An Uncomon Woman

By Mark Kelley

Kelley’s biography of Lydia Hamilton Smith was a good complement to my earlier reading on the life of Thaddeus Stevens, the nineteenth century abolitionist who contributed so much to the destruction of the institution of slavery in the United States.

Classed as a mulatto, Hamilton Smith lived with and worked as Steven’s housekeeper, managing his household and overseeing his social life in Lancaster and Washington. While this is her biography, their intertwined life is really the subject of this book. Her race and place in his life caused some controversy at the time and speculation today. But the real story is about respect and agency in circumstances when inequality was the order of the day.