CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Monday announced identification of six additional individuals enslaved by Thomas Jefferson.
According to a Monticello release, the six names were the first additions in August to Monticello’s Contemplative Site, a mountaintop memorial erected in 2023 to honor and list the known names of those enslaved by Jefferson over the course of his lifetime.
The names were dedicated in an August private ceremony of Moses who was born in 1790, Nanny born in 1776, Mary Ann Hern born in late 1823, Robert born about 1815-to-1818, Child born in 1802, and Child born about 1815-to-1819.
The discoveries were made between fall 2024 and summer 2025, put together with a lot of patience and detective-like work.
“Tracking small details and reading between the lines is critical when researching Black history at Monticello,” said Auriana Woods, Director of the Getting Word African American History Department. “Traces of evidence can come from anywhere or anyone, and it takes the effort of many hands—descendants, scholars, and interpreters—to bring those lives back into focus.”
Monticello’s Getting Word African American History Department was established in 1993, and records and preserves the family histories of more than 610 people enslaved by Jefferson throughout his lifetime through oral history and genealogical research.
“What we know about Monticello’s enslaved community is constantly growing—especially on an individual level,” said Dr. Andrew Davenport, Monticello’s Vice President for Research and Saunders Director of the International Center for Jefferson Studies. “Although Monticello is one of the most well-documented plantations in America, this research is far from complete.”
The release explains, “Located on the historic mountaintop at the foot of Mulberry Row, Monticello’s Contemplative Site was created as a space for reflection and commemoration. The site’s design encourages visitors to consider the deeper complexities of freedom, slavery, and memory. The 60-foot-long steel wall includes all currently known names of those enslaved by Thomas Jefferson listed chronologically by birthdate. Intentional blank spaces built into the structure ensure the ability to make additions uncovered through research.
