Why Randolph Jefferson Emerges as a Prime Candidate in the Jefferson–Hemings Paternity Question

 

7. 👪 Sally Hemings was not necessarily monogamous

8. 🏛️ Randolph Jefferson’s post-birth behavior raises reasonable questions

9. ⛓️‍💥 Jefferson’s decisions about freedom do not prove paternity

10. 🩺 Age, health, and demonstrated fertility favor Randolph Jefferson

11. ⚖️ Why the case was closed prematurely


1.🧬 The DNA did not point to Thomas Jefferson — it pointed to multiple Jefferson males


Claiming that the 1998 DNA study “proved” Thomas Jefferson’s paternity overlooks a basic fact: no DNA from Thomas Jefferson himself was ever tested.

Because Jefferson had no surviving sons, researchers relied on Y-DNA from other Jefferson males. That result was consistent with more than twenty Jefferson family males who were alive at the time, eight of whom lived within a horse ride of Monticello, including Randolph Jefferson. In fact, the authors clarified in a follow-up article that “It is true that men of Randolph Jefferson’s family could have fathered Sally Hemings’ later children…. Thomas Jefferson can neither be definitely excluded nor solely implicated in the paternity of illegitimate children with his slave Sally Hemings.”

Summary:
The DNA narrowed the field (for one Hemings child); it did not close the case.

  • Nature (5 Nov. 1998) — Eugene A. Foster et al., “Jefferson Fathered Slave’s Last Child”

    • What it is:

      The original DNA article with the inaccurate headline.

    • Why it matters:

      The article’s own diagram shows no DNA data for Thomas Jefferson; the tested DNA came from Jefferson’s uncle. Randolph Jefferson and his sons are not mentioned as candidates in the article or diagram.

    👉 Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/23835

    ⬇️Download PDF - Nature: Jefferson Fathered Slaves Last Child - 5 Nov 1998

    Nature (7 Jan. 1999) — Foster response to critiques

    • What it is:

      Follow-up clarification responding to scientific criticism.

    • Why it matters:

      The authors acknowledge that Randolph Jefferson was missing from the first article as a candidate, the article’s title was inaccurate, and other possibilities exist for the DNA match.

    ⬇️Download PDF - Nature: The Thomas Jefferson Paternity Case - 7 Jan 1999

2.🧬 Randolph Jefferson was excluded by design, not ruled out by evidence


Although Randolph Jefferson and his sons were known to the lead author before publication, their DNA was never gathered or tested, and they were omitted from the published analysis.

Contemporaneous reporting confirms that alternative Jefferson males — including Randolph — were dismissed as “unlikely” due to what the researchers described as an “absence of historical evidence,” rather than being investigated.

Note: It has not been established whether all co-authors were informed by the lead author (Eugene Foster) of Randolph Jefferson’s candidacy until after publication.


Summary:
Randolph Jefferson was dismissed without being examined.

  • Washington Post (1 Nov. 1998) — “DNA Test Finds Evidence of Jefferson Child by Slave”

3.📅 Randolph Jefferson was at Monticello at the right time


Randolph Jefferson was invited to deliver grass seed purchased by Jefferson and to join their visiting sister at Monticello approximately nine and a half months before the birth of Eston Hemings, placing him there during the conception window.


Summary:
Presence at the right time makes Randolph a legitimate candidate.

  • Thomas Jefferson → Randolph Jefferson Letter (1807)

    • What it is:

      Jefferson’s written invitation to Randolph Jefferson.

    • Why it matters:

      Documents Randolph’s presence at Monticello at the relevant time.

    👉 Link: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/99-01-02-6159

    The Jefferson-Hemings Controversy: Report of the Scholars Commission (pp. 223-227)

    • What it is:

      An examination of the invitation to Monticello and presence of Randolph Jefferson for the conception of Eston Hemings.

    • Why it matters:

      Establishes Randolph’s presence and addresses dismissals and counter arguments.

    ⬇️Download PDF - Scholars Commission Report

4.👁️ Monticello Overseer Edmund Bacon’s eye-witness testimony points away from Jefferson


Monticello Overseer Edmund Bacon — the only person who ever claimed to personally observe Sally Hemings’ paramour — testified that it was not Thomas Jefferson but another man that he saw leaving her room many mornings on his way to work:

“She was not his daughter; she was ___’s daughter. I know that. I have seen him come out of her mother’s room many a morning when I went up to Monticello very early.”

Monticello dismisses this because Bacon was not present at the conception period of Sally Hemings’ earlier daughter Harriet, but that does not negate what he personally witnessed. Importantly, Bacon was present during Eston Hemings’ conception period. He was observing a pattern and applying it to Sally Hemings’ earlier child.


Summary:
Proper consideration should be given to the only eye-witness testimony, which implicates a man other than Thomas Jefferson.


