The High Life of Belle Brezing
How a shunned little girl grew to be Lexington, Kentucky’s most memorable madam
Humble Beginnings
She was born Mary Belle Cox, the illegitimate daughter of dressmaker, and occasional prostitute, Sarah Ann, on June 16, 1860. Belle was the second of Sarah’s daughters, Hester being the older girl. When Belle was a baby of one year, her mother married a man named George Brezing. Sarah changed her daughters’ last names from Cox to Brezing.
George was a saloon owner with a terrible temper, and the marriage was volatile. Gambling, drinking, and beatings quickly led to a divorce in 1866. When her marriage ended, Sarah had a brief romance with a man named Bill McMeekan, which provided much gossip around the neighborhood.
Belle was a beautiful child with long chestnut hair that spiraled down her back. She had full lips, and dark eyebrows above her brown, almond-shaped eyes. Sarah made sure her daughters always dressed well, and Belle tried very hard to make friends. But she was the daughter of a harlot, and unsuitable for friendship, according to parents and teachers. Children teased her, and Of course, she became very lonely. Instead of accepting her status as a poor white trash, Belle decided to hold her head high. If she ever felt ashamed or embarrassed, she…
