Frances Butler LeighFrances Butler Leigh, born in 1838 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the daughter of Pierce Mease Butler, a wealthy plantation owner, and Frances Anne "Fanny" Kemble, an English actress and abolitionist. Her father owned extensive cotton, tobacco, ad rice plantations in Georgia, and her mother was a prominent figure, known for her strong opposition to slavery, which she documented in her writings. Frances grew up in a complex and tumultuous environment, shaped by the cultural and economic dynamics of the Southern aristocracy. After marrying James Leigh in 1871, she had several children, including Pierce Butler Leigh and Frances Leigh. Throughout her life, Frances navigated the challenges of being part of a once-prominent plantation family in a rapidly changing post-Civil War South. Her writings, particularly Ten Years on a Georgia Plantation, provide a unique perspective on the transformation of Southern society after the war. Frances Butler Leigh passed away in 1910, leaving behind a legacy shaped by both her family's history and her personal reflections on the social and economic upheavals of her time. Read More Read Less