I agree with you.

I also believe that the usage of the word "redeemed", for the abolishionish society purposes, means that they purchased her. But they were also playing on both meanings of the word by pointing out that she had been baptisted also.

At five years of age I would wonder what her actually profession of faith in Christ was? And if the southerners were so bad, where did she obtained that understanding to make that profession of faith and repent of her sin nature? That does not come from a normal five year olds level of understanding, being that the age of accountability is normally considered to be 12.

Of course we have all of the various conitations of the word "redeemed" here, because of it's connection with the Church and being saved for Christ. Also the connection of being bought with a price of Blood, as with Christ, in the form of the blood of Union soldiers dieing in Battle to set the slaves free.

So these were very powerful "political" messages disguised as "religious". If the abolishionist were true to their actual professed emancipation beliefs it would seem to me that they would have used a little black child, instead of an "almost all white" child.

There were other "slave children" used in this manner as Little Fannie was. One I know was named "Rebecca". But I haven't found a picture of her on the Internet, yet. However, Little Fannie was the most widely known and used.