She also ensured that Hamiltons biography was published. Elizabeth outlived two of her children. 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. ("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."). Dutch people, places, miscellany, Timeline of the Netherlands & Scandinavia in North America Chernow, Ron, Alexander Hamilton, Penguin Press, 2004, Randall, William Sterne, Alexander Hamilton: A Life, Harpers-Collins, 2003, Roberts, Warren, A Place in History: Albany in the Age of Revolution, 1775-1825, Albany: NY State University Press, 2010, Wikipedia, especially for main picture (portrait by Ralph Earl), Peter Douglas's Totidem Verbis 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.. Elizabeth Hamilton petitioned Congress to publish her husband Alexander Hamilton's writings (1846). Where Did the 'Perfect Match' Couples End Up? Eliza would weather a storm of pain and embarrassment following very public revelations of Hamiltons adultery. Angelica first appears in Hamilton during the song . Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler Hamilton was born in Albany, New York, on August 9, 1757. [55] The writings that historians have today by Alexander Hamilton can be attributed to efforts from Eliza. Before their eighth child was born, however, they lost their oldest son, Philip, who died in a duel on November 24, 1801. By supporting NNI you help increase awareness of the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland and its legacy in America. Within less than a year of the beginning of their courtship Elizabeth and Hamilton became a married couple, on December 14, 1780. Thrust into harsh financial straits, Elizabeth then witnessed her father's death in November 1804 and had to use both strength and ingenuity to keep her remaining family afloat. 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. Angelica lived abroad for over fourteen years, returning to America for visits in 1785 and 1789. [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. [52] In 1821, she was named first directress, and served for 27 years in this role, until she left New York in 1848. History, Archaeology & Art illuminate a Life on the Hudson, New Amsterdam Kitchen After moving to Washington, D.C., she helped Dolley Madison and Louisa Adams raise money to build the Washington Monument. See him, whom thou has chosen for the partner of this life, lolling in the lap of a harlot!!" But Eliza, understandably, is devastated, and responds by burning all the letters that Hamilton has ever sent her. He found work at a local import-export firm, where he quickly impressed his bosses. Flitner recalled that the school provided students with textbooks, and that they studied arithmetic by doing calculations on slates. In Hamilton's closing number, "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story," Eliza is framed as the driving force behind Hamilton's legacy. "[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. Peggy Schuyler - Wikipedia [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. But when George Washington asked him to become his aide-de-camp, Hamilton embarked on what was, arguably, the second most important relationship of his life. By focusing on children, Eliza found connection to her late husbands legacy. Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History (espaol), Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), a Profile. 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. [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. 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). 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. The three sisters were three of seven siblings who lived to adulthood. The two became extremely close. READ MORE: What Was Alexander Hamilton's Role in Aaron Burr's Contentious Presidential Defeat? In September that year, Eliza learned that Major John Andr, head of the British Secret Service, had been captured in a foiled plot concocted by General Benedict Arnold to surrender the fort of West Point to the British. Reynolds spilled the beans about the affair, but also said that Hamilton had been involved in his pension scheme. According to Presnell, the years following Alexander's death were marked by poverty for Eliza and her children, though she did raise enough money to re-purchase the couple's home, the Grange. 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. Schuyler sisters Peggy, Eliza, and Angelica in. So of the original 14 siblings only five survived. Soon after, Philip Schuyler died. Eliza died on November 9, 1854, at the age of 97. Elizabeth was then only 47 years old. Eliza was giving much of her time to her other big projecthelping to found the citys first private orphanage in lower Manhattan. [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. Eliza later said of the presidents wife that she was always my ideal of a true woman.. available to watch from the comfort of your own couch, Eliza destroyed her own letters to Hamilton, save his writings and fiercely defended his legacy, Orphan Asylum Society of the City of New York, the first school in the neighborhood of Washington Heights, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Hamilton followed the Army when they decamped in June 1780. Largely educated at home, she was bright and good-natured. She was born inAlbany, New York To Philip Schyler and Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler. The entire Schuyler family seemed as taken with Hamilton as she was. Her reaction to Hamilton's affair is, equally, lost to history, which Miranda imagines as deliberate in the lyrics to "Burn." Born in August 1757, she was one of eight surviving children of Philip Schuyler and Catherine Van Rensselaer. 