6. Unusual Vacation Arrangements to Haiti
Jefferson’s documented itinerary includes an 1785 trip to Saint-Domingue—present-day Haiti—undertaken shortly after Hemings began her fifth pregnancy. Travel records show Hemings remaining at Monticello under his directive, while he arranged for periodic visits. These patterns appear in Monticello’s Itineraries and hint at synchronized planning around her childbearing cycle. Historians argue these coordinated movements ensured Jefferson could be present soon after each birth, reinforcing an ongoing personal concern.
