"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." [citation needed]. . Angelica first appears in Hamilton during the song . Reynolds spilled the beans about the affair, but also said that Hamilton had been involved in his pension scheme. Elizabeth Schuyler was born on August 9, 1757, the daughter of the Revolutionary War leader Major General Philip Schuyler. 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. Almost none of Elizabeth's own correspondence has survived, so her personality is gleaned largely from the impressions of others. [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. Eliza would weather a storm of pain and embarrassment following very public revelations of Hamiltons adultery. 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.. a daughter, Eliza, on November 20, 1799. History, Archaeology & Art illuminate a Life on the Hudson, New Amsterdam Kitchen She's based (and born and raised) in Brooklyn, New York. At that time she had been with the Society for 42 years. [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. Good-natured though somewhat serious, she was at ease in the outdoors and devout in her Christian faith. Contrary to the musical, the Schuylers had a total of eight children who survived to adulthood, including three sons. [24] Earlier that year, Angelica and her husband John Barker Church, for business reasons, had moved to Europe. Eliza did not leave the orphanage until 1848, twenty-seven years later, when she left to live with her daughter, Elizabeth . A: At the time that I published my biography of Hamilton in 2004, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton was a complete blank in the American imagination. 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). 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. [45] During this time, Alexander commissioned John McComb Jr. to construct the Hamilton family home. For sixteen years, she lived in Europe with her British-born husband, John Barker Church, who became a Member of Parliament. . 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. } Schuyler sisters Peggy, Eliza, and Angelica in. 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). One of the ways she found solaceand honored his memorywas to found two institutions in New York that supported lower-income children. He was born out of wedlock, a status that his political opponents would later seize on. In real-life Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton lived to. In 1806, Eliza co-founded the Orphan Asylum Society, to aid children who were orphaned as her husband had been. Eliza, who had to struggle to pay for her own childrens education after her husbands death, could empathize. He eventually became a prominent landowner, with tens of thousands of acres in the Albany area. Eliza was, at the time, pregnant with their sixth child. But Monroe had made copies of Hamilton's letters to Maria, and sent them to his arch-rival, Thomas Jefferson. Contrary to the musical,. When did Eliza Schuyler Hamilton have her second child? [citation needed] The New York Orphan Asylum Society continues to exist as a social service agency for children, today called Graham Windham. The Society continues to exist until today under the name Graham Windham, a social service agency for children. She had outlived her husband by 50 years, and had outlived all but one of her siblings (her youngest sister, Catherine, 24 years her junior). [21], Soon, however, Eliza moved again, this time back to her parents' house in Albany. Sign up for the American Experience newsletter! Elizabeth was then only 47 years old. During that winter Elizabeth also became friends with Martha Washington, a friendship that would remain throughout their husbands political careers. Elizabeth died in Washington, D.C. on November 9, 1854, at the advanced age of 97. After Eliza's husband died and she moved to Washington D.C. in 1842 . In November 1804, Gen. Philip Schuyler died, leaving Elizabeth Hamilton without both of her parents. 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. In 1818, she opened the first school in the neighborhood of Washington Heights (where, decades later, Lin-Manuel Miranda would grow up). 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. 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. Two of those deaths could have been quite easily avoided if the male culture had been less prone to duels. A few years later she became the co-founder of the Orphan Asylum Society. 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. Eliza wanted a full official apology from Monroe which he would not give until they met in person to talk about Alexander shortly before his passing. Artifacts of domestic life in lower Manhattan, De Hooges Memorandum Book Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. And I am grateful . Historian Jenny L. Presnell writes, "The entire Schuyler family revered Alexander as a young political genius." Not even wealth could lower that very high death rate. 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. She was portrayed by Eve Gordon and was referred to as Betsy. And yes, she really did burn her letters to her husbandbut no one knows when or why. Before the duel, he wrote Eliza two letters, telling her: The consolations of Religion, my beloved, can alone support you; and these you have a right to enjoy. 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 weathered Alexander's infidelity and the shockingly public scandal surrounding it. [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. Because his mother had never divorced her first husband, Hamiltons father, James, abandoned the family, likely to prevent Rachel from being charged with bigamy. [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. A lifelong reader who was largely self-educated, he soon set his sights far beyond his tiny island home. The affair put a big strain on their relationship, but they eventually reconciled. More. