Ron Chernow, who wrote the biography that inspired Miranda's musical, credits . In 1797, Hamilton had an affair with Maria Reynolds. Where Is The Cast Of Broadway's 'Hamilton' Now? The Society continues to exist until today under the name Graham Windham, a social service agency for children. 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. 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. All rights reserved. And Eliza knew enough about his impoverished background to give cause for concern. As a child, she was strong-willed and impulsive. Historian Jenny L. Presnell writes, "The entire Schuyler family revered Alexander as a young political genius." One of the ways she found solaceand honored his memorywas to found two institutions in New York that supported lower-income children. She was born inAlbany, New York To Philip Schyler and Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler. In 1787, Eliza sat for a portrait, executed by the painter Ralph Earl while he was being held in debtors' prison. 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. 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? 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. [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. Reynolds spilled the beans about the affair, but also said that Hamilton had been involved in his pension scheme. When Eliza Hamilton died in November 1854 at age 97, the uptown school was still in existence, but it clearly had seen better days. According to some accounts, the family was spared from any losses thanks to her sister Peggy's quick thinking: she told the soldiers that her father had gone to town to get help, causing them to flee from the area. Hamilton followed the Army when they decamped in June 1780. Eventually, Eliza Hamiltons school evolved into a scholarship fund that helps students from Washington Heights and Inwood attend Columbia University. Sign up for the American Experience newsletter! See him, whom thou has chosen for the partner of this life, lolling in the lap of a harlot!!" She also outlived her fifth child, her son William Stephen who was born on August 4, 1797 and died on October 9, 1850. Largely educated at home, she was bright and good-natured. She would spend much of her long widowhood working to secure Hamilton'splace in American history. 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. In 1796, Hamilton took aim at Jefferson in an essay that hinted at the sexual relationship Jefferson had with his slave, Sally Hemmings. Elizabeth at the age of 94, three years before her death. But behind the myth of the games creation is an untold tale of theft, obsession and corporate double-dealing. . Timeline of the Netherlands & Scandinavia in North America. After a short honeymoon at the Pastures, Eliza's childhood home, Hamilton returned to military service in early January 1781. (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). He was born on January 22, 1782 and died on November 23, 1801 at the age of 19. With my last idea; I shall cherish the sweet hope of meeting you in a better world. He had particularly fond dealings with Philip Schuyler and Elizabeth's eldest sister Angelica, a beautiful and charming woman. All Rights Reserved. In 1806, Isabella Graham and Sarah Hoffman, two other widows and social activists with whom Eliza had become friends, approached her for help. Eliza was buried near her husband in the graveyard of Trinity Church in New York City. By 1801, Peggy had been ill for two years. Hamilton, while envious of Andr for his actions during the war, promised Eliza he would do what he could to treat the British intelligence chief accordingly; he even begged Washington to grant Andr's last wish of execution by firing squad instead of by hanging, but to no avail. She married Hamilton in 1780 and he died in a duel in 1804. Elizabeth Hamilton (ne Schuyler /skalr/; August 9, 1757 November 9, 1854[2]), also called Eliza or Betsey, was an American socialite and philanthropist. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe to NNI's e-Marcurius and DAGNN-L toreceive information about New Netherland-related events, activities, conferences, and research. [45] During this time, Alexander commissioned John McComb Jr. to construct the Hamilton family home. She came from a well-established, highly-regarded family, he was an orphaned immigrant. [48], After her husband's death in 1804, Eliza was left to pay Hamilton's debts. [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. A few years later she became the co-founder of the Orphan Asylum Society. For the rest of her life, she experienced what Hamilton biographer Ron Chernow describes as an "eternal childhood," unable to live independently and referring always to her dead brother as if he. 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.. [25] On September 25, 1784, Eliza gave birth to her second child, Angelica, named after Eliza's older sister. Here's what happened to Angelica in real life, and how she ended up back together with Hamilton under sad circumstances. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. These figures indicate the enormously high death rate among young children. She was educated and described as intelligent, attractive, and was frequently compared to her demure sister, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, as being more sociable. 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. When he paid her a visit decades after the Reynolds scandal, she refused to speak with him. 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. A 1781 painting of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton by Ralph Earl. Her reaction to Hamilton's affair is, equally, lost to history, which Miranda imagines as deliberate in the lyrics to "Burn." That 'Hamilton' Boycott Completely Backfired, may focus on its namesake founding father, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. She was rich, he was poor. 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. [citation needed] The New York Orphan Asylum Society continues to exist as a social service agency for children, today called Graham Windham. She died in 1854, at the age of 97, one of the nation's last remaining links to its founders. Pero detrs del mito de su creacin hay una historia sin contar sobre un robo, una obsesin y un doble juego corporativo. Elizabeth Schuyler was born on August 7, 1757, in Albany, New York, the second daughter of wealthy landowner and Revolutionary War general Philip Schuyler. Alexander's wife lived for many decades after her husband's death. A: At the time that I published my biography of Hamilton in 2004, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton was a complete blank in the American imagination. Monopoly es el juego de mesa favorito de Estados Unidos, una carta de amor al capitalismo desenfrenado y a nuestra sociedad de libre mercado. A single mother, Rachel struggled to provide for Alexander and his brother before she died in 1768, leaving him an orphan. By focusing on children, Eliza found connection to her late husbands legacy. In 1798, she accepted her friend Isabella Grahams invitation to join the Society for the Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children that had been established the previous year. Portrayed by Phillipa Soo, Eliza played a key role in safeguarding her husband's legacy after his death. Hamilton, who had resigned as Treasury Secretary six years before, was in Albany on business that March when Peggy took a. [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. [38] Hamilton resigned from public office immediately afterwards[39] in order to resume his law practice in New York and remain closer to his family. Their last child, born the next June in 1802, was named Philip in his honor. And yes, she really did burn her letters to her husbandbut no one knows when or why. "[28] Two years later, Colonel Antill died in Canada, and Fanny continued to live with the Hamiltons for another eight years, until an older sister was married and able to take Fanny into her own home. [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. History, Archaeology & Art illuminate a Life on the Hudson, New Amsterdam Kitchen His mother, Rachel Faucette, had been born there to British and French Huguenot parents. Contrary to the musical, the Schuylers had a total of eight children who survived to adulthood, including three sons. Elizabeth outlived two of her children. Angelica Schuyler Church died in New York City in March 1814 at the age of fifty-eight. [citation needed], By 1846, Eliza was suffering from short-term memory loss but was still vividly recalling her husband. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Phillipa Soo as Alexander and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. She also met and became friends with Martha Washington, a friendship they would maintain throughout their husbands political careers. She re-organized all of Alexander's letters, papers, and writings with the help of her son, John Church Hamilton, and persevered through many setbacks in getting his biography published.