Dinnie Thompson, ca. 1900-1925

Dinnie Thompson, ca. 1900-1925

Dinnie Thompson (1857-1939) was a member of the Sisters of Mysterious Ten (SMT), a Black women's benevolent society in Louisville. As a young child, she was enslaved by the Speed family, along with her mother, Diana, and grandmother, Phyllis Thurston. From 1889 through the 1920s, she worked as a laundress or domestic in private households, eventually earning enough money to purchase her own home. In the SMT, Thompson found a social support network and opportunities to do charitable work. In the Knights of Friendship, a related branch of the organization, she participated in patriotic demonstrations and competitive drills and was given a sword engraved with her name.

Filson Photograph Collection

PC200.0013