The DNA trail

BBC News - DNA clue to presidential puzzle

DNA tests carried out on two British men have shed light on a mystery surrounding the ancestry of Thomas Jefferson, America's third president.

In the 1990s, DNA was taken from male relatives of Jefferson to see if he fathered a son with one of his slaves.

They found the president had a rare genetic signature found mainly in the Middle East and Africa, calling into question his claim of Welsh ancestry.

Okay, I was familiar with the Thomas Jefferson/Sally Hemings story and I knew that DNA evidence had confirmed that her children were Jefferson's, either by Thomas or one of his male relatives.

I was not, however, familiar with the other part of the story. I did not realize that the testing had suggested that Jefferson himself could be of African or Middle Eastern descent. So I guess I'm a step behind. However, this new evidence seems to indicate that he was Welsh after all. It's kind of a shame really. I think it would have been good for us as a nation if he had been otherwise.