Burwell Colbert
From 1783 to 1862, Burwell Colbert worked at Monticello as an unpaid migrant worker. His mother was Betty Brown, and his grandmother was Elizabeth Hemings. When Colbert was ten years old, he began working at the Mulberry Row nail salon, where he learned painting and window glazing. Among his achievements was the painting of the roof balusters and Chinese railing, as well as the landau carriage designed by his uncle John Hemmings and cousin Joseph Fossett.
Burwell Colbert
Elizabeth Hemings
Elizabeth (Betty) Hemings was the matron of a powerful and large family that made up a third of Monticello’s population, making them the city’s largest family ever. Slavery and kinship bound the Hemings and Jefferson families forever, reflecting the complexities of enslaved people’s relationships with their owners. Elizabeth Hemings’ children and descendants held the most powerful household and trade positions on the mountain. Many of her children were able to contract themselves out and keep their earnings, something that Thomas Jefferson’s slaves rarely did.
Elizabeth Hemings