Jefferson – Hemings Artifacts

Thomas Jefferson’s Cap Buckle Set and Sally Hemings’ French Inkwell

In 1970’s Charlie Yost, Albemarle County, Virginia met members of the Lee, Butler, Brady, and Atkins families and other Hemings’ family descendants at a gathering of a tribute to Sally Hemings at Monticello.

On display by the Brady family, was a French sterling silver cap buckle and a French porcelain inkwell that descended from Sally Hemings, to her daughter Harriet Hemings and then to the Brady Family relatives. According to the Brady family, the silver cap buckle belonged to Thomas Jefferson and was inherited by Sally Hemings upon Jefferson’s death. The Brady family displayed the French inkwell as being given to Sally Hemings by Thomas Jefferson while they were living in France. Charlie, convinced the Brady Family to give the pieces to him so that he could display them regularly at Monticello events in honor of Sally Hemings.

I first saw these object at Charlie Yost’s home in the late 1970’s. Recently, I convinced the Yost family descendants to sell the silver cap buckle set and the French Inkwell instead of moving them to Florida.