21. Sarah ” Sally” Hemings
Sarah Hemings, commonly known as Sally, is most famous for being the suspected mistress of scholar, diplomat and founding father Thomas Jefferson. Born sometime in 1773 she arrived on the plantation at Monticello as an infant with her mother and other siblings as slaves to Jefferson’s wife, Martha. Sally is also suspected to be the half-sister of the woman who owned her. Sally and her siblings were slaves despite being of European lineage. They trained in the arts and for domestic servitude instead of working in the fields. Though the Jefferson’s essentially raised her, her relationship with Thomas changed following the death of his wife, Martha in 1782.
During this time period, it was common for white slave owners to have sexual relations with their slaves. Therefore it is not totally outlandish to believe that Jefferson took advantage of this custom. While she lived at Monticello she gave birth to a total of 6 children, 3 of which who survived to adulthood. From the time the children were born, there have been rumors that Jefferson fathered all of the children. DNA testing confirmed a match between Jefferson and Heming’s son Easton in 1998. Jefferson also set Sally and her children free eventually. He did not grant this reprieve to any of his other slaves. There is still debate surrounding this issue. However, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation supports these findings and accepts the theory that Thomas Jefferson did, in fact, have children with Sally.