Though hundreds of people were enslaved at Monticello, many of the details of their lives are lost to history. Enslaved African Americans were denied access to education and literacy, and their lives went largely unrecorded by white historians for centuries. Decades of archaeological, documentary, and oral research helped to uncover some of the histories of those held captive at Monticello.
Videos about individuals enslaved at Monticello
Monticello Voices - A look at Monticello’s history as a plantation and the enslaved people whose labor kept Jefferson’s 5,000-acre enterprise running. Aired on October 14, 2020 (running time, 24:40)
Mary Hemings Bell, an older sister of Sally Hemings, had a long-term relationship with her owner and came to be seen in Charlottesville as his common-law wife.
Harriet Hemings, the daughter of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson, is allowed to leave Monticello.
While Jefferson often gets the credit, it was enslaved chefs like James Hemings and his successors, who created Monticello's famed "half Virginian, half French" cuisine.
Ursula Granger, a Valuable Cook
The Life of Nance Hemings - an Enslaved Monticello Weaver
A Enslaved Mother Leaves Monticello
Wormley Hughes - Master of Many Trades
The Life of Sally Hemings
Monticello Enslaved Community Database
A searchable database of information on all known enslaved individuals at Thomas Jefferson's plantations.
Articles on individuals enslaved at Monticello
(mostly from our Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia)
Domestic Workers
- Critta Hemings Bowles
- Burwell Colbert
- Elizabeth Hemings
- Martin Hemings
- Mary Hemings Bell
- Robert Hemmings
- Sally Hemings
- Betsey Hemmings
Skilled Trade Workers
- Edith Fossett
- Joseph Fossett
- Peter Fossett
- Isaac Granger Jefferson
- Harriet Hemings
- James Hemings
- John Hemmings
- Peter Hemings
- Madison Hemings
- Eston Hemings
- Mary Hern
- James Hubbard
- Robert Hughes
- Wormley Hughes
Field Workers