5.👥 “Conception windows” prove presence only, not paternity


Thomas Jefferson was the patriarch, host, and constant center of attention. Monticello functioned as a busy household filled with family members, guests, and staff when Jefferson himself was present. As one author points out:

“The logistics of carrying on an extensive affair under the noses of two adult daughters and the crushing crowd of grandchildren stretches credibility. There is no record that any of the overwhelming number of visitors (sometimes as many as 50 a night) ever detected so much as a slip of the tongue, a movement, expression, or any other indication of anything illicit.”

The “conception window” argument shows only Jefferson’s overlapping presence, not privacy, opportunity, or exclusivity. In that environment, a visiting male relative could step away unnoticed far more easily than Jefferson himself.


Summary:
Presence at Monticello does not establish paternity when multiple men were frequently present.


6.🎻 Randolph Jefferson crossed social boundaries Thomas Jefferson did not


Sources describe Randolph Jefferson as:

  • coming “out among black people [to] play the fiddle and dance half the night”

  • mixing freely with his own slaves

  • rumored to have fathered “colored children”

  • susceptible to influence from others

  • mixing with militia friends who had acknowledged interracial relationships with Monticello slaves, including Sally Hemings’ sisters

This behavior is well documented and markedly different from Thomas Jefferson’s conduct. A man who regularly socialized with enslaved people without Jefferson’s scrutiny would have had greater freedom of movement and privacy.


Summary:
Randolph’s social behavior made intimate relationships with slaves more plausible.

  • Memoirs of a Monticello Slave (Ch. 20)

    • What it is:

      First-person memoir by an enslaved man that describes life at Monticello.

    • Why it matters:

      Describes Randolph’s conduct directly: “Old Master’s brother, Mass Randall, was a mighty simple man: used to come out among black people, play the fiddle and dance half the night…”

    ⬇️Download PDF - Memoirs of a Monticello Slave by Isaac Jefferson


    Jefferson Vindicated (pp. 52–60)

    • What it is:

      Examines Randolph Jefferson and other Jefferson-male alternatives for paternity of Eston Hemings

    • Why it matters:

      Compiles evidence of Randolph’s conduct and reputation.

    ⬇️Download PDF - Jefferson Vindicated by Cynthia H. Burton


7.👪 Sally Hemings was not necessarily monogamous


Pulitzer Prize-winning African-American historian Annette Gordon-Reed advanced a theory that Sally Hemings was in a monogamous relationship with Thomas Jefferson based on her understanding of historical data. "That Sally Hemings conceived no children during Jefferson’s long absences from Monticello suggests monogamy on her part."  (Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy, p. 115.)    

However, the Hemings' women were known to have multiple fathers to their children. Sally Hemings' son Madison Hemings claimed that his grandmother, Betty Hemings had children with at least four different men: “She had seven children by white men and seven by colored men—fourteen in all.” Some of Sally’s sisters also had children by multiple fathers. There is no historical basis for assuming Sally Hemings had a single sexual partner, and other suspects for paternity need to be considered for a thorough investigation.  

In the 1998 study, DNA excluded the Carr nephews only for Eston Hemings — not for Sally Hemings’ other children such as Madison Hemings. Jefferson’s grandchildren maintained that the father of Sally Hemings' children was Peter Carr, who even confessed on more than one occasion. Peter Carr was only 2–3 years older than Sally Hemings, grew up at Monticello with her, and later lived within a horse ride of Monticello.


Summary:
Monogamy is an assumption, not an established fact — and assumptions cannot substitute for proof.

  • The Jefferson-Hemings Controversy: Report of the Scholars Commission (pp. 86 – 89)

    • What it is:

      Analysis of Hemings family patterns

    • Why it matters:

      Shows that many Hemings women were not monogamous, and cautions against asserting monogamy and ruling out other possibilities of inquiry.

    ⬇️Download PDF - Scholars Commission Report


    Jefferson Vindicated (pp.110-112)

    • What it is:

      Examines promiscuity at Monticello

    • Why it matters:

      Establishes that there were patterns of promiscuity particularly in the wider Hemings family, and it is unrealistic to assert Sally Hemings was monogamous.

    ⬇️Download PDF - Jefferson Vindicated by Cynthia H. Burton

8. 🏛️ Randolph Jefferson’s post-birth behavior raises reasonable questions


Randolph Jefferson:

  • Appeared uninvited at Monticello six days after Eston Hemings’ birth

  • Sought Thomas Jefferson’s help in drafting his will

  • Ensured that inheritance passed only to the children of his first marriage, excluding any others

Taken together, the timing and subsequent drafting of his will present a sequence that warrants examination rather than dismissal.


Summary:
Post-birth conduct invites further scrutiny.

  • The Jefferson-Hemings Myth (p.34)

    • What it is:

      Assessment from Herb Barger, Jefferson Family Historian and assistant to the 1998 DNA study.

    • Why it matters:

      States the key sequence directly: “Randolph was also present at Monticello on May 27, 1808, exactly six days after Eston’s birth on May 21. Thomas drafted Randolph’s will on that date, and Randolph may also have come to see his son, Eston.”

    ⬇️Download PDF - The Jefferson-Hemings Myth


    Jefferson Vindicated (pp.38, 210)

    • What it is:

      Documentary reassessment drawing on records, dates, and chronologies.

