DNA from Thomas Jefferson’s hair, compared with samples from living descendants of Sally Hemings’ sons, showed a 99.9% chance he fathered a child with the woman he enslaved, researcher Richard Kurin told TODAY. The result adds to earlier evidence.
The hair came from Monticello’s collection and was labeled as cut on July 4, 1826, the day Jefferson died. A previously tested hair found in his Bible was not his. A 1998 study linked male-line descendants of Hemings’ son Eston to the Jefferson male line but could not distinguish Thomas from his male relatives. In 2018, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation called Jefferson’s paternity a settled historical matter, citing DNA, family testimony and records placing him at Monticello during likely conception periods. Madison Hemings identified Jefferson as his father in an 1873 account.
Hemings descendant Mary Brady-Atkins objected to the book appearing before journal publication and withdrew her DNA sample. Researchers said they removed her data without materially changing the findings; NPR reported Sept. 22 that the scientific paper remained under review.
