Read Part One HERE
In this post I will begin to focus on a woman named Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley. She lived from 1818 - 1907. Elizabeth was born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Her mother, Agnes (Aggy) Hobbs, was an enslaved woman on Colonel Armistead Burwell's plantation. Col. Burwell was also Elizabeth's biological father, and it is likely that Col. Burwell and Aggy's relationship was non-consensual. The Burwells never recognised Elizabeth's parentage and frequently beat her as a child.
Aggy's husband, George Pleasant Hobbs, was an enslaved man on a nearby plantation. George was devoted to Elizabeth and regarded her as his daughter. Elizabeth, likewise, regarded George as her father. As a form of resistance to enslavement, Aggy gave Elizabeth George's last name.
As early as age four, Elizabeth assisted her mother with chores in the Burwell household, including cleaning, sewing and watching over the Burwell's young children (Elizabeth's half-siblings). Unlike many enslaved people, Elizabeth was allowed to learn to read and write.
At some point, George was permitted to live with his wife and daughter on the Burwell plantation. However, the family's unification was short lived. When George's owner decided to move west, George was forced to leave, he had only two hours to say goodbye to his family. Elizabeth and her father kept in touch by letter, another rarity for enslaved people at that time.
Read Part One Hundred And Forty-Four HERE
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