I am Thomas Jefferson’s true Heir. My family was owned by the Hemings family.

Reflecting on the intertwined narratives of the Hemings and Jefferson families, I am reminded of the complexity of the American story. It is a tale of triumph and tragedy, of oppression and resilience, woven together by the threads of human experience. Through understanding our shared history, we can begin to forge a path toward a more equitable future.

Both of my father’s parents are the grandchildren of Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United State of America and primary author of the Delcaration of Independence.

In pictures, we’re going to walk from my grandparents’ childhood town in Virginia to my childhood home in Hillside, NJ and back again. We’re going to examine my ancestry by looking at census records from ancestry.com and familysearch.org and compare them with my 23andMe DNA results.

Location: My, Powhatan, Virginia

Information on the people who owned my family, featuring Eliza Hemings whose name is misspelled as “Hemming.”

The 1860 Slave Schedule, featuring Eliza Hemming, for Powhatan, VA.

A list of slave owners in Powhatan, Virginia.

Location: Macon Township, Powhatan, Virginia

My great-great-great-grandfather, Thomas’ residence in the 1870 Powhatan, Virginia census.

My great-great-grandfather, George’s death certificate. Featuring his parents: Tom Morris & Martha Brown.

My great-grandfather, Edgar’s death certificate. Featuring his parents: George Thomas Morris and Susan Mayo.

My grandfather, Arthur’s death certificate. Featuring his parents: Edgar Morris and Lena Miles.

Location: Hillside, New Jersey

My current address. Featuring myself, my father and grandmother, Geraldine L. Morris.

Location: Newark, New Jersey

My grandmother Geraldine Louise Bolden’s marriage to Arthur Morris.

Location: Macon, Powhatan, Virginia

My great-grandmother Estelle Johnson’s marriage to James R. Bolden. Featuring her parents: Elijah Johnson and Lelia Morris.

Lelia Morris’ marriage to Elijah Johnson. Featuring her parents: Burleigh Morris and Louise Morris.

Burleigh Morris’ marriage to Lou[ise] Johnson. Featuring is parents: Tom and Martha Morris.

Combined with DNA testing between myself and one of Burleigh’s grandsons, I’ve confirmed that Burleigh and George Morris were both brothers and sons of Tom and Martha Morris.

His grandson, Samuel Burley Morris Jr.’s obituary can be found here: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/timesdispatch/name/samuel-morris-obituary?id=5608396

It mentions my favorite cousin: Harold Morris! Since Samuel is a Jr. His father would be Samuel Morris, Lelia’s brother.

My 2nd great-grandmother Lelia Morris and her brother, Samuel Morris.

23andMe predicted our relationship as 4th cousins. We’re actually 1st cousins 3 generations removed. Harold and I both share the paternal haplogroup (y-chromosome) T-M70, which definitively proves our George and Burleigh had the same father. Our results are almost identical. However, he scored Pakistani whereas I scored Egyptian.

My Birth Certificate

I’m Thomas Jefferson’s grandson twice.

Thomas Jefferson and Powhatan