. [54] With Eliza's help John C. Hamilton would go on to publish History of the Republic of the United States America, as Traced in the Writings of Alexander Hamilton and his Contemporaries. // cutting the mustard Peggy Schuyler died young. She had to sell her 35 acre estate in upper Manhattan. } But by the final act of the play, one of the most compelling characters to emerge is Elizabeth (Eliza) Schuyler Hamilton. The following year, Jefferson supporter James Callender published a pamphlet accusing Hamilton of having skeletons in his own closet. While apart, Alexander wrote her numerous letters telling her not to worry for his safety; in addition, he wrote her concerning confidential military secrets, including the lead-up to the Battle of Yorktown that autumn. During her decades as a widow, she founded New York's first private orphanage, socialized with some of the most famous figures in American history, and worked to ensure that her husband and his contributions would never be forgotten. He was born on January 22, 1782 and died on November 23, 1801 at the age of 19. After the war he was active in both local and national politics, even serving as a U.S. senator from New York from 1789 to 1791 losing his seat to none other than Aaron Burr (who would eventually kill his future son-in-law Alexander in a duel). ' And yes, she really did burn her letters to her husbandbut no one knows when or why. "I Meet You in Every Dream" Alexander and Eliza married on December 14, 1780. Alexander's wife lived for many decades after her husband's death. As a child, she was strong-willed and impulsive. In 1806, Isabella Graham and Sarah Hoffman, two other widows and social activists with whom Eliza had become friends, approached her for help. document.documentElement.className += 'js'; Active Widowhood And Eliza knew enough about his impoverished background to give cause for concern. The founding father and the New York socialite came from opposing backgrounds but somehow found love during the Revolution. She was the spouse of Alexander Hamilton, famous in the early American government following the Declaration of Independence and considered one of the founders of our American republic. Elizabeth Schuyler was born in 1757, just a year after her older sister. On November 24, 1801, she lost her son Philip, who died fighting a duel with a political opponent of his father. Elizabeth also spent many months separated from her husband. He had been stationed along with the General and his men in Morristown. Hamilton, who had resigned as Treasury Secretary six years before, was in Albany on business that March when Peggy took a. A single mother, Rachel struggled to provide for Alexander and his brother before she died in 1768, leaving him an orphan. This may have coincided with the discovery that she was pregnant with her first child, who would be born the next January and named Philip, for her father. Eliza descended from some of America's most prominent early families Born in August 1757, she was one of eight surviving children of Philip Schuyler and Catherine Van Rensselaer. Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler Hamilton was born in Albany, New York, on August 9, 1757. [19] Soon, however, Washington and Hamilton had a falling-out, and the newlywed couple moved, first back to Eliza's father's house in Albany, then to a new home across the river from the New Windsor headquarters. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Elizabeth Hamilton died on November 9, 1854, at the age of 97. In Hamilton's closing number, "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story," Eliza is framed as the driving force behind Hamilton's legacy. In November 1804, Gen. Philip Schuyler died, leaving Elizabeth Hamilton without both of her parents. Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. As wealthy socialites, both Schuyler sisters frequently attended officer's balls where they mingled with eligible young soldiers. Eliza was an ardent supporter of her husband, but it wasnt always plain sailing in their marriage. When he visited the boarding house where she was staying to deliver the funds, Maria invited him to her room, where, as Hamilton would later write in his pamphlet about the affair, it became "apparent that other than pecuniary consolation would not be unacceptable.". A: At the time that I published my biography of Hamilton in 2004, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton was a complete blank in the American imagination. Eliza did not leave the orphanage until 1848, twenty-seven years later, when she left to live with her daughter, Elizabeth . I pray you to exert yourself and I repeat my exhortation that you will bear in mind it is your business to comfort and not to distress.