She loves owls, hates cilantro, and can find the queer subtext in literally anything. 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. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. The pair had eight children, and also took in Fanny Antill, the orphaned toddler daughter of a Revolutionary War colonel. 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. She also outlived her fifth child, her son William Stephen who was born on August 4, 1797 and died on October 9, 1850. Artifacts of domestic life in lower Manhattan, De Hooges Memorandum Book Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler Hamilton was born in Albany, New York, on August 9, 1757. 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. She is respected as an early philanthropist for her work with the Orphan Asylum Society. The Society continues to exist until today under the name Graham Windham, a social service agency for children. Peggy Schuyler died young. 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. 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. Instead she immersed herself in charitable work, helping found New York's first private orphanage in 1806, and embarking on a decades-long campaignto ensure "her Hamilton" received the historical laurels she was sure he deserved. In March of that year, they formally founded the Orphan Asylum Society, and recruited other women to the cause. All Rights Reserved. Eliza was giving much of her time to her other big projecthelping to found the citys first private orphanage in lower Manhattan. Elizabeth did not spend her days in sorrow or self-pity. [48], After her husband's death in 1804, Eliza was left to pay Hamilton's debts. A chronicle of Rensselaerswijck, c. 16481656, For over three decades, NNI has helped cast light on America's Dutch roots. "[28], The Hamiltons had an active social life, often attending the theater as well as various balls and parties. 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. "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." Elizabeth Schuyler was born on August 9, 1757, the daughter of the Revolutionary War leader Major General Philip Schuyler. But behind the myth of the games creation is an untold tale of theft, obsession and corporate double-dealing. [5][6][7], Her family was among the wealthy Dutch landowners who had settled around Albany in the mid-1600s, and both her mother and father came from wealthy and well-regarded families. Alexander and Eliza married on December 14, 1780. [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. 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After being shot on the dueling field, Philip was brought to Angelica and John Church's house, where he died with both of his parents next to him. 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. Elizabeth was portrayed by Doris Kenyon in the 1931 film, Alexander Hamilton. HBO Max Comedies Thatll Put You in a Good Mood, Everything to Know Ahead of 'Mando' Season 3. But despite these differences, the pair formed a lasting bond that has been the subject of numerous books and the award-winning musical, Hamilton. 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. She's based (and born and raised) in Brooklyn, New York. As was common for young women of her time, Eliza was a regular churchgoer, and her faith remained unwavering throughout her lifetime. In 1806, two years after her husband's death, she, along with several other women including Joanna Bethune, founded the Orphan Asylum Society. Emma Dibdin is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles who writes about culture, mental health, and true crime. A pictorial walk through time, Arent van Curler & the Flatts After Eliza's husband died and she moved to Washington D.C. in 1842 . All Rights Reserved. Hamilton: Building America on HISTORY Vault. All rights reserved. The entire Schuyler family seemed as taken with Hamilton as she was. 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. The first blow was struck in March 1801, when Elizabeth lost her sister Peggy after a long illness. She had outlived all of her siblings except one who was 24 years her junior. But by the final act of the play, one of the most compelling characters to emerge is Elizabeth (Eliza) Schuyler Hamilton. 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. We don't get that often in fiction. 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. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. What Was Alexander Hamilton's Role in Aaron Burr's Contentious Presidential Defeat. But a series of events would soon rip that family apart. Eliza Hamilton wanted to find a way to honor Hamilton's memory, in the place where their last home had been together, says Mazzeo. Catherine, also known as Kitty, was the daughter of one of New York States oldest, richest and most prominent Dutch families. These figures indicate the enormously high death rate among young children. 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 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. He found work at a local import-export firm, where he quickly impressed his bosses. The real Eliza Schuyler died at the old age of 97, and outlived the musical's other characters. He had been stationed along with the General and his men in Morristown. [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. So of the original 14 siblings only five survived. Hamilton followed the Army when they decamped in June 1780. Elizabeth Hamilton petitioned Congress to publish her husband Alexander Hamilton's writings (1846). Eliza would weather a storm of pain and embarrassment following very public revelations of Hamiltons adultery. Fly to the bosom of your God and be comforted. 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.. 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]. 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? 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. The Orphan Asylum Society, meanwhile, evolved into Graham Windham, a private nonprofit social services agency that provides parenting support and mental and behavioral health treatment for 5,000 children and families each year. Eliza died in Washington, D.C. on November 9, 1854, at age 97. Mother, Supporter, Humiliated Wife ' Before their eighth child was born, however, they lost their oldest son, Philip, who died in a duel on November 24, 1801. 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." She also met and became friends with Martha Washington, a friendship they would maintain throughout their husbands political careers. .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.