For the first time, two branches of Thomas Jefferson’s family tree – one black, one white – came together in May for the annual family reunion at Monticello Plantation, the ancestral Virginia estate.
Descendants of Jefferson’s slave and long-rumored mistress, Sally Hemings, were invited to attend because scientists said recent DNA tests showed that Jefferson fathered Hemings’ youngest son, Eston. The Hemings descendants have not, however, been formally recognized as family members by the Monticello Association, whose 700 members trace their lineage to one of Jefferson’s two daughters.
from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
