Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton - Wikipedia In 1848, she left New York for Washington, D.C., where she lived with her widowed daughter Eliza until 1854. 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. She was rich, he was poor. After a short honeymoon at the Pastures, Eliza's childhood home, Hamilton returned to military service in early January 1781. According to Mazzeo, Hoffman had discovered five children weeping over the body of their dead mother in a slum tenement, which led them to realize the need for an orphanage in the city. Eliza was an ardent supporter of her husband, but it wasnt always plain sailing in their marriage. But behind the myth of the games creation is an untold tale of theft, obsession and corporate double-dealing. "[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. Elizabeths depiction in the musical emphasizes both her importance in Hamiltons life and her work in propagating his legacy. Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. Elizabeth was then only 47 years old. The women of Hamilton : Angelica, Eliza and Maria Reynolds The three sisters were three of seven siblings who lived to adulthood. Active Widowhood 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. Ron Chernow said that her efforts to preserve Hamilton's memory were important to his 2005 biography of the founder, especially as, with Hamilton's Republican foes in power after his death, there wasn't much in the way of public efforts to record his life. Angelica Schuyler Church - Wikipedia Elizabeth, Angelica and Margarita Schuyler are the three famous sisters portrayed in the Broadway Play Hamilton. Eliza soon joined him at New Windsor, where Washington's army was now stationed, and she rekindled her friendship with Martha Washington as they entertained their husbands' fellow officers. But she held onto her grudge against Monroe. All Rights Reserved. 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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. As biographer Ron Chernow has written, the deeply religious widow also believed passionately that all children should be literate in order to study the Bible.. When Eliza Hamilton died in November 1854 at age 97, the uptown school was still in existence, but it clearly had seen better days. Philip also hailed from a prominent family and he commanded a militia during the French and Indian War of the 1750s. Below, a primer on her real story. Attractive, if not beautiful. The first, Elizabeth, named for Eliza, was born on November 20, 1799. But she remained steadfastly loyal to him, and after his death in 1804, it was Eliza who would ensure Hamiltons contributions to the founding of America were never left out of the history books. The story provides a snapshot of her own life following the loss of her husband, such as her work founding an orphanage in New York, and she also sings of being with Alexander again at some point in the future (with Miranda briefly re-joining her on stage). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1881. In 1806, two years after her husbands death, she, along with several other women, founded the Orphan Asylum Society. This is trueshe really did save his writings and fiercely defended his legacybut she was also a force for change in her own right. She would live another 50 years. [36] Meanwhile, she continued to raise her children (a fifth, John Church Hamilton, had been born in August 1792) and maintain their household throughout multiple moves between New York, Philadelphia, and Albany. In one letter Angelica told Elizabeth that she loved Hamilton "very much and, if you were as generous as the old Romans, you would lend him to me for a little while." Born in 1757, Eliza was the second daughter of Revolutionary War general Philip Schuyler and Catherine van Rensselaer, a member of one of New York's richest families. But by the final act of the play, one of the most compelling characters to emerge is Elizabeth (Eliza) Schuyler Hamilton. Hamilton: Building America on HISTORY Vault. In Hamilton's closing number, "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story," Eliza is framed as the driving force behind Hamilton's legacy. Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler Hamilton was born in Albany, New York, on August 9, 1757. By supporting NNI you help increase awareness of the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland and its legacy in America. // cutting the mustard A noted beauty, she was a bright star on the social scene of Albany before and after her marriage. After Vice President Aaron Burr killed Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in a duel in 1804, Hamiltons widow, Elizabeth Schuyler Eliza Hamilton, had to find a way to go on without her beloved husband. [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. Unlike two of Elizas sisters (including Angelica) who had eloped due to family doubts about their husbands, Eliza received her fathers blessing. She was buried in Trinity Churchyard in lower Manhattan, not far from the graves of her sister, Elizabeth . But if you're an astute historian, you might notice that Alexander Hamilton was killed in that famous duel way back in . 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. Eliza Hamilton and her benefactors moved quickly, and by the end of May, theyd already built a one-room, 1,050-square-foot schoolhouse with a slanted roofbig enough for 40 to 60 studentsaround what is now Broadway between W. 187th and W. 189th streets. As was common for young women of her time, Eliza was a regular churchgoer, and her faith remained unwavering throughout her lifetime. Within less than a year of the beginning of their courtship Elizabeth and Hamilton became a married couple, on December 14, 1780. ", At 22, Eliza met Alexander Hamilton, who was at the time serving under General George Washington, and fell in love "at first sight," per historical accounts. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. And yes, she really did burn her letters to her husbandbut no one knows when or why. Elizabeth at the age of 94, three years before her death. She then sold it and moved into a townhouse owned by her son, now known as 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 respective spouses. While gone on the prisoner exchange, Hamilton wrote to Eliza continuing their relationship through letters. WATCH: Hamilton: Building America on HISTORY Vault. 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. Eliza was also driven by her faith. Peggy Schuyler: Things You Probably Don't Know | Mental Floss 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Even so, according to Gill, Eliza eventually became unable to afford the estates upkeep, and in 1813, she was forced to sell it and move to humbler quarters downtown. [9] Despite the unrest of the French and Indian War, which her father served in and which was fought in part near her childhood home, Eliza's childhood was spent comfortably, learning to read and sew from her mother. [23], After Yorktown, Alexander was able to rejoin Eliza in Albany, where they would remain for almost another two years, before moving to New York City in late 1783. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton: Alexander Hamilton's Beloved Wife [52] In 1821, she was named first directress, and served for 27 years in this role, until she left New York in 1848. As a child, she was strong-willed and impulsive. Their last child, born the next June in 1802, was named Philip in his honor. Legislators approved the application and the school received some annual city funding. [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. By this time, two of her siblings, Peggy and John, had also died. "I had little of private life in those days," she would remember. A slight inheritance from Philip Schuyler helped with that, as did the private raising of money from Hamilton's friends that enabled Elizabeth to stay in the house she and Hamilton had shared. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton (1757-1854) was a philanthropist, wife to Alexander Hamilton, and mother of their 8 children. Eliza and the other women arranged to rent a small two-story house on Raisin Street in Greenwich village and hired a married couple to care for the young residents. In 1796, Hamilton took aim at Jefferson in an essay that hinted at the sexual relationship Jefferson had with his slave, Sally Hemmings. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Gabrielle Bruney is a writer and editor for Esquire, where she focuses on politics and culture. Angelica Schuyler Church died in New York City in March 1814 at the age of fifty-eight. The marriage took place at the Schuyler mansion in Albany, New York. [8] The relationship between Eliza and Hamilton quickly grew; even after he left Morristown for a short mission to negotiate a prisoners exchange, only a month after Eliza had arrived. The founding father and the New York socialite came from opposing backgrounds but somehow found love during the Revolution. "She has good nature, affability and vivacity unembellished with that charming frivolousness which is justly deemed one of the principal accomplishments of a belle. For sixteen years, she lived in Europe with her British-born husband, John Barker Church, who became a Member of Parliament. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, Eliza was a beloved figure and entertained often: "Some visitors sought her imprimatur for new legislation, while others went simply to bask in the glow of history." These figures indicate the enormously high death rate among young children. She died in 1854, at the age of 97, one of the nation's last remaining links to its founders. 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? Where Is The Cast Of Broadway's 'Hamilton' Now? By that time two of her siblings, Margarita and John had also passed away. [citation needed], In addition to their own children, in 1787, Eliza and Alexander took into their home Frances (Fanny) Antill, the two-year-old youngest child of Hamilton's friend Colonel Edward Antill, whose wife had recently died. ("The world has no right to my heart / the world has no place in our bed / they don't get to know what I said."). He was born out of wedlock, a status that his political opponents would later seize on. And Eliza knew enough about his impoverished background to give cause for concern. How Alexander Hamilton's Widow, Eliza, Carried on His Legacy She also ensured that Hamiltons biography was published. According to documents unearthed in the early 1900s by the New-York Historical Society, Eliza started out by finding a small house near Fort Washington, the Revolutionary War fort that was located at the intersection of present-day Fort Washington Avenue and W. 183rd Street, to be repurposed as a schoolhouse. Elizabeth spent her final years in New York and Washington D.C., where she socialized with leaders including Presidents Tyler, Polk, Pierce, and Fillmore. Soon after, Philip Schuyler died. Here's what you need to know about the real-life founding mother. Catherine, also known as Kitty, was the daughter of one of New York States oldest, richest and most prominent Dutch families. After being shot on the dueling field, Philip was brought to Angelica and John Church's house, where he died with both of his parents next to him. Hamilton grew up as an orphan from the Caribbean and was able to come to America to study when benefactors paid his way. In June 1848, when Eliza was in her nineties, she made an effort for Congress to buy and publish her late husband's works. Also known as Eliza or Betsy, she was from a prominent Dutch family in Albany, New York. Two years later on July 12, 1804, Hamilton died during a duel with Aaron Burr. Later she was able to buy it back because executors decided that she could not be publicly dispossessed of her home. It also operates a school for at-risk youth. A firm but affectionate mother, Elizabeth made sure her children had a religious upbringing, and ran the household so efficiently that an associate told Hamilton she "has as much merit as your treasurer as you have as treasurer of the wealth of the United States." 