[46]. [citation needed], When she was a girl, Elizabeth accompanied her father to a meeting of the Six Nations and met Benjamin Franklin when he stayed briefly with the Schuyler family while traveling. Catherine,. But despite these differences, the pair formed a lasting bond that has been the subject of numerous books and the award-winning musical, Hamilton. She was educated and described as intelligent, attractive, and was frequently compared to her demure sister, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, as being more sociable. Hamilton was surely aware of Elizas wealth and connections, which likely played a role in his initial attraction to her. Not even wealth could lower that very high death rate. This is trueshe really did save his writings and fiercely defended his legacybut she was also a force for change in her own right. The Unlikely Marriage of Alexander Hamilton and His Wife, Eliza, Photos: GraphicaArtis/Getty Images; Kean Collection/Getty Images, Every Candidate in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Race, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Angelica lived abroad for over fourteen years, returning to America for visits in 1785 and 1789. Q: Can you introduce us to Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton? Her oldest daughter, Angelica, suffered a nervous breakdown after her brother Philip's death. Catherine, also known as Kitty, was the daughter of one of New York States oldest, richest and most prominent Dutch families. "[33], Eliza also continued to aid Alexander throughout his political career, serving as an intermediary between him and his publisher when he was writing The Federalist Papers,[34] copying out portions of his defense of the Bank of the United States,[35] and sitting up with him so he could read Washington's Farewell Address out loud to her as he wrote it. Monopoly es el juego de mesa favorito de Estados Unidos, una carta de amor al capitalismo desenfrenado y a nuestra sociedad de libre mercado. [52] By the time she left she had been with the organization continuously since its founding, a total of 42 years. In the year before the duel, Eliza's mother Catherine had died suddenly,[47] and only a few months after Hamilton's death Eliza's father died as well. Church, 13 July 1797", "Letter from Alexander Hamilton to Elizabeth Hamilton, 21 July 1797", "Draft of the "Reynolds Pamphlet", July 1797", "Printed Version of the "Reynolds Pamphlet", 1797", "Guide to the Records of Graham Windham 1804-2011 MS 2916", "Who tells Eliza's story? The Van Rensselaers of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck were one of the richest and most politically influential families in the state of New York. [53], Eliza defended Alexander against his critics in a variety of ways following his death, including by supporting his claim of authorship of George Washington's Farewell Address and by requesting an apology from James Monroe over his accusations of financial improprieties. When he paid her a visit decades after the Reynolds scandal, she refused to speak with him. . The organization still exists today, as the children and families-supporting New York City non-profit Graham Windham. She also appears in the 2015 Broadway Musical Hamilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. [5][6][7], Her family was among the wealthy Dutch landowners who had settled around Albany in the mid-1600s, and both her mother and father came from wealthy and well-regarded families. The first blow was struck in March 1801, when Elizabeth lost her sister Peggy after a long illness. She also ensured that Hamiltons biography was published. She would live another 50 years. Two years before the duel, Elizabeths mother, Catherine had died, and only a few months after Hamiltons death, her father also died. READ MORE: What Was Alexander Hamilton's Role in Aaron Burr's Contentious Presidential Defeat? My dear Hamilton is fonder of me every day.". Dutch people, places, miscellany, Timeline of the Netherlands & Scandinavia in North America How well do you know your government? Eliza was supportive of her husband throughout his career and aided him with his political writings. History, Archaeology & Art illuminate a Life on the Hudson, New Amsterdam Kitchen On Saturday, My Dear Eliza, your sister took leave of her sufferings and friends, I trust, to find repose and happiness in a better country. In November 1833, at the age of 76, Eliza resold The Grange for $25,000, funding the purchase of a New York townhouse (now called the Hamilton-Holly House) where she lived for nine years with two of her grown children, Alexander Hamilton Jr. and Eliza Hamilton Holly, and their spouses. When Elizabeth Eliza Schuyler married .