Sally Hemings’ 16 Siblings Ranked Oldest To Youngest

Frequently referred to as Thomas Jefferson’s ‘concubine’ Sally Hemings has become one of the most important African American women in US history. Despite this, not many people know about her life.

If you would like to deepen your knowledge about Sally’s family this is the article for you. We created a list of Sally Hemings’ siblings ranked oldest to youngest.

17. Martha Jefferson (October 30, 1748 – September 6, 1782)

Martha Jefferson was Sally’s oldest step-sister as she was born in 1748.

She is particularly known for being the wife of Thomas Jefferson and serving as First Lady of Virginia from 1779 to 1781. Unfortunately, she died before her husband became president.

Thomas wasn’t Martha’s first husband. In 1766, she married Bathurst Skelton. The two had a child together, but unfortunately, Bathurst died soon after.

Not knowing what to do, Martha went back to her parent’s plantation where she met Thomas Jefferson. The two married on the first of January 1772.

Did You Know?

Thomas and Martha had a total of six children together. Unfortunately, only two, Martha and Maria, survived after childhood.

16. Sarah Wayles (1750 – 1761)

Sarah Wayles was John Waynes and Tabitha Cocke’s first daughter. She was born in 1750 and was one of Sally’s step-sisters as they shared the same father.

Unfortunately, Sarah did not live long and died before entering her teenage years.

Did You Know?

At her birth, Sarah’s dad was 35, and her mom was 26.

15. Anne Wayles (1750 – June 10, 1810)

Anne was John and Elizabeth’s first daughter. She was also Sally’s oldest sister.

Anne was born in 1750 and died at the age of roughly 60 years old. Unfortunately, we don’t have much information about her life.

Did You Know?

Anne passed away in 1810 in Chesterfield, Virginia.

14. Elizabeth Wayles Eppes (February 24, 1752 – June 10, 1810)

Elizabeth Wayles was born in Charles City in 1752. In 1769, when she was not even 20, she married Francis Eppes VI. The two lived in John’s plantation, known as ‘The Forest’.

However, in 1780, they decided to move to the Eppington plantation, where Elizabeth died at the age of 58 years old.

Did You Know?

After her death, Elizabeth’s children inherited the plantation and made 500 pounds each.

13. Tabitha Wayles (November 10, 1753 – 1851)

Tabitha Wayles was born in 1753 to John Waynes and Tabitha Cocke. Unfortunately, we do not know much about her life, except for the fact that she married Robert Skipwith and had one child.

Did You Know?

Tabitha passed away in 1851 in Chesterfield, Virginia.

12. Mary Hemings Bell (1753 – after 1834)

Similarly to her siblings, Mary Hemings Bell was born in Charles City County. Unlike them, however, there is still some open debate on whether John Waynes was her real father.

Mary was sent to Monticello to work like her many brothers and sisters. Here she served as a seamstress and servant.

Throughout her lifetime, she gave birth to a total of six children. While some were sold to other masters, others managed to get free from slavery.

Did You Know?

Eventually, Mary was unofficially freed by Thomas Bell and became a property owner in Charlottesville.

11. Martin Hemings (1755 – after 1795)

Martin was Elizabeth and John’s first son. Unfortunately, he was born enslaved and never managed to get his freedom back. After his father died in 1773, he was sent to Monticello to work as a butler for Thomas Jefferson. According to rumors, he was responsible for hiding the family’s silver.

Did You Know?

After a dispute, Martin decided he no longer wanted to work for Thomas Jefferson and asked him to be sold to a different master. Thomas did as asked.

10. Betty Brown (1759 – after 1831)

Betty Brown was John and Elizabeth’s second daughter and the first to be sent to Monticello in 1772. Here she worked as the enslaved personal maid of Jefferson’s wife, Martha, for 60 years. Betty remained in the Monticello property till it was sold in 1831.

Betty had a total of seven children, all of which reached adulthood. Wormley Hughes worked as a gardener at the Monticello property, Burwell Colbert as a butler maker, and Brown Colbert as a nail maker. Her two sons, Edwin and Robert, managed to escape slavery. Betty’s daughter, Melinda, was also freed. She married and lived in Washington.

Did You Know?

Betty was described as ‘lightly colored and decidedly good looking.’

