Dr. Carol Swain, author and retired college professor, reflected on the story of her great-great-great-grandfather, a freed slave named Thomas Jefferson who was born in Virginia in 1801.
Speaking during Monday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Swain confirmed that her ancestor came from Poplar Forest, Virginia, where Founding Father and third U.S. president Thomas Jefferson owned a plantation.
Host Leahy noted Swain’s family history has prompted speculation that her ancestor may have been related to either President Thomas Jefferson or his younger brother, Randolph Jefferson.
Leahy pointed to the longstanding debate over the paternity of Sally Hemings’ children, arguing that while many historians conclude President Thomas Jefferson fathered them, others contend the evidence is not definitive.
He noted that some researchers have suggested another male member of the Jefferson family, including Thomas Jefferson’s younger brother, could have fathered some of Hemings’ children or those of her sister, citing historical claims surrounding the Jefferson family’s lineage.
Leahy also highlighted a connection between the Jefferson family and Nashville, noting that Randolph Jefferson’s youngest son, John Randolph Jefferson, later moved to Tennessee with his mother after his father’s death. John Randolph Jefferson died in Nashville in 1845 and is buried at Nashville City Cemetery.
Leahy added that another descendant of Thomas Jefferson, John H. Works Jr., filed a petition in Davidson County seeking permission to exhume John Randolph Jefferson’s remains for DNA testing as part of an effort to further investigate possible connections within the Jefferson family line.
Swain said she does not believe the body should be disturbed, arguing that the dead should be left to rest.
Swain further said she has no interest in proving or disproving the family story through modern genetic testing, choosing instead to embrace the family’s oral tradition without seeking DNA confirmation.
“You know something, I am a Virginian. I love Virginia. I love the family Young Washington. So rather than, you know, dig up someone that’s been buried… I would just rather have that part of the family lore as it has been,” Swain said. “And so I won’t go for the proof. I’ll just share the story about my great-great-grandfather.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Carol Swain” by Carol Swain. Background Photo “Poplar Forest” by Warfieldian. CC BY-SA 3.0.
