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Keckley, Elizabeth (ca. 1818-1907) to James B. Bradwell re: mementos of Jefferson Davis

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06890 Author/Creator: Keckley, Elizabeth (ca. 1818-1907) Place Written: Washington Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 16 June 1865 Pagination: 1 p. 20.3 x 12.7 cm Order a Copy

These mementos belonged to Keckley, a freed slave and onetime seamstress to Mrs. Davis and later to Mrs. Lincoln. They include a "Bedstead taken from the House of Jefferson Davis, four (4) days after the evacuation of the city" and "some other curiosities... a piece of cloth taken from the desk of Jeff. Davis in the rebel capital -- the other a piece of the covering of the door of the rebel capital." She asks for the return of the bedstead. Judge Bradwell apparently knew Keckley through the Lincolns.

Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882
Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889

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