Unlike most slaves-and in violation of laws forbidding slaves to be educated-Agnes Hobbs had been taught to read and write. Agnes Hobbs was the Burwells' house slave, caring for the Burwell children and acting as the family's seamstress. Sources place it as early as 1818 and as late as 1840 based on records from the Burwell household, February 1818 seems the most likely date, although other evidence from Keckley's lifetime suggests that 1824 or 1825 may be the correct year.ĭetails of her family are better known. However, this book and its unique perspective remain valuable for researchers and historians today.Įlizabeth Keckley was born into slavery as Elizabeth Hobbs on the estate of Colonel Armistead Burwell in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Keckley's autobiography Behind the Scenes or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House caused considerable controversy at the time of its publication, with some accusing Keckley of betraying the confidence of Mrs. American slave, seamstress, and author Elizabeth Keckley (c.1818-1907) had a close friendship with First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln during her time in the White House.
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