Martin Hemings

Martin Hemings''' (1755-????) was a man from Virginia.  He was the oldest male child of Elizabeth "Betty" Hemings.  History does not say who his father was, but it was not John Wayles.  Martin Hemings was the half-brother of Sally Hemings and James Hemings.  For part of his life, he was enslaved to Thomas Jefferson.

Family history and early life

According to Madison Hemings, Sally Hemings' grandmother was a fully African woman and might have been born in Africa.  She was enslaved to the Eppes family in Virginia. Historians do not know for sure what her name was.  Papers with the names of enslaved women in the Eppes family include "Dinah," "Judy," "Abbie," "Sarah," "Parthenia," and others.  Historian Annette Gordon-Reed said that there were many girls named "Thenia" in the Hemings family, and they might have been named after Parthenia.  But she also says that "Sally" is a nickname for "Sarah," and there were many girls named "Sarah" and "Sally" in the Hemings family too.

Martin Hemings' mother was called Elizabeth "Betty" Hemings.  Martin Hemings' nephew Madison Hemings told the story: Elizabeth Hemings' mother was an African woman and her father was an English sea captain named Hemings.  The sea captain tried to buy Elizabeth Hemings from her owner, but the owner said no.  He said he wanted to see what a half-white, half-African child would look like.  Then Captain Hemings tried to take the child away from the owner without paying, but someone told the owner about his plan. Captain Hemings left Virginia and did not come back.

Captain Hemings tried to take his daughter from one of the men in the Eppes family, but historians do not know which one because they do not know when Elizabeth Hemings was born.  One paper says "about 1735." 

Elizabeth Hemings lived at the Eppes family's house, which was called Bermuda Hundred until 1746.  That year, Martha Eppes married John Wayles.  Elizabeth and other enslaved people went with Martha to Wayle's house as part of her marriage settlement.  A marriage settlement was any property that a married woman could control and her husband couldn't.  Technically, the Eppes family owned Elizabeth Hemings.

Elizabeth Hemings had many children.  Martin Hemings was born on a plantation called The Forest that belonged to John Wayles.  History does not say who his father was.  John Wayles was the father of most of Elizabeth Hemings' other children.

When Martha Wayles Skelton married Thomas Jefferson, Hemings and many people in her family went with Martha Skelton to Jefferson's house at Monticello.  Martin Hemings was 17 or 18 years old.  He later became the butler of Monticello and lived there for many years. When Thomas Jefferson became governor of Virginia and lived in houses in Richmond, Virginia and Williamsburg, Virginia, Martin Hemings went with him.

Personality

We do not know what Martin Hemings was like when he was around other black people.  This is because no writings about this survive.  But many of Thomas Jefferson's letters have been saved and copied.  Thomas Jefferson wrote about the enslaved people a lot.  Thomas Jefferson wrote about Martin having a fiery temper.

During the American Revolutionary War, the British army captured Monticello.  Martin Hemings hid the valuable silver tableware—forks, knives and other items for eating.  He hid them under the floorboards.  Another enslaved man, called Caesar, hid with them and could not get out for days.  Martin did not tell the British soldiers where the silver was, not even when they hit him.

White people wrote about how this showed Martin was loyal to his master and his country.  Historian Annette Gordon-Reed writes that perhaps Martin just did not like being told what to do.

Later life

Jefferson was away from Monticello a lot.  After his wife died, he wanted to be somewhere else.  He even went to Paris for years when he was the United States Ambassador to France.  During these times, enslaved people in the Hemings family were allowed to come and go as they wanted.  The Hemings men lived almost like free black men: They could find jobs where they wanted and keep all the money they earned.

When Jefferson came back from Paris, he wanted his butler, Martin Hemings, to stay at Monticello.  But Hemings had been used to living his own life.  He "ran away" from Monticello many times.  Sometimes he stayed away for months, working another job somewhere else.  But someone always caught him and brought him back.

In 1792, Thomas Jefferson wrote that he and Martin Hemings had had a disagreement or fight.  He did not say what the fight was.  He told one of his managers at Monticello that he and Martin Hemings had agreed on what to do: Jefferson would sell Martin Hemings to someone else.  Martin Hemings was 36 or 37 at the time.  Jefferson told the manager that Martin Hemings could choose another master.  He said he did not care how much money he got for Hemings, so long as Hemings was gone.  He also told the manager that he did not want to free Martin Hemings, the way he would free his half-brothers Robert and James later in their lives.

 "Martin and myself disagreed when I was last in Virginia insomuch that he desired me to sell him, and I determined to do it, and most irrevocably that he shall serve me no longer. If you could find a master agreeable to him, I should be glad if you would settle that point at any price you please .... Perhaps Martin may undertake to find a purchaser. But I exclude all idea of his own responsibility: and I would wish that the transaction should be finished without delay, being desirous of avoiding all parley with him myself on the subject."

This means:

"Martin and I had such a bad disagreement that he asked me to sell him to someone else.  I think I should do it.  He should not work for me any more.  Please find him another master that he thinks would be good.  I don't care about the money.  Martin can even choose his new master, but I will not free him.  Please find a buyer quickly.  I do not want to talk to or argue with Martin about this."

Thomas Jefferson's letters and writings about Monticello say that Martin Hemings was still at Monticello in 1795.  His writings do not say that Jefferson sold Martin Hemings.  Then Jefferson's writings stop talking about Hemings altogether.  Historian Annette Gordon-Reed thinks Martin Hemings died of natural causes before Jefferson and Hemings could find a buyer.

References

1755 births
African-American people
People from Virginia
Slaves