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. "[41] After returning home to Eliza on July 22[42] and assembling a first draft dated July 1797,[43] on August 25, 1797, Hamilton published a pamphlet, later known as the Reynolds Pamphlet, admitting to his one-year adulterous affair in order to refute the charges that he had been involved in speculation and public misconduct with Maria's husband James Reynolds.[44]. Eliza was giving much of her time to her other big projecthelping to found the citys first private orphanage in lower Manhattan. [citation needed], By 1846, Eliza was suffering from short-term memory loss but was still vividly recalling her husband. The True Story of Elizabeth Schuyler in 'Hamilton'. Born in August 1757, she was one of eight surviving children of Philip Schuyler and Catherine Van Rensselaer. She died aged 97, in 1854. In real-life Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton lived to. She also appears in the 2015 Broadway Musical Hamilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Two of those deaths could have been quite easily avoided if the male culture had been less prone to duels. Despite the move, Eliza retained a connection to people who lived a few miles away from her old home. ", A Happy Union That 'Hamilton' Boycott Completely Backfired, may focus on its namesake founding father, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. [26] At this time, she now had three young children (her third, Alexander, was born in May 1786) and may have been pregnant at the time with her fourth, James Alexander, who would be born the following April. What Eliza Hamilton Left Behind | The New York Public Library She was the eldest daughter of Continental Army General Philip Schuyler, and a sister of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton and sister-in-law of Alexander Hamilton . Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. He had been stationed along with the General and his men in Morristown. Hamilton followed three years later. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Phillipa Soo as Alexander and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. Her father, Philip J. Schuyler, was a general in the Continental Army, politician, and businessman. The Van Rensselaers of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck were one of the richest and most politically influential families in the state of New York. NNIis registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Hamilton attended Kings College, now Columbia University, and dived headfirst into the political debate and heady atmosphere that was pre-war New York City. The song "Burn" is a tearjerking showstopper within the show, as Eliza reacts with despair and rage to the news that Hamilton has been unfaithful to herand, adding insult to injury, that he's written a pamphlet detailing the affair to the public. [48], After her husband's death in 1804, Eliza was left to pay Hamilton's debts. [52] Eliza's philanthropic work in helping create the Orphan Asylum Society has led to her induction into the philanthropy section of the National Museum of American History, showcasing the early generosity of Americans that reformed the nation. She recruited biographers to do a proper work on her husband (the task eventually fell to a son), hired assistants to organize his papers, even wore a little bag around her neck with pieces of a sonnet he had composed for her in 1780. Hamilton, who had resigned as Treasury Secretary six years before, was in Albany on business that March when Peggy took a. Along with giving birth to and raising eight children, she helped Hamilton write speeches and listened to early drafts of Washington's "Farewell Address" and excerpts from the Federalist Papers. 2021 Associated Newspapers Limited. In real life, two years after Hamilton's death, Eliza really did help to establish the Orphan Asylum Society of the City of New York, which still exists today as a family services agency named Graham Windham. She survived a miscarriage, her daughter's mental health issues, and, within four years, the deaths of her son, husband, sister, mother, and father. Losses We may earn a commission from these links. We remember Maria's older brother dying in a brawl with Tony from West Side Story. 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. [8] Like many landowners of the time, Philip Schuyler owned slaves, and Eliza would have grown up around slavery. [3] She is recognized as an early American philanthropist for her work with the Orphan Asylum Society. On March 16, 1801, Alexander Hamilton wrote to Eliza, conveying the news that Peggy had passed away and reassuring her that Peggy had been "sensible" and "resigned" as she faced her death. The Van Rensselaers of theManor of Rensselaerswyckwere one of the richest and most politically influential families in the state ofNew York, so she came from a very different background to Hamilton, who arrived in the States as an orphan. The two became extremely close. Elizabeth Schuyler was born on August 7, 1757, in Albany, New York, the second daughter of wealthy landowner and Revolutionary War general Philip Schuyler. The orphaned immigrant had found a father figure, and Hamilton became like a son to the future president. Andr had once been a house guest in the Schuyler Mansion in Albany as a prisoner of war en route to Pennsylvania in 1775; Eliza, then seventeen, might have had a juvenile crush on the young British officer who had once sketched for her. Get To Know The Schuyler Sisters Of Hamilton And History 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. Or part of her story, at leastafter her husband's death in 1804, Eliza lived another 50 years. Catherine,. But while Hamilton came from an impoverished background, he had two key traits that would help propel him to the top intelligence and ambition. 