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Phillipa Soo as Alexander and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. 2021 Associated Newspapers Limited. Elizabeth Schuyler was born in 1757, just a year after her older sister. Then I found the musical Hamilton, and suddenly it was a marvel to see healthy sister relationships. In 1821 Elizabeth was appointed first directress of the Society and served for 27 years in that position until she left New York in 1848. 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. 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. Soon after, Philip Schuyler died. 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. // cutting the mustard [citation needed], By 1846, Eliza was suffering from short-term memory loss but was still vividly recalling her husband. 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. She also became a founder of the Orphan Asylum Society, the citys first private orphanage, which built a Greenwich Village facility that provided a home for hundreds of children. The three sisters were three of seven siblings who lived to adulthood. "[28], The Hamiltons had an active social life, often attending the theater as well as various balls and parties. She also met and became friends with Martha Washington, a friendship they would maintain throughout their husbands political careers. As was common for young women of her time, Eliza was a regular churchgoer, and her faith remained unwavering throughout her lifetime. By supporting NNI you help increase awareness of the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland and its legacy in America. While in Philadelphia, around November 24, 1794, Eliza suffered a miscarriage[37] in the wake of her youngest child falling extremely ill as well as of her worries over Hamilton's absence during his armed suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion. Elizabeth did not believe the rumors at first, but eventually Hamilton lived up to it. 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. "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. Her father, Philip J. Schuyler, was a general in the Continental Army, politician, and businessman. Eliza died on November 9, 1854, at the age of 97. She had to sell her 35 acre estate in upper Manhattan. 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 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. She died aged 97, in 1854. Elizabeth Schuyler was born in Albany in 1757, to a wealthy family that had social ties to prominent early Americans. She survived a miscarriage, her daughter's mental health issues, and, within four years, the deaths of her son, husband, sister, mother, and father. ' Elizabeths depiction in the musical emphasizes both her importance in Hamiltons life and her work in propagating his legacy. All rights reserved. On September 25, 1784, Eliza gave birth to her second child, Angelica, named after Eliza's older sister. 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. [17] Also while in Morristown, Eliza met and became friends with Martha Washington, a friendship they would maintain throughout their husbands' political careers. Here's what you need to know about the real-life founding mother. In June 1848, when Eliza was in her nineties, she made an effort for Congress to buy and publish her late husband's works. Below, a primer on her real story. By that time two of her siblings, Margarita and John had also passed away. Hamilton would reach the heights of government and power but be tripped up by his own arrogance, ambition and hubris. Eliza was beside him as he died. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Elizabeth and Alexander Hamilton had eight children: The Hamiltons also raised Frances (Fanny) Antill, an orphan who lived with them for ten years beginning in 1787 when she was 2 years old. 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. The two families were two of the wealthiest families of that time and it is safe to say that Dutch was probably still their main language in everyday life. Eliza and the other activists soon set out to raise $25,000 to build a bigger facility on a donated parcel on Bank Street in Greenwich Village. 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. Eliza later said of Mrs. Washington, "She was always my ideal of a true woman."[12][18]. Elizabeth also spent many months separated from her husband. They would raise a large family but see their eldest son killed in a duel while defending his fathers honor. 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. [25] On September 25, 1784, Eliza gave birth to her second child, Angelica, named after Eliza's older sister. 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. Eliza was supportive of her husband throughout his career and aided him with his political writings. Also known as Eliza or Betsy, she was from a prominent Dutch family in Albany, New York. Its unlikely that Eliza was involved on a day-to-day basis, according to Mazzeo. The orphaned immigrant had found a father figure, and Hamilton became like a son to the future president. The scandal cost Hamilton any chance at the presidency, and the humiliating news became public when Eliza was pregnant with their sixth child. After a short honeymoon at the Pastures, Eliza's childhood home, Hamilton returned to military service in early January 1781. Elizabeth Hamilton (ne Schuyler /skalr/; August 9, 1757 November 9, 1854[2]), also called Eliza or Betsey, was an American socialite and philanthropist. When Do New Episodes of 'Mandalorian' Come Out? She had outlived all of her siblings except one who was 24 years her junior. Still eager to find glory in battle, he turned them all down. "[12] Much later, the son of Joanna Bethune, one of the women she worked alongside to found an orphanage later in her life,[14] remembered that "Both [Elizabeth and Joanna] were of determined disposition Mrs. Bethune the more cautious, Mrs. Hamilton the more impulsive. 