Who Was Sally Hemings?
According to Sally Hemings’ son, Madison, she was the half-sister of Jefferson’s wife, Martha. Sally was born in 1773 to a man named John Wayles and a woman named Betty Hemings. Betty was biracial and thus born into slavery. Due to the Slave Codes at the time, the law stated children born to enslaved mothers would also be slaves. So, Sally and her siblings came to Monticello as slaves who belonged to Martha. They were given to her by her father.
Martha
Before She Was a Subject of National Intrigue
Sally Hemings was the youngest of her six siblings who worked as slaves at Monticello. All the siblings grew up together on the plantation and were trained as artisans and domestic servants. They did not do harsh work such as working in the field because they were considered to be at the top of the slave hierarchy.
Before She Was A Subject Of National Intrigue
