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Robert Jefferson
Robert Jefferson of Indianapolis, Ind., has been my favorite research subject for the past few years. Following his life and those of his family and descendants introduced me to African American genealogy research, and ultimately has taught me a lot. DNA research and contemporary writing shows that Robert was a son of President Thomas Jefferson, but not bySally Hemings, shattering "conventional wisdom" about slavery and slaveholders. American history can be as grotesque as it is impressive.
History Overlooked: Jefferson County's Role in the UGRR
The map gave no indicaion of its operations between Evansville, Indiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Jun 235 min read
Frank Robinson, former slave
Francis “Frank” Robinson (a.k.a. Roberson) was born to unknown parents about 1776, probably in Frederick County, Virginia. His mother, clearly, was enslaved because he was born into this institution. His last enslaver was James Wood, an immigrant from Winchester, England, who obtained a large grant of land in the Northern Neck of Virginia from Thomas Lord Fairfax.
Nov 10, 20256 min read
An Interesting Link to O.R. Singleton
A recent Perplexity.ai search led me to find letters written by one Samuel Bradley Wiggin, who had mentioed in one or more of the letters O.R. Singleton, the Mississippi lawyer, politician, plantation owner and slaveholder who signed Robert Jefferson’s freedom papers. A man who, despite serving in both the U.S. Congress and in the Confederate Congress, there seems to be little out there to find.
Jun 3, 20256 min read
Everyone. Everywhere. All at Once. Part 2
In my previous essay, I wrote about the connections Robert Jefferson had to other prominent Black men in Indianapolis, as well as his connections to wealthy white enslavers who, also, were very connected to each other.
Apr 17, 20235 min read
Everyone, Everywhere, All at Once
Easily Overlooked, Connections Really Are Important
Apr 7, 20237 min read
Indy's Prominent Colored Citizens, 1880, Part 5
Anderson Lewis, blacksmith, freed from Slavery by 13th Amendment
Mar 15, 20234 min read
Indy's Prominent Colored Citizens, 1880, Part 4
The Bagby Family: Henry and sons, Robert B. and James D.
Feb 28, 20235 min read
Backlash: Newspaper disputes Robert's paternity claim
In 1884, two years after Robert Jefferson died, the Indiana State Sentinel published a full broadsheet page of articles and pieces of articles that had been printed elsewhere, slamming the Republican newspapers for criticizing Democratic presidential candidate Grover Cleveland for his alleged sex scandals, while appearing (in the opinion if the State Sentinel editor) to turn a blind eye to alleged scandalous affairs that hounded the Republican's own candidate, former senator
Feb 24, 20236 min read
Indy's Prominent Colored Citizens, 1880, Part 3
JOHN G. BRITTAN/BRITTON (1)
Feb 21, 20232 min read
Check it out!
The February 2023 issue of Indianapolis Monthly includes this article that I wrote about my research into the life and family history of...
Feb 20, 20231 min read
Indy's Prominent Colored Citizens, 1880, Part 2
James Sidney Hinton
Feb 15, 20234 min read
Indy's Prominent Colored Citizens, 1880
On Tuesday, Jan. 6, 1880, the Indianapolis Journal, published 4,500-word essay on prominent Black citizens living in the Circle City. Almost all of them have something in common with Robert Jefferson. For example, this first sketch tells us that Robert's friend and employer, Dr. W.C. Thompson, and Thompson's partner, Dr. J.A. Woodburn, helped Samuel A. Elbert become a medical doctor.
Feb 6, 20237 min read
Meeting the Descendants: Margaret Anderson & her sisters
In early August 2022, I had the honor of meeting and spending time with Margaret “Peggy” Anderson, one of the Robert Jefferson descendants who was included in my original DNA research project to see if genetics could connect the family to the man believed to be Robert’s father, Thomas Jefferson.
Jan 17, 20234 min read
Meeting the Descendants: Bill Roberson
William Neff "Bill" Roberson, 84, of Los Angeles, California, poses with a portrait of his father, William Anthony Roberson – a 1986...
Aug 17, 20229 min read
Part 12 – Harriet Christian, Were you Really a Washington?
So, I have a hypothesis about Harriet Christian and who her family was.
Apr 2, 20224 min read
Part 11 – What was William P. Flood up to in 1836?
Searchable databases of digitized pages of American newspapers are literal goldmines when it comes to historical research. If it wasn’t for their existence, I would have to have done a lot of traveling – and spent a lot of money – to find the information about Robert Jefferson that has enabled me to tell his story.
Mar 24, 20225 min read
Part 10 – New information found ...
So, by renewing my subscription to GenealogyBank, another site that offers searchable content from old newspapers, I was amazed to find two things.
Jan 7, 20223 min read
Part 9 – William Clinton Thompson, M.D.
In the fall of 2020, when I began to research the events and people mentioned in the 1879 article published in the Indianapolis Journal about Robert Jefferson and his claim to be the mulatto son of President Thomas Jefferson, I set out first to research the first person mentioned in that article: Dr. W.C. Thompson.
Jan 3, 20226 min read
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