For the first time, a Black descendant of Thomas Jefferson has been interred in the family cemetery at Monticello, his historic estate in Virginia. Cedric Jessup Jr., who died in 2020 from complications related to Covid-19, was laid to rest at the site in a modest ceremony held earlier this month.

Jessup, a Washington resident known as Dickie, was descended from Jefferson’s great-great-grandson through a Black family line, although not directly from Sally Hemings, the enslaved woman with whom Jefferson’s paternity of children has been increasingly supported by recent scientific research. The burial marked a significant moment in the ongoing conversation about Jefferson’s legacy and the inclusion of Black descendants in the family’s historical narrative.

The Monticello Association, a private organization of Jefferson descendants that owns and administers the family graveyard, currently restricts burial rights to "direct, lineal descendants" of Jefferson’s two daughters by his wife Martha. The group has not publicly commented on the burial or the broader implications of the new DNA findings. The association was established in 1913 and operates independently from the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which manages Monticello and acknowledges a consensus among historians that Jefferson fathered at least six children by Hemings.

The burial was coordinated by Gayle Jessup White, Jessup’s sister, who is herself a member of the Monticello Association and among the first Black descendants to join the group. White welcomed the latest Smithsonian Institution DNA research, which analyzed Jefferson’s genetic material extracted from a hair sample and compared it with DNA from living descendants of both the Hemings and Jefferson families. She viewed the findings as crucial to expanding recognition and inclusion of Hemings’s descendants, stating, “The descendants of Hemings are also Jefferson descendants,” and advocating for broader access to Monticello’s historic sites for Black family members.

White, a former journalist and author, traced her heritage through detailed genealogical research, which connected her to Jefferson’s great-great-grandson Moncure Robinson Taylor and Rachael Robinson, a Black woman once enslaved by Jefferson. She also found lineage links to Hemings’s brother, Peter. White and her son became Monticello Association members in 2025, a move supported by some Jefferson descendants aiming to diversify the organization.

Attending the burial with White and her family was Robert Eppes, a seventh-generation descendant of Jefferson’s daughter Maria and a former president of the Monticello Association. Eppes personally prepared the grave and described the event as deeply meaningful, characterizing it as an opportunity for intergenerational healing.

Jessup, who had profound intellectual disabilities and was largely nonverbal, spent much of his life in institutional and group home care. White reflected on his personality and interests, recalling his enjoyment of dressing well and watching television.

This historic burial at Monticello highlights ongoing efforts to reconcile Jefferson’s complex heritage and acknowledges the evolving understanding of his family through advances in genetic research and changing perspectives within his descendant community.