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]. Hamilton followed the Army when they decamped in June 1780. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Just a teenager, he made a name for himself writing pamphlets and articles supporting the Revolutionary cause. The Orphan Asylum Society of the City of New York. He eventually became a prominent landowner, with tens of thousands of acres in the Albany area. In short she is so strange a creature, that she possesses all the beauties, virtues and graces of her sex without any of those amiable defects which from their general prevalence are esteemed by connoisseurs necessary shades in the character of a fine woman.. She married Hamilton in 1780 and he died in a duel in 1804. Alexander's wife lived for many decades after her husband's death. Hamilton Schuyler Sisters True Story - Who Were the Schuyler Sisters? [citation needed], In 1798, Eliza had accepted her friend Isabella Graham's invitation to join the descriptively named Society for the Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children that had been established the previous year. She came from a well-established, highly-regarded family, he was an orphaned immigrant. Americans knew a lot about Martha Washington (George Washington's wife), a lot about Dolly Madison (James Madison's widow), and a lot about Abigail Adams (John Adams' wife). Eliza remained dedicated to preserving her husbands legacy. Her lines in the play, "Im just sayin, if you really loved me, you would share him," are drawn from a letter the real Angelica wrote to Eliza, in which she joked, "I love him very much and if you were as generous as the Old Romans you would lend him to me for a while."). They had met briefly a few years before, but now Alexander Hamilton was smitten, "a gone man," in the words of another aide. But despite these differences, the pair formed a lasting bond that has been the subject of numerous books and the award-winning musical, Hamilton. Eliza's mother had died a year before. She died in 1854, at the age of 97, one of the nation's last remaining links to its founders. The following year, Jefferson supporter James Callender published a pamphlet accusing Hamilton of having skeletons in his own closet. [27] In October that year, Angelica wrote to Alexander, "All the graces you have been pleased to adorn me with fade before the generous and benevolent action of my sister in taking the orphan Antle [sic] under her protection. (As the musical shows, Hamilton also got pretty flirty with Eliza's vivacious older sister, Angelica. [4] The entire Schuyler family seemed as taken with Hamilton as she was. Over time Eliza and Alexander reconciled and remained married, and had two more children together. What Was Alexander Hamilton's Role in Aaron Burr's Contentious Presidential Defeat. [citation needed], In 1787, Eliza sat for a portrait, executed by the painter Ralph Earl while he was being held in debtors' prison. How well do you know your government? My dear Hamilton is fonder of me every day.". Eliza didnt believe the charges when they were first leveled against her husband, but in 1797, Hamilton published a pamphlet, later known as theReynolds Pamphlet, admitting to his one-year adulterous affair. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton - Quiet Heroines But at the time of Hamiltons death, he still had a mortgage and owed money to the builders, and his wife struggled under the weight of all that debt. She re-organized all of Hamiltons letters, papers, and writings with the help of her son, John Church Hamilton, and persevered through many setbacks in getting his biography published. [27][28], For other people named Elizabeth Hamilton, see, Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 21:19, Margarita "Peggy" Schuyler Van Rensselaer, Learn how and when to remove this template message, George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation, "Hamilton, Elizabeth Schuyler (09 August 175709 November 1854), statesman's wife and charity worker", "Women of the Republican Court: Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton (17571854)", "Mrs. Philip John Schuyler (Catherine van Rensselaer)", "Schuyler-Malcolm-Cochran Family Papers: Manuscripts and Special Collections: New York State Library", "Dutch Reformed Church In Albany, New York", "Guide to the Records of Graham Windham 18042011", "To Alexander Hamilton from James McHenry, 3 January 1791", "Letter from Henry Knox to Alexander Hamilton, 24 November 1794", "Letter from Alexander Hamilton to George Washington, 1 December 1794", "Letter from Alexander Hamilton to Angelica Schuyler Church, 6 March 1795", "To Alexander Hamilton from John B. 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. In case you're unfamiliar, the show tells the story of America's revolutionary era through the lens of Alexander Hamilton, and his journey from penniless immigrant to founding father. [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. He had particularly fond dealings with Philip Schuyler and Elizabeth's eldest sister Angelica, a beautiful and charming woman.