 Her mother and master both died when she was about nine years old.Veney and her family were split up, Bethany ending up with her mistress, "Miss Lucy" (Lucy Fletcher) and David Kibbler (Kibler) – whom Vethany refers to as a "Dutchman" with a violent temper.Miss Lucy hated slavery but did not know what to do about the way things were, except to be kind to Bethany.