"The Trailblazing Companion Story"

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about Thaddeus Stevens' trailblazing female partner.  Lady's name was Lydia Hamilton Smith who is often referred to as Thaddeus Stevens' housekeeper and perhaps common-law wife.  Lydia was actually a great deal more being she was a successful real estate entrepreneur, a fervent Catholic, an Underground Railroad participant and perhaps Thaddeus' common-law wife.  Lydia was born near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania around 1815 to a white father and a mother of both African and European heritage.  Lydia was married about the age of 20 to a barber and musician named Jacob Smith, with whom she had two sons.  She eventually left Jacob, allegedly due to his being abusive, and in 1844 moved with her two boys to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where she began working for Thaddeus.  Her duties were expansive.  She had to oversee Stevens' houses in Lancaster as well as those in Washington D.C.  She also counseled him on business affairs and was his constant companion at social events.  At local town gatherings, she was constantly spoken of as Mrs. Stevens, according to stories in the Lancaster Intelligencer newspaper.  

Lydia Hamilton Smith

In 1860, Lydia bought her first property from Stevens for $500.  On his death in 1868, Stevens left her with a $500 annuity, which she used to enlarge upon her prosperous real estate business.  Smith was, as was Stevens, dedicated to Black libration and is believed to have helped her boss shelter enslaved people seeking freedom.  Mr. Stevens' physician, Dr. Henry Carpenter, said that the lawmaker's life "was prolonged six to eight years due to faithful nursing and close attention from Lydia.  Due to that fact, Lydia was said to have changed the course of American history.  It was during those extra years of life that Thaddeus was able to survive, due to Lydia, that he advocated for the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the United States Constitution.  Lydia died in 1884 and her obituary noted that her outstanding reputation crossed racial lines.  Among the people of Washington D.C., both white and colored, she was highly respected just as her boss, Thaddeus Stevens.  Lydia was buried in Lancaster, Pennsylvania at St. Mary's Catholic Church.  As a  final sign of her unfailing bond with Thaddeus Stevens, she bequeathed $500 for the continued upkeep of his gravesite.  To this day...the gravesite of Thaddeus Stevens is in remarkable condition and evidently is visited by many who live in Lancaster as well as others from locations near and far.  Lydia Hamilton Smith...you did a good job taking care of one of Lancaster's own...Thaddeus Stevens, a true hero and Lancaster homeboy.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.