Still a private, men’s liberal arts college in Virginia: motto (translated from Latin): Come here as boys so you may leave as men By the time she was a young teen she was separated from her mother and sent to live with the Colonel’s son Robert and his new wife, Anna. Lizzie’s early life was sadly common for the times but being commonplace doesn’t take away the horrors of it, (and we do go into a lot more detail in the podcast.) She was whipped on her very first day of service at age four, moved with the family when the Colonel had a downturn of fortune to Hampden Sydney College and while Lizzie was still a child she saw her loving father for the last time when he was forced to move away. Later in life what Lizzie probably always knew was confirmed by her mother- her father of biology was none other than the Colonel. Her father of record, and in her heart, was George Pleasant Hobbs who was also a slave but owned by a different master. Aggie and Lizzie were slaves owned by Colonel Armistead Burwell. Sometime in February of 1818 Agnes (Aggie) Hobbs gave birth to Elizabeth in the town of Dinwiddie Courthouse, Virginia. Yes indeed- Lizzie needs her time in the spotlight.Įlizabeth was born the same year as her friend Mary Lincoln, although unlike Mary the exact date is unknown. She was born a slave, eventually bought her freedom and built a very successful business (twice) all before she, too, realized her own White House dream. When we were researching Mary Lincoln we both admired her friend, Elizabeth Keckly, so much that we knew that had to talk about her.

30 years a slave elizabeth keckley