Julia Jefferson Westerinen

Artist, businesswoman, and mother of four, Julia Westerinen did not learn of her connection to Monticello and her African American ancestry until the 1970s. After genetic testing in 1998 established a link between her family line and Jefferson’s, she went on the Oprah Winfrey show and met Shay Banks-Young, a descendant of Madison Hemings, brother of her ancestor Eston Hemings Jefferson.

Since then, they have been speaking to audiences around the country about their family history and issues of race in America.  In her joint interview with Banks-Young, Westerinen notes that since learning of her African American heritage, “I don’t see color anymore like I used to.”

Ancestry

• Elizabeth Hemings

  1735-1807

• Sally Hemings

  1773-1835

• Eston Hemings Jefferson

  1808-1856

• Beverly Frederick Jefferson

  1839-1908

• Julia Jefferson Westerinen

  1934-2023

Related People

• Eston Hemings Jefferson - Ancestor
• Julia Isaacs Jefferson - Ancestor
• Mary Jefferson - Cousin
• Shay Banks-Young - Cousin

Julia Jefferson Westerinen

Julia Jefferson Westerinen and Family

Julia Westerinen and her daughter Dorothy at Monticello

Julia Westerinen's father, William Magill Jefferson. Image courtesy of Julia Westerinen.

Interview Information

6 Dec. 1997, Staten Island, NY
Interviewees: Julia Jefferson Westerinen, Emil Westerinen, Arthur Westerinen, Susan Smart, Eleanor Magid
Also present: Emily Westerinen

19 July 2000, Charlottesville, VA
Interviewees: Shay Banks-Young, Julia Jefferson Westerinen