Second wife and widow of African-American abolitionist Lewis Hayden (1811?-1889). They were married in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1836 or 1837 after Lewis's first wife Esther Harvey and their son were sold away from him by Henry Clay. In 1844, along with Harriet's son Joseph, the Haydens were smuggled to freedom by Underground Railroad activists Delia Webster and Rev. Calvin Fairbank, each of whom served time in prison for helping them. Settling in Boston, the Haydens ran a clothing store and a boarding house, using these enterprises to provide food, shelter and clothing for fugitive slaves. Lewis became active in Boston politics. In 1858, he became "messenger" for the Massachusetts Secretary of State, a position he held until he died in 1889. When Harriet died a little over four years later, she left her estate, valued at $4,000-$5,000, to Harvard College to benefit "poor and deserving colored students," with an expressed preference for aiding medical students. Harriet is buried beside Lewis.
Second wife and widow of African-American abolitionist Lewis Hayden (1811?-1889). They were married in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1836 or 1837 after Lewis's first wife Esther Harvey and their son were sold away from him by Henry Clay. In 1844, along with Harriet's son Joseph, the Haydens were smuggled to freedom by Underground Railroad activists Delia Webster and Rev. Calvin Fairbank, each of whom served time in prison for helping them. Settling in Boston, the Haydens ran a clothing store and a boarding house, using these enterprises to provide food, shelter and clothing for fugitive slaves. Lewis became active in Boston politics. In 1858, he became "messenger" for the Massachusetts Secretary of State, a position he held until he died in 1889. When Harriet died a little over four years later, she left her estate, valued at $4,000-$5,000, to Harvard College to benefit "poor and deserving colored students," with an expressed preference for aiding medical students. Harriet is buried beside Lewis.
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