Historian wants access to Kansas grave in probing link between Jefferson, slave

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- A historian wants to exhume the remains of a grandson of Thomas Jefferson's slave Sally Hemings to get more evidence on the relationship between Jefferson and Hemings.

Herbert Barger recently found the grave of William Hemings, a childless Civil War veteran who was the son of Madison Hemings and grandson of Sally Hemings.

Barger wants to exhume the remains of William Hemings from Leavenworth National Cemetery in Kansas to extract DNA that could be compared with Jefferson's and perhaps shed new light on the paternity of Madison Hemings, who claimed to be the son of the third president.

Jefferson was accused publicly during his presidency in 1802 of being the father of several of Hemings' children after his wife died.

The tests would be similar to those published in 1998 concluding that one of eight Jeffersons -- including Thomas -- was likely the father of Madison's younger brother, Eston.

The study compared genetic material from, among others, descendants of Eston Hemings and Jefferson's uncle, Field Jefferson.

Barger has been stymied by the refusal of Madison Hemings' descendants to give permission for the exhumation. They say oral history passed down through the generations provides all the proof they need of their ancestry.

"My family doesn't need to prove themselves," said Shay Banks-Young, 55, a great-great-great-granddaughter of Madison Hemings who lives in Columbus, Ohio. "If they want to dig up Thomas Jefferson at the same time, maybe I'll reconsider."