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? A 1781 painting of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton by Ralph Earl. He was stationed along with Washington in Morristown for the winter. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Eliza was also driven by her faith. 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. "[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. 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. In 1780, Hamilton wrote Angelica a letter describing his infatuation with Eliza: Hamilton and Eliza married that year. But if you're an astute historian, you might notice that Alexander Hamilton was killed in that famous duel way back in . 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. 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. The pair had eight children, and also took in Fanny Antill, the orphaned toddler daughter of a Revolutionary War colonel. Because his mother had never divorced her first husband, Hamiltons father, James, abandoned the family, likely to prevent Rachel from being charged with bigamy. When did Eliza Schuyler Hamilton have her second child? 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. The Society continues to exist until today under the name Graham Windham, a social service agency for children. But behind the myth of the games creation is an untold tale of theft, obsession and corporate double-dealing. He eventually became a prominent landowner, with tens of thousands of acres in the Albany area. 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. Eliza Hamilton poured her energy into founding a free school and an orphanage in New York to help children in need. 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. [24] Earlier that year, Angelica and her husband John Barker Church, for business reasons, had moved to Europe. Alexander Hamilton died on July 12, 1804, with Eliza and all seven of his surviving children by his side. Judging by Hamilton's correspondence at the time, the feeling was mutual. In 1796, Hamilton took aim at Jefferson in an essay that hinted at the sexual relationship Jefferson had with his slave, Sally Hemmings. WATCH: Hamilton: Building America on HISTORY Vault. Her two famous sisters were Angelica Schuyler Church and Margarita Schuyler Van Rensselaer. Eliza Hamilton Was Not Helpless - McSweeney's Internet Tendency My dear Hamilton is fonder of me every day.". He then returned to Morristown where Elizabeth's father had also arrived in his capacity as representative of the Continental Congress. Eliza and Alexander continued to live together in a caring relationship in their new home that can be seen in letters between the two at the time. 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.. By early 1777, hed made enough of a name for himself that several Colonial generals asked him to join their staffs. 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. Two years before the duel, Elizabeths mother, Catherine had died, and only a few months after Hamiltons death, her father also died. Elizabeth spent her final years in New York and Washington D.C., where she socialized with leaders including Presidents Tyler, Polk, Pierce, and Fillmore. New Netherland Institute,PO Box 2536, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12220Phone: 518-992-3274 Email:nni@newnetherlandinstitute.org, Web Site CreditsDesign:ReZolv CreativeDevelopment:Web Instinct. When Eliza Hamilton died in November 1854 at age 97, the uptown school was still in existence, but it clearly had seen better days. Her relationship with Hamilton grew quickly, even after he left Morristown, only a month after Elizabeth, 22 years old, arrived there. 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). [52] By the time she left she had been with the organization continuously since its founding, a total of 42 years. We don't get that often in fiction. [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. 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. As Mazzeo notes, Eliza was simply passionate about children's welfare, and where she saw problems she tried to find solutions.. Not even wealth could lower that very high death rate. She is respected as an early philanthropist for her work with the Orphan Asylum Society. [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. Why Elizabeth Hamilton Is Deserving of a Musical of Her Own Where Is The Cast Of Broadway's 'Hamilton' Now? Meet the influential author and key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. One of the ways she found solaceand honored his memorywas to found two institutions in New York that supported lower-income children. 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. [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. // cutting the mustard 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. The first blow was struck in March 1801, when Elizabeth lost her sister Peggy after a long illness. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Her father, Philip Schuyler, was a revered American Revolutionary war general, and her mother was. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The new film reminds us how risky it is", "Meet the Magnetic Schuyler Sisters, the Heart of Hamilton", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elizabeth_Schuyler_Hamilton&oldid=1141595644, Eliza appeared in the 1986 television series, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 21:19. 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. She would spend much of her long widowhood working to secure Hamilton'splace in American history. 