James Hemings was born in 1765 in Virginia to an enslaved mixed-race woman named Elizabeth (Betty) Hemings, and his father, John Wayles, was their owner. James was one of 12 children, however ...

Wayles had lost three wives by the time of his relationship with Betty Hemings, and he was said to have had several children with her, of whom the youngest was Sally. The Hemings family were light ...