    • Why it matters:

      States the key sequence directly: “Less than a week after Eston was born, Randolph came to Monticello to have Jefferson help him prepare a new will leaving his entire estate to his five legitimate sons.” Also: “Randolph Jefferson’s Will dated 28 May 1808 and draft dated 27 May 1808 written at Monticello.”

    ⬇️Download PDF - Jefferson Vindicated by Cynthia H. Burton


9. 🏠 Jefferson’s decisions about freedom do not prove paternity


Claims that Jefferson uniquely favored Sally Hemings’ nuclear family do not withstand scrutiny.

Jefferson freed or assisted other enslaved people, including Sally Hemings’ brothers, often with greater resources such as tools, land, and housing, while Sally Hemings’ sons were assigned apprenticeships. Jefferson also stated that a major consideration in freeing enslaved people was whether they could safely integrate into white society. It is also plausible Jefferson acted to protect children he believed were fathered by his own male relatives.


Summary:
Jefferson’s actions reflect pragmatism and social realities — not proof of fatherhood.

10. 🧬 Age, health, and demonstrated fertility favor Randolph Jefferson


When Eston Hemings was conceived, Thomas Jefferson was 64 years old, while Sally Hemings was 36. Randolph Jefferson was 51, placing him substantially closer in age to Sally Hemings than Thomas Jefferson was.

In addition, Randolph Jefferson’s adult sons were approximately 19 to 26 years old when Eston Hemings was conceived, placing them squarely within their sexual prime during the relevant period. This further widens the pool of biologically plausible Jefferson males beyond Thomas Jefferson alone.

Thomas Jefferson’s later years were marked by declining health. By contrast, Randolph Jefferson remarried in his mid-50s and fathered a son, John Randolph Jefferson, shortly before his death — demonstrating continued virility at the very time Eston Hemings was conceived.


Summary:

Basic biological considerations matter. On age, health, and demonstrated fertility — including that of his sons — Randolph Jefferson represents a more plausible paternity candidate than Thomas Jefferson.

  • Jefferson Vindicated (pp.40 - 46)

    • What it is:

      Analysis of Thomas Jefferson’s health issues.

    • Why it matters:

      Shows periods of significant health decline during numerous conception windows.

    ⬇️Download PDF - Jefferson Vindicated by Cynthia H. Burton


    The Jefferson-Hemings Controversy: Report of the Scholars Commission (pp. 252 – 254)

    • What it is:

      An examination of Thomas Jefferson’s age and health

    • Why it matters:

      Documented health issues “greatly reduces the probability that Thomas Jefferson was more likely than his much younger brother or nephews (or someone else) to have fathered Eston Hemings.”

    ⬇️Download PDF - The Scholars Commission Report



11. ⚖️ Why the case was closed prematurely


The Jefferson–Hemings Paternity Issue did not resolve through the gradual accumulation and testing of evidence. Instead, an early judgment hardened into a conclusion based on significant omissions.

The 1998 DNA study was widely reported as decisive, even though:

  • Thomas Jefferson’s own DNA was not tested,

  • Randolph Jefferson and his sons were not tested,

  • and alternative Jefferson males were dismissed as “unlikely” without investigation.

Once the study was framed publicly as having “proved” Thomas Jefferson’s paternity, subsequent scholarship largely treated the matter as settled. This discouraged further inquiry, narrowed acceptable interpretations, and shifted the burden of proof onto dissenters rather than evidence.

As a result, unresolved questions — including the exclusion of viable candidates, the discounting of eye-witness testimony, and biological plausibility — were sidelined rather than addressed.


Summary:
The case closed not because the evidence was complete, but because an incomplete study was treated as conclusive.

  • The Jefferson-Hemings Myth (pp. 37 – 46)

    • What it is:

      Documentary and analytical review of how the 1998 DNA study was misinterpreted, misreported, and subsequently treated as historically conclusive.

    • Why it matters:

      Shows how tentative scientific findings were rapidly framed as definitive conclusions, before alternative Jefferson candidates, methodological limits, and conflicting historical evidence were fully examined.

    ⬇️Download PDF - The Jefferson-Hemings Myth (pp. 37-46)


    The Jefferson-Hemings Controversy: Report of the Scholars Commission (pp. 361 - 401)

    • What it is:

      Concluding analytical section assessing DNA evidence, historical testimony, and standards of proof.

    • Why it matters:

      Finds the evidence insufficient for a definitive paternity conclusion and explains how unresolved gaps and excluded alternatives were treated as settled.

    ⬇️Download PDF - The Scholars Commission Report


    Science (9 April 2004) — Lori Andrews, “Biohistory, Ethics, and the Law”

    • What it is:

      Scientific article on ethical and methodological limits of genetic history.

    • Why it matters:

      Confirms the DNA study could not resolve individual paternity.

    ⬇️Download PDF - SCIENCE (0 April 2004) “Biohistory, Ethics, and the Law” , Lori Andrews

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