefferson’s male relatives certainly shared that male Y-chromosome, none of them were present at Monticello nine months before each time Sally gave birth), it lent new legitimacy to Madison Hemings’ long-ago claims that Jefferson fathered Madison and his siblings...”

Evidence and Consensus

“… In January 2000, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation accepted the conclusion, supported by DNA evidence, that Jefferson and Sally Hemings had at least one and probably six offspring between 1790 and 1808. Though most historians now agree that Jefferson and Hemings had a sexual relationship, debate continues over the duration of that relationship and, especially, over its nature. Admirers of Jefferson are inclined to see his relationship with Hemings as a love affair, despite his public statements about race. Others view Jefferson's relationship with Hemings -- who was enslaved by the Founding Father -- as predatory and hypocritical, given Jefferson's writings on freedom and equality… “

A damning and little known fact, as per the late Christopher Hitchens, within his book Author of America Thomas Jefferson:

"... Sally Hemings (whose grave now lies somewhere under the parking lot of the Hampton Inn at Charlottesville) as one of our Republics Founding Mothers ...”

Ask yourself a question to which the answer is easily found within ever so many old episodes of classic television westerns:

How did Native Americans react to settlers violating their burial grounds and/or the graves of their people?

"The Native American Graves Repatriation Act (NATPRA) creates a comprehensive federal statutory scheme to protect Native American graves and accord human remains and objects of cultural patrimony "dignity and respect."  To further the statute's objectives, NAGPRA requires both federal agencies and museums to identify Native American human remains and objects of cultural patrimony in their collections and return those remains to either lineal descendants or tribal governments.  NAGPRA's reach extends beyond museum collections, however, the statute also protects undisturbed Native burial sites by strictly regulating both the intentional and inadvertent discovery of human remains."

When, exactly, was the Hampton Inn constructed in Charlottesville, Virginia?

"The Hampton Inn is located at 900 West Main Street in Charlottesville. It was built in 1997."

Why is it that the late Sally

Hemings was not given the

respect, courtesy, dignity,

honor regarding her final

resting place as were and

are Native Americans?

Answer?  Racism against

Blacks in America continues

to reign supreme in matters

of everyday life -- even that

of the grave.

Shame on America and

those in positions of power

who allowed -- not just the

defiling but the virtual

and literal covering and

hiding of her grave -- this

injustice to take place, and

today allow it to continue

to the shame and disgrace

of all who dare call

themselves Americans!

Sally Hemings, mother to six of

six of Thomas Jefferson's

Children

 

Author's Note

Evidential Footnote Proofs:

https://www.history.com/articles/sally-hemings

(https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Jefferson-Author-America-Eminent/dp/0060837063

https://lawreview.uchicago.edu/online-archive/defining-scope-burial-rights-under-native-american-graves-protection-and

https://www.cvillepedia.org/Hampton_Inn

Reviews

[Chris]

The first try at your email's link took me to a history quiz... I did a second try... same thing. The third try today brought me here. Interesting reading. I imagine there are many opinions out here reflecting a variety of viewpoints. Each opinion can and likely will be used by someone to label the maker with a social tag that will be used to denigrate or praise. I do not have more than minor empirical knowledge and won't comment on the personal or alleged personal activities of people gone two hundredish years ago. The major question I DO have and will ask is "what is documented that she personally did or accomplished to earn or be given a political title of 'Founding Mother of America' ? " Thomas Jefferson's actions are well known and documented. I am interested in knowing the answer to that question.

As to burial issues: a whole lot of people have had their "resting places" disturbed across the years - worldwide, some are even being disturbed in the name of Science and occasionally Politics - today. Others have been disturbed in the name of human activity - throughout all society. There have been a LOT of cemeteries created, lost, then refound - worldwide. A law was passed - here - specifically regarding our designated Native Americans. Perhaps another law regarding the rest of us could be supported and passed?