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Alexander Hamilton in December 1780, the pair would have seemed like a great mismatch on paper. [citation needed]. After Vice President Aaron Burr killed Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in a duel in 1804, Hamilton's widow, Elizabeth Schuyler "Eliza" Hamilton, had to find a way to go on without her. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. [29] At the first Inaugural Ball, Eliza danced with George Washington;[30] when Thomas Jefferson returned from Paris in 1790, she and Alexander hosted a dinner for him. More. On September 25, 1784, Eliza gave birth to her second child, Angelica, named after Eliza's older sister. Elizabeth remained dedicated to preserving her husbands legacy. In his 2004 biography of Hamilton, which Miranda used as the basis for the show, Ron Chernow wrote that Eliza destroyed her own letters to Hamilton, but her reasons remain unknown. But while Hamilton came from an impoverished background, he had two key traits that would help propel him to the top intelligence and ambition. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. After a short honeymoon at the Pastures, Eliza's childhood home, Hamilton returned to military service in early January 1781. Eliza evidently did not believe the charges when they were first leveled against her husband: John Church, her brother-in-law, on July 13, 1797, wrote to Hamilton that "it makes not the least Impression on her, only that she considers the whole Knot of those opposed to you to be [Scoundrels]. Life in New York City was obviously more exciting than in Morristown, New Jersey or Albany, New York. Eliza, who had to struggle to pay for her own childrens education after her husbands death, could empathize. is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. . She was born inAlbany, New York To Philip Schyler and Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler. "I meet you in every dream," Hamilton wrote in one of his swooning letters, "and when I wake I cannot close my eyes for ruminating on your sweetness." Eliza was a source of valuable advice and wisdom to Hamilton as his political career began to take off after the war. [31] After Alexander became Treasury Secretary in 1789, her social duties only increased: "Mrs. Hamilton, Mrs. [Sarah] Jay and Mrs. [Lucy] Knox were the leaders of official society," an early historian writes. Some parts of his 31-page letter to Robert Morris, laying out much of the financial knowledge that was to aid him later in his career, are actually in her handwriting. (As the musical shows, Hamilton also got pretty flirty with Eliza's vivacious older sister, Angelica. Eliza later said of the presidents wife that she was always my ideal of a true woman.. By that time two of her siblings, Margarita and John had also passed away. Monopoly is Americas favorite board game, a love letter to unbridled capitalism and our free market society. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, portrayed by Phillipa Soo in the original Broadway run of Hamilton, was not just the wife of one of America's founding fathers. Introduced at the very start of the musical, in the song Alexander Hamilton, Elizais central to the plot, and adds an important female voice to a show about politics and Americas Founding Fathers. Elizas initial fears that her family would disapprove of the relationship were soon eased. After public schools finally were built nearby, the Hamilton Free Schools trustees converted it into the neighborhoods first lending library, and it later evolved into the Dyckman Institute, an educational advocacy group. Born in 1757, Eliza was the second daughter of Revolutionary War general Philip Schuyler and Catherine van Rensselaer, a member of one of New Yorks richest families. After two more months of separation punctuated by their correspondence, on December 14, 1780, Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler were married at the Schuyler Mansion. Instead she immersed herself in charitable work, helping found New York's first private orphanage in 1806, and embarking on a decades-long campaignto ensure "her Hamilton" received the historical laurels she was sure he deserved. She moved to Washington, D.C. in 1848 to live with a daughter, became a celebrated guest at the White House, and died just a few months after her 97th birthday. [4] She had seven siblings who lived to adulthood, including Angelica Schuyler Church and Margarita "Peggy" Schuyler Van Rensselaer, but she had 14 siblings altogether. Chernow, Ron, Alexander Hamilton, Penguin Press, 2004, Randall, William Sterne, Alexander Hamilton: A Life, Harpers-Collins, 2003, Roberts, Warren, A Place in History: Albany in the Age of Revolution, 1775-1825, Albany: NY State University Press, 2010, Wikipedia, especially for main picture (portrait by Ralph Earl), Peter Douglas's Totidem Verbis