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+. Eliza weathered Alexander's infidelity and the shockingly public scandal surrounding it. Eliza Hamilton wanted to find a way to honor Hamilton's memory, in the place where their last home had been together, says Mazzeo. 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. 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. "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. Eliza was supportive of her husband throughout his career and aided him with his political writings. The following year, according to another newspaper account in the New York Tribune, the school building was destroyed in a fire. It is said that after returning home from meeting her, Hamilton was so excited he forgot the password to enter army headquarters. Emma Dibdin is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles who writes about culture, mental health, and true crime. All rights reserved. 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. Elizabeth was portrayed by Doris Kenyon in the 1931 film, Alexander Hamilton. Below, a primer on her real story. She was portrayed by Eve Gordon and was referred to as Betsy. ", A Happy Union 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. Known as Eliza by friends and family, she was a tomboy at heart, with a potent mix of intelligence, warmth and determination. But despite these differences, the pair formed a lasting bond that has been the subject of numerous books and the award-winning musical, Hamilton. She was present at such historic moments as when Hamilton began to write The Federalistand composed his defense of a national bank. Subscribe to NNI's e-Marcurius and DAGNN-L toreceive information about New Netherland-related events, activities, conferences, and research. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. After Eliza's husband died and she moved to Washington D.C. in 1842 . She only came back to her marital house in New York in early September 1797 because the local doctor had been unable to cure their eldest son Philip, who had accompanied her to Albany and contracted typhus. Contrary to the musical, the Schuylers had a total of eight children who survived to adulthood, including three sons. (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). 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. [54] With Eliza's help John C. Hamilton would go on to publish History of the Republic of the United States America, as Traced in the Writings of Alexander Hamilton and his Contemporaries. Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler (August 9, 1757-November 9, 1854) was Philip and Kitty Schuyler's second child, and like Angelica, grew up in the family home in Albany. "I had little of private life in those days," she would remember. History of the Republic would set the bar for future biographies of Alexander Hamilton that would grow as time went on. The True Story of Elizabeth Schuyler in 'Hamilton'. 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.. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life Maria's husband, James Reynolds, caught wind of the affair, and began shaking Hamilton down for money. 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. There were 14 siblings in total. Elizabeth died in Washington, D.C. on November 9, 1854, at the advanced age of 97. 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 . Hamilton depicts the Reynolds Affair, one of the country's earliest sex scandals. [4] The Grange, their house on a 35-acre estate in upper Manhattan, was sold at public auction; however, she was later able to repurchase it from Hamilton's executors, who had decided that Eliza could not be publicly dispossessed of her home, and purchased it themselves to sell back to her at half the price. Thanks to her fathers role in the war and her familys social status, these years were a time of excitement for Eliza as well. She was rich, he was poor. 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. Hamiltons prospects were far less promising. She was buried in Trinity Churchyard in lower Manhattan, not far from the graves of her sister, Elizabeth . 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. Hamilton rose to become a Revolutionary War hero, an advocate for the Constitution, and a rescuer of the nascent American government from financial ruin. Her father, Philip J. Schuyler, was a general in the Continental Army, politician, and businessman. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Phillipa Soo as Alexander and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1881. .css-5rg4gn{display:block;font-family:NeueHaasUnica,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.3125rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-5rg4gn:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-5rg4gn{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:-0.02em;margin:0.75rem 0 0;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-5rg4gn{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:0.02rem;margin:0.9375rem 0 0;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-5rg4gn{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.4;margin:0.9375rem 0 0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-5rg4gn{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.4;}}Where Did the 'Perfect Match' Couples End Up? As Hamilton is released on Disney Plus, the real lives of Alexander Hamilton and the characters in the musical are being discovered by new audiences. A: At the time that I published my biography of Hamilton in 2004, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton was a complete blank in the American imagination. . 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. 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.