She was interred next to her husband in the graveyard of Trinity Church in New York City. 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. After Hamiltons death in 1804, Elizabeth was required to pay his debts which were substantial. Elizabeth remained dedicated to preserving her husbands legacy. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. [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. [8] Like many landowners of the time, Philip Schuyler owned slaves, and Eliza would have grown up around slavery. All rights reserved. In 1797 Eliza was told of an affair that had taken place several years earlier between Hamilton andMaria Reynolds, a young woman who had first approached him for financial assistance. Within less than a year of the beginning of their courtship Elizabeth and Hamilton became a married couple, on December 14, 1780. [10][11] Her upbringing instilled in her a strong and unwavering faith she would retain throughout her life. 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. [52] By the time she left she had been with the organization continuously since its founding, a total of 42 years. Hamiltons prospects were far less promising. Hamilton attended Kings College, now Columbia University, and dived headfirst into the political debate and heady atmosphere that was pre-war New York City. 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). So James decided to take his story to Hamilton's political rivals, and was paid a jail cell visit by none other than future president James Monroe. "[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]. Still eager to find glory in battle, he turned them all down. Eliza Hamilton wanted to find a way to honor Hamilton's memory, in the place where their last home had been together, says Mazzeo. Also a trained anthropologist, Hurston collected folklore throughout the South and Caribbean reclaiming, honoring and celebrating Black life on its own terms. Philip J. Schuyler, father to Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy, was a Revolutionary War general, U.S. senator, and businessman, much beloved and respected by his community. Where Is The Cast Of Broadway's 'Hamilton' Now? After Eliza's husband died and she moved to Washington D.C. in 1842 . The Hamiltons had an active social life, and became well known among the members of New York Society. She died in 1854, at the age of 97, one of the nation's last remaining links to its founders. There were 14 siblings in total. She's based (and born and raised) in Brooklyn, New York. Dutch people, places, miscellany, Timeline of the Netherlands & Scandinavia in North America is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Mother, Supporter, Humiliated Wife [17] Also while in Morristown, Eliza met and became friends with Martha Washington, a friendship they would maintain throughout their husbands' political careers. WATCH: Hamilton: Building America on HISTORY Vault. In 1787, Eliza sat for a portrait, executed by the painter Ralph Earl while he was being held in debtors' prison. Active Widowhood She also appears in the 2015 Broadway Musical Hamilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. 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. Also known as Eliza or Betsy, she was from a prominent Dutch family in Albany, New York. The Van Rensselaers of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck were one of the richest and most politically influential families in the state of New York. All Rights Reserved. Ashamed of his conduct, Hamilton began to pay closer attention to his family. The orphaned immigrant had found a father figure, and Hamilton became like a son to the future president. Life in New York City was obviously more exciting than in Morristown, New Jersey or Albany, New York. Eliza personally went out and solicited donations, and with the help of $10,000 provided by state legislators, the cornerstone was laid for a three-story orphanage in July 1807. In 1806, two years after her husband's death, she, along with several other women including Joanna Bethune, founded the Orphan Asylum Society. Historian Jenny L. Presnell writes, "The entire Schuyler family revered Alexander as a young political genius." Elizabeth was appointed second directress. . What Was Alexander Hamilton's Role in Aaron Burr's Contentious Presidential Defeat. Alexander's wife lived for many decades after her husband's death. We remember Maria's older brother dying in a brawl with Tony from West Side Story. Good-natured though somewhat serious, she was at ease in the outdoors and devout in her Christian faith. [22] Meanwhile, the war came close to home, when a group of British soldiers stumbled upon the Pastures, looking for supplies. Here's what happened to Angelica in real life, and how she ended up back together with Hamilton under sad circumstances. [citation needed], Like most Dutch families of the area, her family belonged to the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany, which still stands; however, the original 1715 building, where Elizabeth was baptized and attended services, was demolished in 1806. Monopoly es el juego de mesa favorito de Estados Unidos, una carta de amor al capitalismo desenfrenado y a nuestra sociedad de libre mercado. Spelling was taught from Websters Elementary Spelling Book, a popular text of the time. . They were so close, in . Hamilton would reach the heights of government and power but be tripped up by his own arrogance, ambition and hubris. 