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. 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. [52] By the time she left she had been with the organization continuously since its founding, a total of 42 years. Hamilton: Building America on HISTORY Vault. Hamilton rose to become a Revolutionary War hero, an advocate for the Constitution, and a rescuer of the nascent American government from financial ruin. ", A Happy Union 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. 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. and Barbara Bushs Amazing Love Story. 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. He was born on January 22, 1782 and died on November 23, 1801 at the age of 19. The True Story of Elizabeth Schuyler in 'Hamilton'. is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. 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 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. 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. Or part of her story, at leastafter her husband's death in 1804, Eliza lived another 50 years. Meet the influential author and key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. [49][50][51] Eliza was appointed second directress, or vice-president. The character grows quite fond of her friend Alexander Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda), but ultimately backs off when he begins a romance with her sister Eliza (Phillipa Soo). Catherine,. Her father, Philip Schuyler, was a revered American Revolutionary war general, and her mother was. Unlike two of Elizas sisters (including Angelica) who had eloped due to family doubts about their husbands, Eliza received her fathers blessing. While gone on the prisoner exchange, Hamilton wrote to Eliza continuing their relationship through letters. [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. Elizabeth, Angelica and Margarita Schuyler are the three famous sisters portrayed in the Broadway Play Hamilton. 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." Only two years later Hamilton became involved in an affair with honor which led to his duel with Aaron Burr and his untimely death. Hamilton insisted upon his innocence, and the matter was kept private for years. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. The following year, according to another newspaper account in the New York Tribune, the school building was destroyed in a fire. Elizabeth spent her final years in New York and Washington D.C., where she socialized with leaders including Presidents Tyler, Polk, Pierce, and Fillmore. She also appears in the 2015 Broadway Musical Hamilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. But the number of students quickly grew, that improvised setup wasnt adequate. On December 14, 1780, the couple wed at the family home in Albany. [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. 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. 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. 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." The Hamiltons had an active social life, and became well known among the members of New York Society. Hamilton followed the Army when they decamped in June 1780. All of the scholars came from the locality between High Bridge and Kingsbridge, he recalled many years later. [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. Elizabeth outlived two of her children. There were 14 siblings in total. In the first year, the society took in 20 children but had to turn away nine times as many, according to Mazzeo. 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. [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. Portrayed by Phillipa Soo, Eliza played a key role in safeguarding her husband's legacy after his death. She loves owls, hates cilantro, and can find the queer subtext in literally anything. A number of other familiar historical figures also feature, from Hamilton's friend-turned-nemesis Aaron Burr to his mentor George Washington to his political rival Thomas Jefferson. Eliza was a source of valuable advice and wisdom to Hamilton as his political career began to take off after the war. He was stationed along with Washington in Morristown for the winter. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). They became officially engaged in early April with her fathers blessing. Eliza was also driven by her faith. [55] The writings that historians have today by Alexander Hamilton can be attributed to efforts from Eliza. Angelica lived abroad for over fourteen years, returning to America for visits in 1785 and 1789. Hamilton died from wounds received during the duel in July 12, 1804. As wealthy socialites, both Schuyler sisters frequently attended officer's balls where they mingled with eligible young soldiers. Eventually, Eliza Hamiltons school evolved into a scholarship fund that helps students from Washington Heights and Inwood attend Columbia University. Q: Can you introduce us to Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton? Elizabeth Hamilton petitioned Congress to publish her husband Alexander Hamilton's writings (1846). When he paid her a visit decades after the Reynolds scandal, she refused to speak with him. While she was in her nineties she helped Dolly Madison to raise money for the Washington Monument. He served several stints in the Continental Congress and was involved in planning a number of notable Revolutionary War battles, including the surprising Colonial victory at Saratoga in 1777, the first widespread British defeat and a turning point of the war. In 1797, Hamilton had an affair with Maria Reynolds. 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. READ MORE: What Was Alexander Hamilton's Role in Aaron Burr's Contentious Presidential Defeat? She was interred next to her husband in the graveyard of Trinity Church in New York City. With my last idea; I shall cherish the sweet hope of meeting you in a better world.