As Mazzeo notes, Eliza was simply passionate about children's welfare, and where she saw problems she tried to find solutions.. But she was immediately smitten with the brilliant, charming young man, and the two quickly started up a correspondence. Elizabeth Hamilton (ne Schuyler /skalr/; August 9, 1757 November 9, 1854[2]), also called Eliza or Betsey, was an American socialite and philanthropist. On the Hamilton Free Schools shoestring budget, it could afford just one teacher, who also doubled as the schools janitor, according to the reminiscences of William Herbert Flitner, who attended the school in the 1840s. 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. 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. We don't get that often in fiction. [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. Elizabeth, Angelica and Margarita Schuyler are the three famous sisters portrayed in the Broadway Play Hamilton. Where Is The Cast Of Broadway's 'Hamilton' Now? a daughter, Eliza, on November 20, 1799. Good-natured though somewhat serious, she was at ease in the outdoors and devout in her Christian faith. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. Along with getting Alexander's works stored while Eliza was in her 90s, she remained dedicated to charity work. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton (1757-1854) was a philanthropist, wife to Alexander Hamilton, and mother of their 8 children. [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. 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 remained dedicated to preserving her husbands legacy. [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 those days, the still-isolated area didnt have any free public schools, and paying tuition at a private academy was too much for parents to afford, according to Don Rice, president of the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum Alliance, a community institution that has helped to preserve the history of the area. 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. Meet the influential author and key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. HBO Max Comedies Thatll Put You in a Good Mood, Everything to Know Ahead of 'Mando' Season 3. In Hamilton's closing number, "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story," Eliza is framed as the driving force behind Hamilton's legacy. A pictorial walk through time, Arent van Curler & the Flatts Hamiltons prospects were far less promising. Elizabeth at the age of 94, three years before her death. Or part of her story, at leastafter her husband's death in 1804, Eliza lived another 50 years. Eliza did not leave the orphanage until 1848, twenty-seven years later, when she left to live with her daughter, Elizabeth . The pair had eight children, and also took in Fanny Antill, the orphaned toddler daughter of a Revolutionary War colonel. But Eliza, understandably, is devastated, and responds by burning all the letters that Hamilton has ever sent her. Eliza would have grown up around slavery as her father was a slave owner. But despite these differences, the pair formed a lasting bond that has been the subject of numerous books and the award-winning musical, Hamilton. We may earn a commission from these links. She died in 1854, at the age of 97, one of the nation's last remaining links to its founders. When Eliza went away to her mother's funeral in 1803 Hamilton wrote to her from the Grange telling her: I am anxious to hear of your arrival at Albany and shall be glad to be informed that your father and all of you are composed. She would spend much of her long widowhood working to secure Hamilton'splace in American history. After Hamilton became treasury secretary in 1789 her social duties increased. Hamilton would reach the heights of government and power but be tripped up by his own arrogance, ambition and hubris. She had seven siblings who lived to adulthood, including Philip Jeremiah Schuyler . The Van Rensselaers of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck were one of the richest and most politically influential families in the state of New York. Hamilton met Maria Reynolds in Philadelphia in 1791, when she visited the then-Secretary of the Treasury to request financial support for her struggling family. She would live another 50 years. He was born c. 1755 on the island of Nevis, in the British West Indies. 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. 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. Eliza was buried near her husband in the graveyard of Trinity Church in New York City. Subscribe to NNI's e-Marcurius and DAGNN-L toreceive information about New Netherland-related events, activities, conferences, and research. Her two famous sisters were Angelica Schuyler Church and Margarita Schuyler Van Rensselaer. 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. During that winter Elizabeth also became friends with Martha Washington, a friendship that would remain throughout their husbands political careers. He had particularly fond dealings with Philip Schuyler and Elizabeth's eldest sister Angelica, a beautiful and charming woman. In a joking letter to a fellow aide he sounded more dispassionate: "Though not a genius, she has good sense enough to be agreeable, and though not a beauty, she has fine black eyes, is rather handsome, and has every other requisite of the exterior to make a lover happy. READ MORE: What Was Alexander Hamilton's Role in Aaron Burr's Contentious Presidential Defeat? 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 did Eliza Schuyler Hamilton have her second child? Eliza remained dedicated to preserving her husbands legacy. As a child, she was strong-willed and impulsive. But Monroe had made copies of Hamilton's letters to Maria, and sent them to his arch-rival, Thomas Jefferson. 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. Contrary to the musical, the Schuylers had a total of eight children who survived to adulthood, including three sons. Her fathers blessing was surprising because two of her sisters, Angelica and Margarita, would end up eloping because their father refused their desire to marry the men of their respective choices. A noted beauty, she was a bright star on the social scene of Albany before and after her marriage. [8] Like many landowners of the time, Philip Schuyler owned slaves, and Eliza would have grown up around slavery. He was born on January 22, 1782 and died on November 23, 1801 at the age of 19. Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}may focus on its namesake founding father, but the hit musical also tells story of his wife, Eliza, played by Phillipa Soo in the original Broadway production now streaming on Disney Plus. The following year, a group of her husbands deep-pocketed friends bought the house and property from Eliza for $30,500 and promptly sold it back to her for $15,000, so that she would have money to take care of herself and her family. Alexander's wife lived for many decades after her husband's death. [citation needed] There she met Alexander Hamilton, one of General George Washington's aides-de-camp,[1] who was stationed along with the General and his men in Morristown for the winter. She is respected as an early philanthropist for her work with the Orphan Asylum Society. She had eight children with Hamilton during their rather short marriage of 24 years. The two became extremely close. Hamilton was surely aware of Elizas wealth and connections, which likely played a role in his initial attraction to her. She met Alexander Hamilton in 1780, when both were in their early 20s. In June 1848, when Eliza was in her nineties, she made an effort for Congress to buy and publish her late husband's works. Eliza was an ardent supporter of her husband, but it wasnt always plain sailing in their marriage. 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." [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. 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.". More, Housed in the New York State Library, the NNRC offers students, educators, scholars and researchers a vast collection of early documents and reference works on America's Dutch era. Schuyler sisters Peggy, Eliza, and Angelica in. Eliza was a source of valuable advice and wisdom to Hamilton as his political career began to take off after the war. Eliza, who had to struggle to pay for her own childrens education after her husbands death, could empathize. [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. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Eliza was giving much of her time to her other big projecthelping to found the citys first private orphanage in lower Manhattan. They had met briefly a few years before, but now Alexander Hamilton was smitten, "a gone man," in the words of another aide. [20] There Eliza busied herself in creating a home for them and in aiding Alexander with his political writingsparts 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 in her handwriting. But behind the myth of the games creation is an untold tale of theft, obsession and corporate double-dealing. Both her mother and father came from wealthy and well-regarded families. In 1787, Eliza sat for a portrait, executed by the painter Ralph Earl while he was being held in debtors' prison. Her relationship with Hamilton grew quickly, even after he left Morristown, only a month after Elizabeth, 22 years old, arrived there. "[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. Eliza would weather a storm of pain and embarrassment following very public revelations of Hamiltons adultery. She had to sell her 35 acre estate in upper Manhattan. She loves owls, hates cilantro, and can find the queer subtext in literally anything. Adieu best of wives and best of Women. Mother, Supporter, Humiliated Wife The Hamilton Free School was free of cost, because Eliza believed all children should have access to educationspecifically in order to read the Bible. Elizabeth stayed with her aunt in Morristown, New Jersey in early 1780, and there she met Alexander Hamilton, one of George Washingtons aides-de-camp. And I am grateful . Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Below, a primer on her real story. 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 . "I Meet You in Every Dream" History, Archaeology & Art illuminate a Life on the Hudson, New Amsterdam Kitchen [21], Soon, however, Eliza moved again, this time back to her parents' house in Albany. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Despite the move, Eliza retained a connection to people who lived a few miles away from her old home. 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). He found work at a local import-export firm, where he quickly impressed his bosses. Hamilton grew up as an orphan from the Caribbean and was able to come to America to study when benefactors paid his way. She died aged 97, in 1854. Then I found the musical Hamilton, and suddenly it was a marvel to see healthy sister relationships. 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. 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. Theirs would be a loving marriage, though not without heartbreak and pain. See him, whom thou has chosen for the partner of this life, lolling in the lap of a harlot!!" [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. Oldest sister Angelica formed a deep friendship with Hamilton, and the two would exchange political and personal advice until Hamiltons death. The founding father and the New York socialite came from opposing backgrounds but somehow found love during the Revolution. Hamilton insisted upon his innocence, and the matter was kept private for years. Before their eighth child was born, however, they lost their oldest son, Philip, who died in a duel on November 24, 1801. Hamilton depicts the Reynolds Affair, one of the country's earliest sex scandals. She was interred next to her husband in the graveyard of Trinity Church in New York City. A dutiful daughter, she eschewed the elopements chosen by three of her sisters and instead conducted a traditional, if whirlwind, courtship with the dashing young aide she found at George Washington's headquarters in February 1780. For the first time since its debut in 2015, Lin Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking Broadway hit Hamilton is available to watch from the comfort of your own couch, courtesy of Disney+.
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