Sunday, September 6, 2026

Question: How was Martha Jefferson related to Sally Hemings?

Answer: Martha Jefferson and Sally Hemings were half-sisters. Both were daughters of John Wayles, Martha’s father and Thomas Jefferson’s father-in-law. Wayles fathered several children with the enslaved woman Elizabeth Hemings, including Sally. This made Sally Hemings the half-sister of Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, who later married Thomas Jefferson. Years after Martha’s death, Thomas Jefferson fathered at least six children with Sally Hemings.