Abigail Adams met Hemings when the ship stopped in London. Abigail Adams wrote to Jefferson and said he should send Hemings back to Virginia on a ship, but he did not. She said Hemings would probably be as much work to take care of as Polly was. She wrote that Hemings was running around, laughing, and playing with Polly. At the time, Adams thought Hemings was sixteen years old, but she was really fourteen years old. We do not know for sure why Abigail Adams wanted Jefferson to send Hemings back to Virginia.