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.. [citation needed] She was so devoted to Alexander's writings that she wore a small package around her neck containing the pieces of a sonnet that Alexander wrote for her during the early days of their courtship. In real-life Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton lived to. Elizabeth was born in Albany, New York, the second daughter of Continental Army General Philip Schuyler, a Revolutionary War general, and Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler. [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. 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."). [40], In 1797, an affair came to light that had taken place several years earlier between Hamilton and Maria Reynolds, a young woman who had first approached him for monetary aid in the summer of 1791. 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. She would live another 50 years. "I'm erasing myself from the narrative / let future historians wonder how Eliza reacted / when you broke her heart," she sings, referencing a very real historical ambiguity. After moving to Washington, D.C., she helped Dolley Madison and Louisa Adams raise money to build the Washington Monument. Her eighth and last child, Philip (Little Phil), was born on June 1, 1802. The Schuyler Sistersreal historical figuresshow us that those bonds can exist and are possible. He published the pamphlet in order to refute the charges that he had been involved in public misconduct with Marias husband James Reynolds, and to avoid accusations of embezzlement. .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}'Creed III' Is a Big F*ck You to Rocky, Watch All 'The Lord of the Rings' Movies In Order, Heres How to Watch All the Batman Movies in Order, The 78 Best Documentaries on Netflix to Watch Now, The Hilarious Reason Why Chris Pine Cut His Hair, Chris Pine Tells All About Harry Styles SpitGate, Movie Sequels That Are Better Than the Original, 40 Photos That Prove Sly Stallone Was a Style Icon. ", 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. Losses A pictorial walk through time, Arent van Curler & the Flatts Elizabeth gave birth to their first child, Philip,in 1782, and seven more would follow over the next two decades; the Hamiltons also raised the orphaned daughter of a friend for 10 years. 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. Thanks to her fathers role in the war and her familys social status, these years were a time of excitement for Eliza as well. Eliza would have grown up around slavery as her father was a slave owner. The following year, Jefferson supporter James Callender published a pamphlet accusing Hamilton of having skeletons in his own closet. [55] The writings that historians have today by Alexander Hamilton can be attributed to efforts from Eliza. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. She was born inAlbany, New York To Philip Schyler and Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler. Along with getting Alexander's works stored while Eliza was in her 90s, she remained dedicated to charity work. "I had little of private life in those days," she would remember. But while his brilliance was apparent to those who met him, Hamilton was eager to prove himself on the field, not just with the pen. [49][50][51] Eliza was appointed second directress, or vice-president. She married Hamilton in 1780 and he died in a duel in 1804. The Hamilton Free School was free of cost, because Eliza believed all children should have access to educationspecifically in order to read the Bible. [citation needed], Eliza remained dedicated to preserving her husband's legacy. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Never remarrying, Eliza raised a brood of seven children as a single mother, while grieving the losses of her husband and eldest son, Philip who both died in duels. It also operates a school for at-risk youth. One of the ways she found solaceand honored his memorywas to found two institutions in New York that supported lower-income children. Born Elizabeth Schuyler, and later known as Eliza Hamilton, Alexanders wife was the co-founder and deputy director of the first private orphanage in New York City. A pension scheme later landed him in prison for forgery, and when he sought Hamilton's help, he was turned down. [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. [citation needed] The New York Orphan Asylum Society continues to exist as a social service agency for children, today called Graham Windham. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. 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. The affair was supposedly encouraged by Marias husband James Reynolds who then asked Hamilton for hush money to keep the affair out of public knowledge, which he paid. A single mother, Rachel struggled to provide for Alexander and his brother before she died in 1768, leaving him an orphan. 