That register of popular conceit, Wikipedia, says it plainly: “Most historians now believe that the widower Jefferson took her as a concubine, had six children with her, and an extended relationship for 38 years until his death.”

The “her” in question, of course, is Sarah “Sally” Hemings (1773-1835), and the Jefferson mentioned is Thomas, author of the Declaration of Independence and the nation’s third president. Wikipedia cites as its source a Web site monticello.org, which includes a page “Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings:  A Brief Account.” And this “Brief Account” in turn relies on the January 2000 “Report of the Research Committee on Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings.”

The allegation is long-standing, dating back to an attack on Jefferson by a journalist, James T. Callender, in 1802, and repeated at various points during Jefferson’s life. The…

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