9. Robert Hemings (1762 – 1819)

Robert was one of John and Elizabeth’s sons. Born in 1762, he became part of the Monticello staff at the age of 11. Here, he replaced Jupiter Evans, becoming Jefferson’s body servant.

Robert married Dolly, an enslaved woman living near Fredericksburg. The two had two kids together, Elizabeth and Martin.

Did You Know?

Robert was the first individual freed by Thomas Jefferson. In 1802, he became a landowner.

8. Nance Hemings (1762 – 1833)

Nance Hemings was John and Elizabeth’s third daughter. Just like her other siblings, she worked at Monticello for the Jefferson family.

Nance was, in fact, an enslaved weaver. She received training from Bartholomew Kindred, who supervised her work from 1776 to 1783.

Two years later, Thomas Jefferson decided to give Nance to his sister Anna Scott Jefferson Marks as a wedding present. She, therefore, went to live in her house together with her two children, Billy and Critta.

However, in 1795, Jefferson was in terrible need of a weaver and bought her back for $60. Unfortunately, her children couldn’t follow Nance.

Did You Know?

Thomas Mann Randolph, Jefferson’s son-in-law, bought one of Nance’s children, Critta, for $70.

7. James Hemings (1765 – 1801)

James Hemings went to Monticello when he was only nine. In his teenage years, he moved to Williamsburg to work as Thomas Jefferson’s personal attendant. James also lived, together with his brother Robert, in Richmond, always following Jefferson. He then traveled to both Philadelphia and France.

At the age of thirty, he was finally freed and started to pursue a career as a chef.

Did You Know?

Unfortunately, James’ freedom didn’t last long as he tragically died when he was 36 years old.

6. Thenia Hemings (1767 – 1795)

Unfortunately, we do not know much about Thenia Hemings. The only information we have is that she married James Monrow and had a total of six children.

5. Critta Hemings Bowles (1769-1850)

Critta went to Monticello in 1775 when she was still a child. She stayed here till 1827, working as an enslaved domestic.

For some time, Critta also lived in Chesterfield County, where she helped Maria, Jefferson’s daughter, with her newborn baby, Francis Wayles Eppes. This turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for Critta. In fact, 25 years later, Francis bought her freedom for $50.

After obtaining freedom, Critta lived with her husband Zachariah Bowles, on his property.

Did You Know?

Critta had one son, James, who was born in 1787. He worked at Monticello serving as a carpenter but escaped in 1804.

4. Peter Hemings (1770 – after 1834)

Peter Hemings was born in 1770 and worked as Thomas Jefferson’s enslaved brewmaster, tailor, and chef. He was a talented brewmaster, and Thomas himself invited his friend James Madison to send over a slave to learn from Peter’s teaching. In his letter, Thomas wrote ‘(he is) and uncommonly intelligent and capable of instructing if your pupil is ready to comprehend it’.

Did You Know?

According to some historians, there is a pretty good chance that Peter was the first black brewmaster in US history.

3. Sally Hemings (1773 – 1835)

photo source: commons.wikimedia.org

Sally Hemings is probably one of the most famous African American women in US history. Just like her siblings, Sally was born in Charles City County but moved to Monticello at a young age. Here, she worked for the Jefferson family and, in 1787, was sent to France to bring Thomas Jefferson’s daughter Maria to her father.

At the time, Sally was about 14 years old. According to records, she stayed in France for two and a half years. During this time, Thomas started to have sexual intercourse with her. When Thomas decided to go back to Virginia, Sally refused to follow him as she knew she would have been enslaved there.

However, Thomas promised her exclusive privileges and said all her children would be freed at the age of 21. Eventually, Sally gave up and followed him to Virginia.

Did You Know?

Unfortunately, Sally died as a slave.

2. John Hemings (April 24, 1776 – 1833)

John was Sally’s youngest brother as he was born in 1776. He worked in Monticello as a carpenter making wonderful furniture. He was freed by Jefferson himself in 1986 but remained in Monticello.

Did You Know?

John was married to Priscilla, Thomas Jefferson’s nursemaid. The two did not have kids but when she died, John spent a whole year carving her headstone.

1. Lucy Hemings (1777 – 1786)

Lucy was Sally’s youngest sibling as she was born in 1777. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about her except for the fact that she died at a very young age, before reaching the age of 10.