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. After Hamilton became treasury secretary in 1789 her social duties increased. Portrayed by Phillipa Soo, Eliza played a key role in safeguarding her husband's legacy after his death. During one such interlude, in the summer of 1791, Hamilton began an affair with Maria Reynoldsthat, when publicly revealed six years later, exposed Elizabeth to a humiliation augmented both by Hamilton's insistence on airing the adultery's most lurid details and a hostile press that asked, "Art thou a wife? [citation needed], By 1846, Eliza was suffering from short-term memory loss but was still vividly recalling her husband. Eliza remained dedicated to preserving her husbands legacy. [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. The accomplishment she's proudest of, she says in the song, is founding the first private orphanage in New York City, inspired by Hamilton's own experience of being orphaned at a young age. Known as Eliza by friends and family, she was a tomboy at heart, with a potent mix of intelligence, warmth and determination. Elizabeth Hamilton died on November 9, 1854, at the age of 97. The Grange, their house on a 35-acre estate in upper Manhattan, was sold at public auction, but she later repurchased it from Hamiltons executors, who felt that she could not be dispossessed of her home, and purchased it themselves to sell back to her at half the price. [16] In fact, they had met previously, if briefly, two years before, when Hamilton dined with the Schuylers on his way back from a negotiation on Washington's behalf. [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. Philip Schuyler shared similar politics with Hamilton, and, like Eliza and others, realized that Hamiltons star was on the rise thanks in no small part to his role at Washingtons side. Elizabeth was born in Albany, New York, the second daughter of Continental Army General Philip Schuyler, a Revolutionary War general, and Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler. In 1806, two years after her husbands death, she, along with several other women, founded the Orphan Asylum Society. The marriage took place at the Schuyler mansion in Albany, New York. Peggy Schuyler was born in Albany, New York on September 19, 1758, the third daughter of Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler (1734-1803) and Philip Schuyler (1733-1804), a wealthy patroon and major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Despite the move, Eliza retained a connection to people who lived a few miles away from her old home. By this time, two of her siblings, Peggy and John, had also died. 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.. Elizabeth Schuyler was born in 1757, just a year after her older sister. ' By now everyone knows that Eliza Hamilton, the wife of Alexander Hamilton, burned her husband's love letters before she diedand November 9th will be the 162nd anniversary of her death on that day in 1854 at the age of 97. Alexander had heard of Earl's predicament and asked if Eliza might be willing to sit for him, to allow him to make some money and eventually buy his way out of prison, which he subsequently did. [45] During this time, Alexander commissioned John McComb Jr. to construct the Hamilton family home. In 1796, Hamilton took aim at Jefferson in an essay that hinted at the sexual relationship Jefferson had with his slave, Sally Hemmings. [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. 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. Despite her advanced pregnancy and her previous miscarriage of November 1794, her initial reaction to her husband's disclosure of his past affair was to leave Hamilton in New York and join her parents in Albany where William Stephen was born on August 4, 1797. [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. Eliza did not leave the orphanage until 1848, twenty-seven years later, when she left to live with her daughter, Elizabeth . See how you do with some of the questions a petitioning citizen must answer. Take this quiz about the debate over the Constitution. Reynolds spilled the beans about the affair, but also said that Hamilton had been involved in his pension scheme. On September 25, 1784, Eliza gave birth to her second child, Angelica, named after Eliza's older sister. 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. Largely educated at home, she was bright and good-natured. She had seven siblings who lived to adulthood, including Philip Jeremiah Schuyler . The first, Elizabeth, named for Eliza, was born on November 20, 1799. 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. But the number of students quickly grew, that improvised setup wasnt adequate. She met Alexander Hamilton in 1780, when both were in their early 20s. googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; Long-suffering yet intensely loyal, Elizabeth Hamilton buried her sister, her eldest son, her husband, and her father in the space of three turbulent years. Born Elizabeth Schuyler, and later known as Eliza Hamilton, Alexander's wife was the co-founder and deputy director of the first private orphanage in New York City. Some two years after their brief meeting in Albany, Eliza and Hamilton met again at a party given for Washingtons staff by Elizas aunt in the winter of 1780, near Morristown, New Jersey. 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]. She is respected as an. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton was the wife of Alexander Hamilton, one of America's founding fathers. Gabrielle Bruney is a writer and editor for Esquire, where she focuses on politics and culture. She kept in touch with Hamilton through letters, and married him in 1780. Hamilton depicts the Reynolds Affair, one of the country's earliest sex scandals. