Shay Banks-Young

Passing It On

Although the lineage of our family is identified primarily with the men in our family, the strength of our heritage comes through the women. My name is Shay Banks-Young and I am the mother of William Douglas Banks and the grandmother of William Douglas Banks, II and Joseph Edward Aubrey Banks. We are descendants of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson through their second youngest son, Madison.

Whenever anyone asks me, how do I know that I am related to Thomas Jefferson, the first response is that it is through his son Madison Hemings. Historically speaking, other than the name Sally Hemings, Madison is a name that is easily identified to the public because of his published mem-oirs. However, our family line from Madison to myself is through the women. Our story is actually quite simple and once heard, I am sure you will understand why my family or I have never doubted our connection to the 3rd President and his relationship with Sally.

My personal story begins with my mother, Frances Bernice Harris. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio and lived with her mother and father, Ursel and Samuel Hill. When my mother's grandfather (John Chapman) died, her grandmother, Fanny Chapman moved into my mother's home. That was the tradition during that time and still is for many families today. Fanny Chapman was not only the matriarch of her family; she was well known and respected in her community, especially in the church. Years after her death, our family was still known as descendants of Fanny Chapman. Everyone remembers her as a strong and dedicated woman of God and her family. My mother loved her grandmotherand always talked about her.

Among her stories, were the ones about when her great-grandmother would come to visit. Since Grandma Fanny lived in Mama's house, whenever her great-grandmother came to town, she would stay at their house. They called her Grandma Spears. I would always laugh when Mama would describe Grandma Spears, because she said that she looked like a shriveled-up old white lady. Mama also said the Grandma Spears was a very proud, strict, no nonsense person and that she and her sisters really had to behave themselves whenever she came to visit. No one in the family would dare to challenge Grandma Spears about anything, because she commanded respect by her very presence.

My mother and her two sisters Virginia and Catherine used to sit behind the door and listen to their mother, grandmother and great-grandmother talk to each other. It is through these conversations that they learned about their family and their heritage. The women would laugh and talk about their own experiences during their lives and other people in their family, such as Grandma Spears' father. His name was Madison Hemings and he was the son of a woman they referred to as the "housekeeper" and secret mistress of Thomas Jefferson. During those days, information such as that was not talked about out loud, because Madison's mother was not married to the father of her children. That fact alone was embarrassing and degrading to the family. They also, did not talk about the fact that Madison and his mother were both enslaved by his father. There is an old saying, … "things understood, need not be explained."

Whereas Grandma Spears was the daughter of Madison Hemings that would also mean that she was the granddaughter of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. And, whereas she was alive and well during my mother's time, there has never been a need to question anything about our family ancestry because Grandma Spears, Grandma Chapman, Ursel Chapman and Frances Bernice Harris were all women of pride and honor. To that end, my family history is embedded in our very souls and the truth has, and never will be challenged because we know who we are and where we have come from because the facts cannot be denied. Out pride lies in the strength of those who have come before us, because they not only lived during some very difficult times, they survived. We are their legacy and embrace it with the same dignity and pride of those who came before us.

The women of our past talked behind closed doors during their generation. That changed in my generation. My mother and aunt talked directly to me about everything they could remember. Our extended family had reunions and the elders of our family shared information about our family ancestry. We were taught that Thomas Jefferson is one link of many in our family tree and although he is acknowledged for his greatness in America, we have always been reminded of the fact that within our family he represents a time of pain and suffering. We are also reminded that although we had individuals of high standing in our family, we are not unique in our status. The humiliation and degradation imposed on our ancestors while enslaved cannot be "honey coated" just because Thomas Jefferson is one of our grandparents. In fact, it is just the opposite because our ancestors spent their lives in servitude with a man who did not practice what he preached. I personally consider Madison Hemings, his mother Sally and grandmother Elizabeth as the shinning lights in our family, because they instilled pride and hope in their children, in spite of our beginnings.

Years ago I was privileged to meet Alex Haley and he told me that the greatest gift that I could give my son was his heritage. He encouraged me to talk to my elders and find out how they really felt about the life they had lived and to document everything, the good and the bad. He said that it was the combination of those things that made us who we are today. I have spent my entire adult life, "Passing it on," to the best of my ability. Now the responsibility rests on the shoulders of my son, grandsons, and great nephew to continue carrying the torch for our family. I have no doubt that they will make the future generations and us proud.

Webmasters Note:- Mom Shay went on to be with the Lord and her ancestors on June 25, 2016.