Missing DNA test that could end the paternity debate

The problem: The paternity question remains unresolved because the 2026 DNA study relies on models and assumptions instead of the one direct genetic reference that could settle it.

The answer: Testing DNA from Randolph Jefferson’s son would supply that missing reference and provide an actual comparison rather than a model.

The remains of John Randolph Jefferson, son of Randolph Jefferson by his second wife, are buried in Nashville City Cemetery. In November 2025 a petition was filed in Davidson County Chancery Court asking for a limited, non-destructive DNA sample from those remains. The facts were essentially unopposed. On July 8, 2026, the Chancery Court granted summary judgment and denied the petition. The court found that no Tennessee statute applied and that the case law did not provide express authority to grant the request. The case is now on appeal to the Tennessee Court of Appeals.

A limited sample from the remains, compared with the Hemings descendants, would give the recent hair DNA study a direct genetic reference it does not now have. It would be actual DNA, not a model. If the DNA of that line matches the Hemings children more closely than mine, the question is answered. If it does not, the case for my paternity is strengthened by direct rather than modeled evidence. Either result serves truth. Refusing to obtain that sample while claiming near-certainty on incomplete data is not the method of science.

The recent DNA study has been presented with high percentages, including a misleading 99.96% claim. Those figures rest on assumptions, statistical models, and data that have not been fully released for independent review. Additional direct evidence would allow the scientific questions to be examined more completely.

The full historical record, including first-hand testimony from people who were at Monticello, can be considered alongside the genetic evidence. Testing DNA from Randolph Jefferson’s son would supply the missing reference and allow a clearer assessment. The matter is pending on appeal.

Therefore, let the DNA of Randolph’s son be examined. Then let the public judge.

Read about the six flaws of the 2026 hair study: https://www.thomasjefferson.com/jefferson-blog/six-flaws-of-history-by-a-hair-richard-kurin

Also, learn more in video below: