In recent years, Thaddeus Stevens has become an increasingly popular figure in the history of civil rights. This is due to a refocusing on his life & legacy – Steven Spielberg’s 2012 film Lincoln not least among the reasons why. However, what is not discussed as commonly is how the care and assistance of a lady named Lydia Hamilton Smith, made Stevens’ career – and very life – possible.

Smith has not found the same sort of popularity that follows Stevens. While there is no historical consensus on the nature of their relationship – despite it being definitively depicted as romantic in Lincoln – it is important to note that Smith was reportedly called “Mrs. Stevens” by those who knew her, and even once in a letter from Stevens himself.

She was born near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, sometime between 1813 and 1815, to a white father and a mixed-race mother. Smith originally married an African-American barber named Jacob Smith, with whom she had two sons, but they separated sometime in the 1840s, with some historians speculating that the separation was due to abuse. At some point between 1844 and 1847, Smith moved to Lancaster with her children, and she began working as a housekeeper for Stevens, who was already a well-known lawyer and abolitionist, even before his 1858 Congressional victory.

The couple took on many roles together. They both helped raise the Smith sons, as well as two of Stevens’ nephews, whom he had adopted. Smith was so loved by Stevens’ family that his nieces and nephews would write letters to the two of them asking for her to visit. The pair brought their activism into everyday life, becoming prominent figures in the Underground Railroad (their house contained a passageway into a local tavern). Smith also collected food and supplies for the surviving soldiers of the Battle of Gettysburg. Additionally, she ran her own real estate business, which she would later greatly expand with the money she was left after Stevens’ death.

Smith spent a large amount of time working to perfect her image, at one point trying to copy the fashion sense of first lady Mary Lincoln, which helped her assimilate into the difficult Washington culture. Her obituary states that “among the people of Washington, white and colored, she was respected highly.” This speaks volumes about her, as she achieved success despite great societal prejudice.

Stevens was already 66 at the time of his Congressional election, and his health began a steady decline. His physician, Henry Carpenter, is noted to have said that Stevens’ life, “...was prolonged six or eight years by faithful nursing and close attention” from Smith. Had the couple never united, how might history have been altered? Would Stevens have lived long enough to play a vital role in passing the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments?

Smith was at Stevens’ bedside at the time of his death in 1868. His will gifted either $5000 directly or $500 per year to Smith, as well as any furniture she wanted. She would use the money for a variety of things, including the purchase of his house. Stevens’ will also gave money to charities such as a race-blind school for orphans, as he was a major supporter of public school funding throughout his career.

Stevens’ focus on equality even made its way to his gravestone, etched with the following words …

I repose in this quiet and secluded spot,

Not from any natural preference for solitude

But, finding other Cemeteries limited as to Race

by Charter Rules,

I have chosen this that I might illustrate in my death

The Principles which I advocated

Through a long life:

EQUALITY OF MAN BEFORE HIS CREATOR

After Stevens’ death, Smith dedicated herself to their shared political causes, and growing her business. She died in 1884, and is buried in St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Lancaster. She is buried alongside both of her sons - William, having died in 1871, and Isaac, who died just two months after his mother. She left money for the upkeep of Stevens’ grave at nearby Shreiner-Concord cemetery, just half a mile away from St. Mary’s. Though overshadowed by Stevens in historical memory, Smith’s enduring legacy is intertwined with the fight for equality, exemplified in both her personal and professional contributions.

The Talented Mrs. Smith