Despite being a very forward-thinking and accomplished public figure, Elizabeth Oakes-Smith died at the age of 87 in 1893 feeling as if she were part of an antiquated generation. She spent a lifetime writing and lecturing on human dignity issues, and is most noted for her contribution to the woman's suffrage movement during the 1800's. Her incomplete autobiography, Selections from the Autobiography of Elizabeth Oakes Prince Smith, discovered and published in the early 1920s, paints a portrait of a 19th century woman with the intellectual and creative power to manage a household and move among circles of notable Americans with grace. Praised by statesman Henry Clay for her intellect and beauty, Oakes-Smith defied newspaper caricatures of woman's suffragists captivating a nation with her strong, elequent prose.
Elizabeth Oakes-Smith's Life
Oakes-Smith was born and raised in Maine. She is described as a bit of a wild child, raised under the influence of her Puritan maternal grandfather Esquire Blanchard.
"I was bred with thoroughly Calvinistic opinions, which I questioned when a child of five years, taking my stand that if God never loved all the creatures he made, then he was not a good God," she writes.
In addition to struggling with religious questions, Oakes-Smith taught in a Sunday School for black children, and dreamed of a teaching career. She strongly believed that under the right circumstances, all children can be motivated to achieve. Instead of following this dream, she respected her mother's wishes and married Seba Smith, editor of The Eastern Argus, at the age of 16.
During the panic of 1837, Oakes-Smith had an opportunity to witness the harsh reality of slavery, when she and her family traveled South to promote an invention that could clean Sea Grass cotton. The family suffered great financial loss in this investment when the machine proved to be slow and ineffective. Oakes-Smith was inspired by this negative experience to write about the slavery issue in her moralist novel Riches Without Wings.
The Work of Oakes-Smith
Considered an eccentric by some of her peers for her views, but still well-liked, Oakes-Smith wrote and lectured on topics linked with human rights and dignity such as the abolition of slavery, women's equality, living conditions of slums and the plight of the poor. Her poetry and fiction, including The Sinless Child, Bertha and Lilly; Or the Parsonage of Beech Glen, and The Newsboy reflect the substance of her beliefs, and these works attracted national attention. Oakes-Smith publically pointed to the link between poverty and loss of opportunity, helping the early founders of the Young Men's Christian Association in New York City to create a local facility for impoverished boys, and later serving as an honory member of the YMCA Board of Directors.
Elizabeth Oakes-Smith was a nominee for Vice President and President of the United States on the Women's Suffrage ticket during the 1860's. She shared the stage with Lucretia Mott and Susan B. Anthony at Women's Rights Conventions, voicing her beliefs on the need for women to be educated, to vote and to gain economic equality in the United States.
Elizabeth Oakes-Smith's Legacy
Although she is buried beside a suburban Main street in the villiage of Patchogue, New York, Elizabeth Oakes-Smith's legacy is not forgotten. The quest for human dignity and individual freedom is a timeless endeavor, and the impact she had as an idividual is attracting attention over one hundred years following her death.
"I belong to a past period, the memory of which it may be well to retain," she writes.
This early feminist represents an important part of national and local history worth remembering. Currently Patchogue Village, the location of Oakes-Smith's resting place, is experiencing what residents call a renaissance. The Lake View Cemetery, which was, for many years neglected and vandalized, is being renovated and beautified thanks to the efforts of citizens of Patchogue, including Patchogue Village Historian Hans Henke, Mr. Steven Gill, head of the Cemetery Restoration Committee, and community volunteers. Building projects aimed at improving Patchogue Village and attracting families are underway. As part of the revitalization efforts, a YMCA is being built on the property adjacent to her gravesite. Plans are being discussed to somehow recognize the life and work of Oakes-Smith on the grounds of the new facility. It seems fitting, and a bit ironic that the property belonging to a woman who dedicated so much thought and time to the betterment of society is being incorporated into the revitalization efforts of a historic Long Island village.
Reference:
- Smith, Elizabeth Oakes Prince. (1980). Selections from the Autobiography of Elizabeth Oakes (Prince) Smith. New York: Arno Press.
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