At his death, Jefferson was greatly in debt, in part due to his continued construction program.[64] The debts encumbered his estate, and his family had to sell the slaves from Monticello to pay his creditors.[62][65]
Jefferson freed only five slaves in his will, all males of the Hemings family: Madison and Eston Hemings, the younger sons of Sally Hemings, to be freed at age 21 (Madison was freed almost immediately and Eston was "given his time" so that he was freed before he was 21); her half-brother John Hemings, and her nephews Joseph (Joe) Fossett and Burwell Colbert.[66] He gave Burwell Colbert, who had served as his butler and valet, $300 for purchasing supplies used in the trade of "painter and glazier". He freed John Hemings and Joe Fossett, who were each given an acre on Jefferson's lands to build homes for their families. Because Jefferson did not free Fossett's wife or their eight children, they were sold to four different slave owners. Fossett worked for years to buy them back to give them freedom. Jefferson requested the state legislature allow the freed men to remain in Virginia to be with their families, who remained enslaved under Jefferson's heirs.[66]
In 1827, an auction of 130 slaves took place at Monticello. The sale lasted for five days despite the cold weather. The slaves brought prices over 70% of their appraised value. Within three years, all of the black families at Monticello had been sold and dispersed.[67]
Thomas Jefferson and slavery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia