Born in 1765, James Hemings first served as Thomas Jefferson’s personal attendant and barber (he was enslaved, but also the half-brother of Jefferson’s wife), and he later accompanied Jefferson to Paris “for the particular purpose” of learning French cookery. A Rare Recipe From a Talented Chef Enslaved by a Founding Father Despite James Hemings’s leading role in Jefferson’s kitchen, he’s credited with only a handful of recipes. Two years later, he returned with the Jefferson … Though far more is known about his younger sister, Sally Hemings, James Hemings nonetheless was an eyewitness to history despite being enslaved most of his brief life. Jefferson took James Hemings with him during his work travels to New York and Philadelphia, and Hemings cooked the meal for the famous 1790 truce dinner between Jefferson … Did you know chestnuts have helped end famous quarrels between those such as Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, thanks to chefs such as James Hemings (1765-1801)? Born in 1765 into slavery, Hemings is the son of Elizabeth Hemings and the man that owned both Betty and James–John Wayles. Thomas Jefferson Foundation. He had offered 19-year-old James Hemings his freedom if James would learn French cuisine and pass it on to cooks at Monticello. James Hemings became the property of Thomas Jefferson in January of 1774 when he was just nine years old. The remains of stew stoves. Although little is known about their relationship, it is indisputable that a strong power dynamic existed between John Wayles, the slave owner, and Elizabeth–a woman he literally viewed as his property. Per our long-time friend Dr. Sandra L. Anagnostakis, the appeal of chestnut, both for timber and nut production, has prompted importation and experimentation in the United States … James Hemings was born in 1765 and legally became Jefferson's property in 1774, according to the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. James Hemings once prepared lavish dishes for America's founding fathers at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's Virginia plantation. Sally Hemings (1773-1835) was an enslaved woman owned by Founding Father Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/198684254/james-hemings James Hemings was born in Virginia in 1765; at 8 years old, he became Thomas Jefferson’s slave through an inheritance. James seems to have more than lived up to his half of the bargain. Hemings, born in 1765, was one of the twelve children of the black slave Elizabeth (Betty) Hemings and English-born planter and slave owner John Wayles. Image courtesy the Library of Congress James Hemings.