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton at age 94 When she was 95 years old and President Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States, Elizabeth Hamilton was invited to dinner at the White House, and the First Lady, Abigail Filmore, gave up her chair to her. As wealthy socialites, both Schuyler sisters frequently attended officer's balls where they mingled with eligible young soldiers. Ron Chernow, who wrote the biography that inspired Miranda's musical, credits . She also ensured that Hamiltons biography was published. Eliza was buried near her husband in the graveyard of Trinity Church in New York City. Elizabeth, Angelica and Margarita Schuyler are the three famous sisters portrayed in the Broadway Play Hamilton. Elizabeth died in Washington, D.C. on November 9, 1854, at the advanced age of 97. The real Eliza Schuyler died at the old age of 97, and outlived the musical's other characters. A 1781 painting of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton by Ralph Earl. 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. However, We know that Mrs. Hamilton did regularly visit the school and give out awards on prize days, so she remained involved with the school's central mission and with celebrating its achievements.. Prominent military and political figures made frequent visits to the Schuyler homes, including a young officer named Alexander Hamilton, who briefly stayed with the family while traveling through Albany. Her reaction to Hamilton's affair is, equally, lost to history, which Miranda imagines as deliberate in the lyrics to "Burn." 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. She is respected as an early philanthropist for her work with the Orphan Asylum Society. She is most unmercifully handsome and so perverse that she has none of those pretty affectations which are the prerogatives of beauty," he wrote in a letter to Eliza's sister Angelica, per Smithsonian Magazine. She was educated and described as intelligent, attractive, and was frequently compared to her demure sister, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, as being more sociable. Elizabeths depiction in the musical emphasizes both her importance in Hamiltons life and her work in propagating his legacy. She died in 1854, at the age of 97, one of the nation's last remaining links to its founders. [32] In addition, she managed their household,[9] and James McHenry once noted to Alexander that Eliza had "as much merit as your treasurer as you have as treasurer of the United States. (As the musical shows, Hamilton also got pretty flirty with Eliza's vivacious older sister, Angelica. One popular theory is that "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story" ends with Eliza finally dying, 50 years after her husband's fatal duel. Contrary to the musical,. They had met briefly a few years before, but now Alexander Hamilton was smitten, "a gone man," in the words of another aide. Two years later on July 12, 1804, Hamilton died during a duel with Aaron Burr. Hamilton, who had resigned as Treasury Secretary six years before, was in Albany on business that March when Peggy took a. She was portrayed by Eve Gordon and was referred to as Betsy. In the winter of 1779-1780, Eliza met Alexander Hamilton, an upstart from the West Indies who had emigrated to America and risen to become General . By that time two of her siblings, Margarita and John had also passed away. [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. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. [52] In 1821, she was named first directress, and served for 27 years in this role, until she left New York in 1848. She had eight children with Hamilton during their rather short marriage of 24 years. Sign up for the American Experience newsletter! ("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."). .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Every Candidate in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Race, These 10 Jimmy Carter Quotes Will Inspire You, 4 U.S. Presidents Who Won the Nobel Peace Prize, How Little-Known Jimmy Carter Won the 1976 Primary, George H.W. Elizabeth outlived two of her children. [48], After her husband's death in 1804, Eliza was left to pay Hamilton's debts. After her husband was shot by Aaron Burr, Eliza was left to pay off his debts. 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. Theirs would be a loving marriage, though not without heartbreak and pain. Eventually, Eliza Hamiltons school evolved into a scholarship fund that helps students from Washington Heights and Inwood attend Columbia University. [12] She was said to have been something of a tomboy when she was young;[13][pageneeded] throughout her life she retained a strong will and even an impulsiveness that her acquaintances noted. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton was born on August 9, 1757 in Albany, New York and died on November 9, 1854 in Washington, D.C. at the advanced age of 97. 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]. He had been stationed along with the General and his men in Morristown. In 2010, it partnered with the New York State Office of Cultural Education to establish the New Netherland Research Center, with matching funds from the State of the Netherlands. 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 March 1818, the group petitioned the New York State Legislature to incorporate a free school, and asked for $400 to build a new school building. 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).