The Hemings family lived in Virginia in the 1700s and 1800s. The family consisted of Elizabeth "Betty" Hemings and her children and other descendants. They were slaves with at least one ancestor who had lived in Africa and been brought over the Atlantic Ocean in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade . Some of them became free later in their lives. For part of their history, they were owned by the Eppes family, to the Wayles family, and to Thomas Jefferson . The Hemingses were the largest family to live at Jefferson's house, Monticello .
22-852: Hemings is a surname, and may refer to: American slavery Hemings family Elizabeth "Betty" Hemings (1735–1807), enslaved American Sally Hemings (1773–1835), enslaved by US president Thomas Jefferson who allegedly bore him 6 children Mary Hemings (1753-after 1834), American, ex-slave Martin Hemings (1755-after 1795), American, enslaved butler to Thomas Jefferson John Hemings (1776–1833), American, ex-slave Madison Hemings (1805–1877), son of ex-slave Sally Hemings Harriet Hemings (1801–1870), American, ex-slave Eston Hemings (1808–1850), American, ex-slave See also [ edit ] Hemmings Heming (disambiguation) [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with
44-522: A "mania" for naming their children after each other. Many of Thomas Jefferson's letters and other writings survive, so historians know more about the Hemingses who lived on Monticello than about many other slave families. Six of Elizabeth Hemings' children were Martha Jefferson's half-brothers and half-sisters because they had the same father: John Wayles. Robert and James Hemings helped Martha Jefferson and her daughters escape from British soldiers during
66-667: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Hemings family When he was interviewed, Madison Hemings told a historian that his grandmother Elizabeth's mother had been a fully African woman but he did not know whether she was born in Africa. She was owned by the Eppes family. Historians do not know for sure what her name was. Papers with the names of female slaves in the Eppes family list "Dinah," "Judy," "Abbie," "Sarah," "Parthenia," and others. Historian Annette Gordon-Reed said that there were many girls named "Thenia" in
88-509: Is historically best known as the father-in-law of Thomas Jefferson , the third president of the United States . Wayles married three times, with these marriages producing eleven children; only five of them lived to adulthood. Through Betty Hemings , a woman he enslaved, Wayles fathered six additional children, including Sally Hemings , who was the mother of six children by Thomas Jefferson and half-sister of Martha Jefferson . Wayles
110-525: The American Revolutionary War . Historians do not know whether the Hemings men thought of themselves as two men helping their sister and nieces, as two men helping their master's wife and daughters, as both, or as neither one. Thomas Jefferson trusted many people in the Hemings family. When he was away from Monticello, he would allow the Hemings men to leave, choose other people for whom to work, and keep all their wages, something which
132-411: The surname Hemings . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hemings&oldid=1083832505 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
154-488: The Eppes family owned Elizabeth Hemings even when she worked for the Wayles. Elizabeth Hemings lived as a house servant. Historians think that Elizabeth Hemings' job with the Wayles family was to help raise Martha Wayles , who would later marry Thomas Jefferson. After John Wayles' wife died, he made Elizabeth Hemings his concubine . They had a sexual relationship but he did not marry her or free her or her children, including
176-436: The Hemings family, and they might have been named after Parthenia, also spelled Parthena. But she also says that "Sally" is a nickname for "Sarah," and there were many girls named "Sarah" and "Sally" in the Hemings family too. According to Madison Hemings, Elizabeth Hemings' mother was an African woman and her father was an English sea captain named Hemings. The sea captain tried to buy Elizabeth Hemings from her owner when she
198-877: The Tidewater, where he obtained work creating legal documents. He was also a prosecuting attorney in Henrico County. In Virginia, Wayles became part of the planter elite. His plantation, called "The Forest", was located in Charles City County . Eventually becoming a slave trader , Wayles earned a fortune from the institution of slavery. He arranged for tobacco sales between planters in Virginia and buyers in Europe. In addition to these businesses, Wayles also worked as an agent for Farrell and Jones of Bristol , included performing debt collection . During
220-457: The children who were most likely fathered by Wayles. When Martha Wayles, at the time called Martha Skelton, married Thomas Jefferson, Hemings and many people in her family went with her to Jefferson's house at Monticello. Historians think Elizabeth Hemings took care of Martha Jefferson when she became sick and that she was present at her death. The Hemingses were known for pooling resources. They also had what historian Annette Gordon-Reed calls
242-439: The daughter of Colonel Francis Epps. She was a young widow. Their children were: The infant's 27 year-old mother died six days later on November 5, 1748. Secondly, Wayles married Tabitha Cocke, of Malvern Hill , also of the planter class. They had several children: Wayles' second wife died sometime between August 1756 and January 1760. On January 26, 1760, Wayles married his third wife, Elizabeth Lomax Skelton (she
