“The tread of this lady through the unfrequented paths of Emerson’s domestic life is so noiseless that only a rare footfall here and there reaches the ear of the biographer.”

~ from Ralph Waldo Emerson, by O. W. Firkins

Behind every great man is a great woman.  Fortunately, this is one of those outdated adages that we’ve removed from our lexicon.  Spend just a little time reading the history of remarkable citizens, and discover a partner who stands shoulder to shoulder with their famous spouse and shares equally in helping shape a culture. Eleanor Roosevelt, Sophia Hawthorne, and Doug Emhoff, to name a few. 

On the list of Concord’s notable 19th century women about whom few people know is Lidian Emerson Jackson; so little is written of her many talents, quiet fortitude, and unwavering support of her famous husband, Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

She was Waldo’s second wife, succeeding his marriage to Ellen Tucker in 1829. Love letters between Ellen and Waldo reveal a great and passionate connection. Their life together was tragically ended after eighteen short months when Ellen died of tuberculosis. The heartache and trauma that ensued precipitated Waldo’s trip to Europe in 1832, where he immersed himself in Transcendental philosophy. 

Lydia Jackson was born in 1802 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Orphaned at 16, her severe childhood was filled with periods of loss and depression. At 19, she barely survived a bout of scarlet fever. For the remainder of her life she would suffer from ill-health. Like many women of this period, Lydia was prescribed Calomel by well-meaning physicians. This commonly used, addictive drug contained mercury and ultimately damaged the patient’s health. 

She attended a lecture in Plymouth in 1834. It was here she first laid eyes on Waldo.  In the next day’s journal she writes that she was so “lifted to higher thoughts” upon hearing Mr. Emerson’s lecture, that she had to “hurry home before the thoughts could be tainted with everyday things.” At another lecture, the couple was formally introduced.  Soon thereafter, a letter arrived from Waldo with a proposal. They were married in 1835 in her family’s parlor and traveled to Concord to begin their new life.  

It was Waldo who asked her to change her name from Lydia to Lidian. He abhorred the lazy New England tongue, always putting the letter R in the wrong place, and knew her married name as Lydia Emerson would become Lydier Emerson. Lydia agreed and was forevermore Lidian.  

She was not inclined to enjoy the role of homemaker, especially those domestic expectations of 19th century women. In fact, prior to meeting Waldo, she noted in her diary that she did not think herself suitable for such a position. She also noted her dislike of the “spinster” alternative.  

The Ralph Waldo Emerson House

| Commons.wikimedia.org

For forty-six years she served as Waldo’s wife, mother of their four children, and keeper of their home in Concord – The Bush. She played hostess to the ceaseless file of visitors seeking the company of the great sage. At times she wondered aloud whether she would ever be alone in her home.  

Upon the birth of their first daughter in 1839, Lidian presented the newborn to Waldo and stated that she wished for the baby to be named Ellen Tucker Emerson after Waldo’s first wife. It seems an extraordinary gesture from a loving and confident new mother.  Daughter Ellen would go on to become the seminal caretaker for both Lidian and Waldo for the remainder of their lives.  

Lidian was the family’s comedian and entertainer. Journal entries attest to her popularity. Waldo commented on how saddened guests would become when he arrived without Lidian on his arm. Known as a gifted conversationalist, she was the belle of Concord’s social order.  

A superior intellectual, she was well-read and involved in many important issues of the day. She was outspoken on women’s rights, the lives of Native Americans, and abolition.  It was Lidian’s steady prodding that helped Waldo engage in the anti-slavery movement.  But of all her causes, it was the welfare of animals that spoke the loudest to Lidian.  Daughter Ellen writes in her diary of many occasions where Lidian stepped in to rescue and heal a needy chicken or feral cat.  

Periods of depression often visited Lidian.  The death of their first child, Waldo, in 1842, brought about a lengthy time of anguish. But again and again, we read in journals and letters of Lidian’s recovery. On rare occasions, sitting alone beside her husband in his study in the evening, discussing his day’s writing, seem to be her happiest moments.  

It was Lidian who kept the world-famous Emerson’s feet on the ground. He was especially drawn to her wit and gift for conversation. “I like to see her security and I know that whatever stranger is present will soon recognize the weight of what she says.  She is equal to anything they may bring up,” he wrote.  

Although their views on Christianity differed, Waldo’s and Lidian’s mutual respect for each other remained at the forefront. Theirs was a bond built on a solid foundation of trust. How much of an influence was Lidian on her husband? A close, personal friend of the couple, Mrs. Nathan Brooks, remarked, “Mr. Emerson wouldn’t be the man he is if it weren’t for Mrs. Emerson. People have no idea how much he owes to his wife.” (1 June 1895)

The Emerson family plot in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery | ©Rhonda Clark

At the end of his life, suffering from dementia, Waldo spent his days in the company of his wife and daughters.  Daughter Ellen was his constant nursemaid.  Perhaps in those final years he still had the ability to remember the past more clearly than the present. What he would have remembered was Lidian’s steadfast devotion and love. And in the end, her steady hand and “love’s austere and lonely offices.” She survived him by a decade and now resides for eternity in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery at Waldo’s side.  

Acknowledgements:

The Life of Lidian Jackson Emerson by Ellen Tucker Emerson 

Anke Voss, Curator, The Concord Free Public Library

And with sincere gratitude to Ellen Emerson and The Ralph Waldo Emerson Museum