She adds, “Since Jefferson mentioned three ‘runaways’ in his Farm Book, two of whom, Beverly and Harriet Hemings, were Sally Hemings's children, it seems likely that the fourth was Tom Hemings, and that he left Monticello at a relatively early age, probably [here a slightly stronger modality] shortly after the story of his mother's relationship with Jefferson broke into the press in 1802. Perhaps his mother chose not to discuss this son with anyone after his departure and made every effort to protect his identity in the white society by a mantle of silence.”
