Research

Families

Over 400 project participants have contributed to Getting Word‘s knowledge of Monticello’s enslaved community and the families within it. The majority of those participants are descended from the Monticello families detailed in this section.

Explore Families

Resources

Database

Monticello Plantation Database

A searchable database of all individuals enslaved by Jefferson during his lifetime. Includes all known family relationships, birth and death dates, and other key information.
Collection

Slavery at Monticello

A collection of multimedia resources on the topic of slavery at Monticello, where four hundred of the over six hundred people enslaved by Jefferson lived and labored.
Online Exhibition

The Life of Sally Hemings

An online exhibit exploring the life of Sally Hemings (1773-1835), an African American woman enslaved by Thomas Jefferson, who fathered at least six of her children.
Online Exhibition

1827 Dispersal Sale

An online exhibit detailing the first of four auctions of enslaved people held to settle Jefferson's enormous debt at the time of his death, forcibly separating families in bondage.
Online Exhibition

Paradox of Liberty

This digital exhibit explores Jefferson's paradox—America's paradox—as both author of the Declaration of Independence and enslaver of over six hundred people during his lifetime.
Collection

Recommended Books

A collection of recommended titles for further reading on Monticello's enslaved community, slavery in America, and early African American history.