Cecelia and Fanny: The Remarkable Friendship between an Escaped Slave and Her Former Mistress

The lifelong link between a formerly enslaved woman and her childhood mistress provides a unique view of life in Reconstruction era Louisville.

Born into slavery, Cecelia Reynolds was presented as a birthday gift to her nine-year-old mistress, Frances "Fanny" Thruston Ballard. Years later, Cecelia escaped to join the free black population of Canada. But what might have been the end of her connection to Fanny appears to be only the beginning. A cache of letters from Fanny to Cecelia tells of...