It would be hard to find a better example of the resiliency of the human spirit than Edith Hern Fossett (1787–1854). Born into slavery at Monticello, Fossett was taken to Washington, D.C., when she was 15 to cook for Thomas Jefferson at the president’s house. She received instruction in French cuisine from Honoré Julien, George Washington’s former chef. Fossett would remain in Washington through Jefferson’s two terms, receiving a monthly $2 gratuity ($50 today). During her tenure, she bore three children with her husband, Joseph Fossett, the son of Mary Hemings, Sally Hemings’ much older half-sister. The couple saw each other rarely as Joseph remained at Monticello where he was head blacksmith. The position allowed him to keep a small percentage of the smithy’s profits.
In 1809, Edith returned to Monticello where she would remain the chief cook until Jefferson’s death. Jefferson’s will granted Joseph his freedom effective July 1827, but Edith and eight of their 10 children were put up for auction in January of that year. Joseph arranged for his brother-in-law, Jesse Scott, a free man of color, to purchase his wife and the two youngest children for $505. It took 10 years, but by 1837, Joseph, Edith, five children, and four grandchildren were all free.
The family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where they flourished. Two more children, who’d gained their freedom, eventually joined them. Two sons set up a successful catering enterprise and family members became actively involved in the abolitionist movement, helping numerous enslaved African Americans escape through the Underground Railroad…