Jefferson’s DNA reveals paternity of descendants
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Researchers at the Smithsonian Institution in the United States determined the complete genetic profile of Thomas Jefferson from a lock of his hair taken on his deathbed.
A team of archaeologists, historians, geneticists, and genealogists spent 15 years on the research. They compared Jefferson’s DNA to samples from 13 people believed to be descendants of Jefferson and Sally Hemings. The scientists ran twenty thousand simulations to investigate whether Jefferson, his brother, or one of his nephews fathered Hemings’ sons.
Results showed it was less than one in a thousand that Jefferson was the father of either Madison or Eston Hemings. Richard Kurin, the project leader, called the evidence convincing. A debate arose during the research when a book presenting the findings appeared before the related scientific study. One participant withdrew their consent and destroyed their sample, and researchers repeated the analysis without it.
The methods developed to map Jefferson’s genome also contributed to advances in modern forensic genetics, later used to identify the Golden State Killer and the Gilgo Beach serial killer.
