Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley was born in 1818 in Dinwiddie Court House, Virginia. Lizzie's parents were George and Agnes Hobbs. Her father had a different master from her and her mother and lived 100 miles from Lizzie. Lizzie's father was allowed to visit only at Easter and Christmas. After age 7 or 8 Lizzie never saw her father again as his master moved away, taking George with him. Lizzie was with her mother most of the time until her teenage years; then she was given to the Colonel's son and his bride as a wedding gift. Lizzie's only child, George, was named after her father. George's father was a friend and neighbor of the Colonel's son. George was born through an unwanted and forced relationship. Lizzie married James Keckley in 1852 and within a few years found out he wasn't free and was an alcoholic. Lizzie's master had promised she could buy freedom for herself and her son after he died; but she did not have the money when he passed away. Thanks to the generosity of one of her patrons, she was loaned the $1200 she needed for their freedom. In 1860, Elizabeth and George moved to Washington, DC, where she opened a dressmaking shop. George was light enough to pass for white. He joined the Union army during the Civil War and was killed in 1861. As word of her talent spread, she attracted more and more customers from Washington society. One of her customers was Varina Howell Davis whose husband Jefferson Davis was soon to become the President of the Confederacy. Another affluent client recommended Elizabeth to Mary Todd Lincoln. The gowns she made for Mrs. Lincoln were praised in the newspapers for their beauty and elegance. She became not only the First Lady's dressmaker but a confidante as well. Her dignity and trustworthiness earned the confidence of Mary Lincoln and her husband. Mary often called Elizabeth to the White House for comfort when the stress of the Civil War and the loss of their son Willie overwhelmed her. After President Lincoln was assassinated, Elizabeth was a loyal friend to Mrs. Lincoln, at times neglecting her own business to be available for her. In 1868, Elizabeth published her autobiography "Behind the Scenes, or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House." The book got quite a lot of attention but not the kind of attention she wanted. She must have realized that her book would not be well received in some circles but it appears that she did not anticipate that her betrayal of the secrets and personal opinions of the First Couple's private lives would elicit such a strong reaction from Mary Todd Lincoln and the black community. Robert Lincoln, Mary's son, had the book removed from publication. Elizabeth lost many friends and her business declined. She left Washington for a time and taught in the Department of Sewing and Domestic Science Arts at Wilberforce University in Ohio. She returned to Washington in 1898 and lived her last days at the Home for Destitute Women and Children, an institution she had helped to establish during the Civil War. She died there from a stroke on May 26, 1907, at the age of 88.
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