SECTION 10
#1732776493797264-412: The death of his third wife, Wayles began a relationship with 26 year-old Betty Hemings. Betty already had four children: Mary, Martin, Betty Brown, and Nance. Wayles fathered six children with Betty Hemings. Children that were the offspring of enslaved persons and the slave owner were sometimes called " a shadow family ": As their mother was enslaved, the children were all born into slavery under
286-407: The outside world. Elizabeth Hemings' children with an unknown partner: Elizabeth Hemings' children with John Wayles: Elizabeth Hemings' children with Joseph Neilson, known: Elizabeth Hemings' children with Joseph Neilson, possible: John Wayles John Wayles (January 31, 1715 – May 28, 1773) was a colonial American planter , slave trader and lawyer in colonial Virginia . He
308-483: The period leading up to the Revolutionary War , the tobacco economy was unstable and laws made the tobacco trade difficult for Wayles to conduct tobacco trade and collect debts. The economic and legal constraints led to the "bankruptcy of the Virginia plantation system". Jefferson began legal work for Wayles in 1768. On May 3, 1746, Wayles married Martha Eppes (born on April 10, 1721, at Bermuda Hundred ),
330-651: The principle of partus sequitur ventrum , which had been part of the law since 1662. They were three-quarters European in ancestry and half-siblings to Wayles' daughters by his wives. Wayles was not known to acknowledge his children by Betty, nor did he free her or them in his will. To do so would have communicated his relationship with Betty and would have required a change in Virginia manumission laws at that time. He did, though, allow certain freedoms for his children. For instance his two oldest children were taught to read and write, allowed to earn their own money, and allowed to travel by themselves. The youngest boy, Peter,
352-524: Was a male member of the Eppes family, but historians do not know which one because they do not know when Elizabeth Hemings was born. One paper says "about 1735." It could have been either of two men, depending on which was still living at the time. Elizabeth Hemings lived at the Eppes family's house, which was called Bermuda Hundred , until 1746. That year, Martha Eppes married John Wayles . Elizabeth and other enslaved people went with Martha to Wayles's house as part of her marriage settlement . Technically,
374-523: Was born in the city of Lancaster on January 31, 1715. The young Wayles likely became aware of the burgeoning transatlantic slave trade and "its ability to make merchants rich". Wayles emigrated as a young man to the Virginia Colony , likely during the 1730s. Wayles received his licence to practice law in Virginia in 1741, entering into the profession the very same year. He began his legal career by traveling on horseback to plantations in
396-462: Was born. Even though he offered the owner a large sum, the owner refused to sell Elizabeth. He said he wanted to see what a half-white, half-African child would look like. Captain Hemings later tried to break into the Eppes' house and take his daughter away "by force or stealth," but someone told the owner about his plan. Captain Hemings left Virginia and disappeared from Hemings family lore. The man with whom Captain Hemings negotiated for his daughter
418-810: Was not required by Virginia state law. Normally, slave owners kept some or all of the money that a slave earned while working for someone else. Jefferson freed several people in the Hemings family but not all of them. Jefferson's writings mention that he had a conflict with Martin Hemings so intense that he decided to sell him, but did not actually do so before Hemings' death. Jefferson was not always happy to free his slaves. When Robert Hemings asked to buy his freedom, Jefferson said that Robert must have been lured away from him. After freeing Robert, Jefferson stopped letting his slaves travel so much. Historian Annette Gordon-Reed writes that she thinks Jefferson figured out that letting slaves live as if they were free made them want to be legally free. It also let them learn things about
440-423: Was the widow of Reuben Skelton, an older brother of Bathurst Skelton, his daughter Martha's first husband). The couple had no issue; she died on February 10, 1761. As part of the wedding settlement between John Wayles and Martha Epps, her parents gave the new couple an enslaved African-American woman and her young mixed-race daughter Betty Hemings , whose father was an English sea captain named Hemings. After
462-443: Was three years old when Wayles died. Hemings had two more children while she lived at Monticello named John and Lucy. John Wayles died at age 58 in 1773. He left substantial property, including many enslaved persons, but the estate was encumbered with debt. Upon Wayles' death, Betty Hemings and her six children with John Wayles were moved "without hesitancy" to Monticello to prevent the Hemings from being separated. The estate
SECTION 20
#1732776493797484-542: Was worth £30,000, but Wayles was in debt to Farrell and Jones for £ 11,000. Wayles' three sons-in-law, including Thomas Jefferson, decided to break up the estate and its debts. Martha and her husband Thomas Jefferson inherited the Willis Creek and Elk Hill plantations and a total of 135 enslaved persons, including members of the Hemings family. They also inherited £4,000 in debt. Jefferson and other co-executors of
#796203