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Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (sometimes spelled Keckly;〔Fleischner (2003), p. 7. Mrs. Keckl(e)y's husband was a slave; we do not know whether he was literate, or from what family he acquired his name. The spelling of his name remains in question.〕 February 1818 – May 1907)〔Fleischner (2003), pp. 29, 323.〕 was a former slave who became a successful seamstress, civil activist and author in Washington, DC. She was best known as the personal modiste and confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln, the First Lady. Keckley had moved to Washington in 1860 after buying her freedom and that of her son in St. Louis. She created an independent business in the capital based on clients who were the wives of the government elite. Among them were Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis; and Mary Anna Custis Lee, wife of Robert E. Lee. After the American Civil War, Keckley wrote and published an autobiography, ''Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House'' (1868). It was both a slave narrative and a portrait of the First Family, especially Mary Todd Lincoln, and considered controversial for breaking privacy about them. It was also her claim as a businesswoman to be part of the new mixed-race, educated middle-class that were visible among the leadership of the black community. Keckley's relationship with Mary Todd Lincoln, the President's wife, was notable for its personal quality and intimacy, as well as its endurance over time. ==Early life== Elizabeth Keckley was born a slave in February 1818 in Dinwiddie County Court House, Dinwiddie, Virginia, just south of Petersburg. Her mother Agnes was a house slave owned by Armistead and Mary Burwell. 'Aggy' was a 'privileged slave', as she had learned to read and write although this was illegal for slaves. Elizabeth's biological father, whose identity was revealed to her only late in life, was her master Armistead Burwell, a planter and colonel in the War of 1812.〔Fleischner (2003), p. 29.〕 Keckley's mother did not tell her the father's identity until on her deathbed, although it was "obvious" by Elizabeth's appearance that he was white.〔Fleischner (2003), p. 88.〕 The nature of the relationship between Agnes and Burwell is unknown. He later permitted Agnes to marry George Pleasant Hobbs, a literate slave who lived and worked at a neighbor's home during Elizabeth's early childhood. When his owner decided to move far away, Hobbs was taken away from his wife and stepdaughter. Keckley lived in the Burwell house with her mother and began official duties at age 4. As the Burwells had four children under age 10, Mary assigned Elizabeth to be the nursemaid for their infant Elizabeth Margaret.〔Fleischner (2003), p. 38.〕 Forced into major responsibility as a young child, Keckley was subject to punishment for failing to care properly for the baby. One day she accidentally tipped the cradle over too far, and the infant rolled onto the floor. Mary Burwell beat her severely. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Elizabeth Keckley」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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