Shiffler Fire Company Collection

On View

Dated1860s–1870s

Description Lydia Smith guarded her privacy with care. Though she left behind a trail of property deeds, investments, and court records, few surviving documents capture her inner life—or her own voice. At the Stevens & Smith Center, three known personal letters written in Smith’s hand are preserved: one urging Thaddeus Stevens’ nephew, Thad, to visit his ailing uncle in Washington, and two addressed to her longtime friend Kate Mathiot McKinney from the late 1860s and early 1870s. In these personal letters, Smith steps out of her public roles as a businesswoman and as Stevens’ housekeeper and speaks in her own, unguarded voice, offering a rare glimpse at her private life and inner thoughts.