The Kinship & Memory Genetic Cooperative
A community-driven initiative built on shared work and reduced cost. We pool genetic data, archival resources, and research labour so every member gains access to genealogical discovery that would be impossible alone.
What We Do
We turn scattered genetic matches into a connected community by tracing the names that survived enslavement.
Betty Brown: A Mystery at the Heart of Our Research
At the center of our investigation stands Betty Brown, the daughter of Elizabeth "Betty" Hemings, the matriarch of the Hemings family enslaved by President Thomas Jefferson.
While her mother is well-documented in Jefferson's records, Betty Brown's father remains unknown. Some of her sons also have unknown fathers, creating branches of uncertainty we are working to resolve.
By triangulating DNA evidence with archival records, the cooperative aims to determine the identities of Betty Brown's father and the fathers of her children.
Betty Brown
Central Anchor
Daughter of Elizabeth 'Betty' Hemings and the matriarch of the Hemings family enslaved by President Thomas Jefferson. Her father is unknown, and some of her sons also have unknown fathers. She is the driving force behind the cooperative's research.
Wormley Hughes
Key Research Figure
A prominent enslaved man at Monticello who served as a gardener, wagon driver, and caretaker of the Monticello cemetery. Son of Betty Brown's sister, Mary Hemings Bell, and brother-in-law to Sally Hemings. After Jefferson's death he was hired out and eventually purchased his freedom. His documented connections to the Hemings family make him a critical figure in understanding the kinship networks surrounding Betty Brown.
Colbert Brown
Key Research Figure
A member of the Colbert Freedmen community of the Creek Nation, whose name appears repeatedly in DNA matches and archival records. The Colbert naming pattern connects to Betty Brown's descendants through chromosomal evidence and may reveal links between the Hemings family of Virginia and the Colbert Freedmen of the Creek Nation.
Thomas Spencer Watkins Jr.
DNA Framework Anchor
Central study participant whose DNA matrix guides the cooperative. Both parents were born in 1888, creating two consecutive 40-year generations and an unusually direct genetic bridge back into the colonial era.
Our DNA Framework
A roadmap for researchers who have hit traditional genealogical brick walls.
Membership
Three tiers so everyone, regardless of budget, can contribute and benefit.
Ready to join the search?
Whether your matches point to the Hemings, the Colbert Freedmen, the Diallo family, or another cluster, you will find a direct entry point into a larger, living family network.
Choose Your Membership