Love against all odds: Kittie Simkins (left) was a black woman born into slavery in South Carolina. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Ramey - one of six children - followed his older brothers into the Confederate Army fighting for the South. After being wounded in Virginia, Ramey was sent home to recover from his injuries, during which time he began a love affair with Pickens' slave Kattie Simkins. This is a letter from William Ramey typed on Election Day 1912 (he voted for Teddy Roosevelt)Ramey passed away in 1912, aged 71. But by then Simkins and her children were long gone, along with the family's possessions.

Source: Daily Mail October 22, 2018 21:17 UTC