People of Interest
Individuals and families whose stories anchor our research into kinship, migration, and cultural memory.
Central Research Figures
The anchors around whom our investigation is organized.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jefferson Enslaved Community
Key names from President Thomas Jefferson's documented enslaved community.
Matriarch
The matriarch of the Hemings family, inherited by Jefferson through his wife, Martha Wayles Skelton. Her descendants formed one of the most documented enslaved families in American history.
Daughter of Betty Hemings
Daughter of Betty Hemings and mother of several children fathered by Thomas Jefferson.
African Matriarch
An African matriarch of the Hemings line and central naming anchor. The name 'Parthenia' appears repeatedly in DNA matches and connects back to this maternal lineage.
Jefferson Enslaved Community
The first enslaved person freed by Jefferson.
Jefferson Enslaved Community
Brother of Robert and Sally, trained as a chef in France.
Jefferson Enslaved Community
Another son of Betty Hemings who served as a brewer and tailor.
Jefferson Enslaved Community
Daughter of Betty Hemings who was allowed to live in Charlottesville.
Jefferson Enslaved Community
One of the master woodworkers at Monticello.
Naming Pattern
A recurring name in the Jefferson enslaved community and across Virginia plantations, representing a common naming pattern the cooperative tracks.
High-Value Research Targets
Additional individuals and families identified as priorities for DNA and archival investigation.
High-Value Research Target
According to family oral history, Bilial had twelve unknown sons. His name has been found transformed across descendants into Bill Alil, Ben Ali, and Bennie. The core group is actively uncovering the naming patterns and chromosomal connections that link his scattered branches.
High-Value Research Target
An African ancestor from the Senegambia region whose descendants include the Dubruiel, Gusman, and Trudeau lines. Nanette Dubruiel is currently under review for recognition as a Catholic saint, underscoring the profound historical and spiritual significance of her lineage.
High-Value Research Target
Ancestor of Malcolm X, providing a direct link to one of the most significant figures in African American history and a powerful case study for tracing African roots through naming patterns.
High-Value Research Target
Confirmed through chromosomal matches to an African ancestor, providing a direct genetic bridge back to the continent.
July 11, 1837, March 24, 1898
High-Value Research Target
Born in Georgia and died in Georgia. A descendant of the Colbert Freedmen lines, her life spanned the antebellum period, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the post-Reconstruction era. Her lineage connects the Colbert naming pattern to the broader Colbert Freedmen community of the Creek Nation.
African Ancestors
Pre-slavery roots and named African ancestors that anchor the research in the 1600s and 1700s.
Explore the Diallo family of Futa Jallon, Mandy of Ghana (c. 1725), Mundina (c. 1620), Tom Randol, and Jenny Great Spencer—the named African and early-colonial ancestors whose descendants the cooperative is tracing.
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