sarah enslaved woman mixed race owned president believed long term relationship children record survived adulthood given freedom jefferson youngest siblings widowed mixed race slave siblings quarters european half siblings jefferson wife aged accompanied jefferson youngest daughter mary london paris widowed jefferson aged time serving united_states minister france spent years believed historians jefferson began sexual relationship france soon return slave jefferson house death historical question jefferson father children known controversy following renewed historic analysis late 20th century dna study found match jefferson male line descendant son near consensus historians jefferson fathered son probably children small number historians disagree children lived jefferson house slaves trained jefferson freed surviving children came age slave family freed jefferson seven european ancestry entered white society adults descendants identified white given time lived years freely younger sons virginia saw born house sons owned early life born slave father master mother betty daughter enslaved african english sea captain held referred tried buy refused mother daughter inherited francis daughter took personal servants marriage parents lancaster england martha death married widowed twice sources assert took slave children years life youngest half siblings daughters wives child named mother wife married young children quarters european ancestry fair skinned white maternal grandfather white paternal grandparents virginia slave law children born enslaved mothers considered slaves principle elizabeth children including children legally slaves fathers white masters children majority white ancestry died daughter martha jefferson inherited family total slaves estate acres land youngest child infant year years younger martha scholars noted mixed race children grew trained given assignments skilled domestic servants slave hierarchy children descendants mixed race privileged assignments worked fields paris appointed american envoy france took oldest daughter martha paris personal slaves older brother trained chef french cuisine jefferson left younger daughters care friends died jefferson sent surviving daughter year old live teenage slave chosen accompany france older slave pregnant journey originally jefferson arranged care nurse black woman safety letter according old nurse expected attended sick unable come girl letter june landed london stayed june july jefferson associate arranged transportation escorted girls paris letter jefferson june wrote girl child captain opinion little service better carry judge fond child appears good july wrote jefferson girl wants care child incapable looking properly direct remained france months slavery abolished country revolution jefferson paid wages james paris paid equivalent month comparison paid month month chef training french servants earned month end stay james money pay french tutor learn language learning french record lived jefferson brother convent girls maria martha weekday arrangements jefferson spent weekends villa jefferson purchased fine clothing suggests accompanied martha lady maid formal events french law james petitioned freedom revolutionary constitution france abolished slavery principle legal right remain france free person returned virginia jefferson slave according son madison memoir pregnant jefferson paris time agreed return united_states based promise free children reached age years strong ties mother siblings extended family probably drew return united_states returned united_states jefferson years old seven years shown jefferson father law wealthy virginia frequently took enslaved women historian noted unusual time jefferson choose white society simply expected men according child died soon return paris jefferson records survived purge note children return october december possibly named april unnamed daughter possibly named sister born died infancy possibly named january possibly named jefferson recorded slave farm book unlike practice recording slaves note father children documented duties included companion lady maid known left known writings described fair straight hair jefferson grandson described light colored decidedly good looking adult lived room south wing mansion accessible main house covered married slave marriage recognized virginia law slaves known taken partners common law marriages stable lives marriage noted records worked children nearby according son madison young children permitted stay great house required light work going age children began training brothers plantation skilled master spinner boys learned play violin jefferson played violin age ran away pursued sister followed year bacon said gave dollars north presumably join brother memoir published posthumously bacon said near white beautiful people said jefferson freed daughter said entered white society married hundreds slaves owned lifetime jefferson formally freed slaves older brothers robert buy freedom required train brother peter years freedom freed slaves males extended family including madison natural children female slave allowed free addition men petitioned legislature allow stay state documentation found emancipation jefferson married daughter informally freed elderly giving time historian noted withheld auction freed jefferson daughter course niece informal freedom allowed live virginia youngest sons nearby years death census recorded free white persons jefferson inherited great wealth young age bankrupt time died entire estate including slaves sold repay debts lived born house sons owned jefferson controversy jefferson controversy related question jefferson intimate relationship resulting children record controversy dates relationship jefferson reported enemies political journalist named noticed light skinned slaves jefferson publicly denied accusation late 20th century historians began body evidence published book american controversy analyzed historiography controversy demonstrating historians 19th century accepted early assumptions favored jefferson family testimony criticizing family testimony oral history failed note facts consensus began emerge results dna analysis showed match male line proposed years father descendant tested match jefferson male line descendant dna study historians concluded jefferson intimate long relationship fathered children survived adulthood runs conducted independent historic review scholars concluded jefferson probably father children article appeared science weeks dna study lead author dna study reported clear data establish candidates interview historian said change historical scholarship jefferson symbolically important people way inclusion said story way establishing black people america critics argued report reached different conclusions dna tests scholars expressed considerable skepticism conclusions report suggested jefferson younger brother father multiple partners children given names family relatives mother founder current director emeritus husband jefferson descendant assisted foster dna study held major exhibit slavery jefferson liberty says evidence strongly support conclusion thomas jefferson father children descendants published american family explored extended family including james lives france philadelphia lifetime able find new information left young adults entered white community probably changing names documentation reveals lives younger sons descendants madison memoir wide variety historical records newspaper accounts eventually surviving children madison chose identify white adults north seven european ancestry consistent appearance memoir said married white community described longtime nearly white anybody beautiful time madison wrote siblings learned marriages knew children living maryland gradually stopped responding letters siblings lost touch madison married free women color mother death families moved free state ohio census records classified time meaning mixed race census usually local person classified individuals according neighbors known high demand slaves passage fugitive slave act heightened risk free blacks kidnapped slave needed little documentation claim blacks legally free people color family moved madison wisconsin away slave changed acknowledge family adopted surname lived white community family descendants continued identify black community community free people color civil war time descendants known passed white community identified black community madison achieved success life respected contemporaries children repeated built successes worked madison small farm professional musician master violin accomplished dances swell demand southern ohio neighbor described quiet decidedly intelligent soon favorably known classes citizens personal appearance manners attracted everybody attention grandchildren descendants madison sons fought union civil war enlisted captured spent time camp died camp mississippi according descendant brother james attempted cross union lines pass white man enlist confederate army rescue later rumored moved colorado passed white society like family disappeared record rest biography remains unknown son enlisted regular union_army white man madison known male line descendant william married known children died veterans hospital madison children grandchildren remained ohio suffered limited opportunities blacks time working laborers servants small farmers tended marry mixed race community region established people education property madison daughter married graduate son young moved los_angeles california family descendants leaders twentieth century son jefferson great grandson person known black ancestry elected public office west_coast served nearly years second son leader descendants strong tradition college education public service sons enlisted union_army white men madison son red hair gray eyes like grandfather jefferson 1850s proprietor madison time operated younger brother commissioned union officer civil war promoted rank colonel served battle wrote letters war newspaper madison published war returned wisconsin wrote frequently newspapers published accounts war experiences later moved memphis tennessee successful wealthy cotton broker married known children left estate second son served regular union_army operating brother john later separately operated built successful horse drawn business wife sons reached professional class physician attorney manager railroad industry according obituary character wisconsin capital familiar half century friend wrote jefferson death deserves passing notice grandson god gentle kind charitable anna great grandson descendant dna tested matched male line known male line descendants known female line descendants daughters sarah ellen young readers ages bradley jefferson sons historical fiction ages
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