The real Eliza Schuyler died at the old age of 97, and outlived the musical's other characters. 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. Hamilton: Building America on HISTORY Vault. 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. After Hamilton's sudden death in a duel with Aaron Burr in 1804, Eliza went on to outlive her husband by close to 50 years. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All Rights Reserved. Elizabeth also spent many months separated from her husband. My dear Hamilton is fonder of me every day.". The Van Rensselaers of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck were one of the richest and most politically influential families in the state of New York. Eliza was an ardent supporter of her husband, but it wasnt always plain sailing in their marriage. [4] 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. [8] Like many landowners of the time, Philip Schuyler owned slaves, and Eliza would have grown up around slavery. ", At 22, Eliza met Alexander Hamilton, who was at the time serving under General George Washington, and fell in love "at first sight," per historical accounts. "[41] After returning home to Eliza on July 22[42] and assembling a first draft dated July 1797,[43] on August 25, 1797, Hamilton published a pamphlet, later known as the Reynolds Pamphlet, admitting to his one-year adulterous affair in order to refute the charges that he had been involved in speculation and public misconduct with Maria's husband James Reynolds.[44]. The widow couldnt afford a bigger place, but a group of wealthier women in the area decided to help. Elizabeth Schuyler was born on August 9, 1757, the daughter of the Revolutionary War leader Major General Philip Schuyler. On September 25, 1784, Eliza gave birth to her second child, Angelica, named after Eliza's older sister. 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. 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. She would live another 50 years. 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. 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. if ( 'querySelector' in document && 'addEventListener' in window ) { The Schuyler Sistersreal historical figuresshow us that those bonds can exist and are possible. Eliza later said of Mrs. Washington, "She was always my ideal of a true woman."[12][18]. 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. Born in August 1757, she was one of eight surviving children of Philip Schuyler and Catherine Van Rensselaer. In the first year, the society took in 20 children but had to turn away nine times as many, according to Mazzeo. 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. } While she was in her nineties she helped Dolly Madison to raise money for the Washington Monument. Mother, Supporter, Humiliated Wife Elizabeth Schuyler was born in Albany in 1757, to a wealthy family that had social ties to prominent early Americans. Eventually, Eliza Hamiltons school evolved into a scholarship fund that helps students from Washington Heights and Inwood attend Columbia University. Elizabeth, Angelica and Margarita Schuyler are the three famous sisters portrayed in the Broadway Play Hamilton. Elizabeth Hamilton petitioned Congress to publish her husband Alexander Hamilton's writings (1846). Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. [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. "[15], In early 1780, Elizabeth went to stay with her aunt, Gertrude Schuyler Cochran, in Morristown, New Jersey. A pictorial walk through time, Arent van Curler & the Flatts For sixteen years, she lived in Europe with her British-born husband, John Barker Church, who became a Member of Parliament. Her oldest daughter, Angelica, suffered a nervous breakdown after her brother Philip's death. They were so close, in . document.documentElement.className += 'js'; All rights reserved. Her two famous sisters were Angelica Schuyler Church and Margarita Schuyler Van Rensselaer. 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." But Eliza, understandably, is devastated, and responds by burning all the letters that Hamilton has ever sent her. But at the time of Hamiltons death, he still had a mortgage and owed money to the builders, and his wife struggled under the weight of all that debt. 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. He eventually became a prominent landowner, with tens of thousands of acres in the Albany area. 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. Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler Hamilton was born in Albany, New York, on August 9, 1757. Her oldest son Philip died in a duel, just as his father would three years later. Elizabeth Hamiltons parents were the noted American Revolutionary war general, Philip Schuyler and Catherine Van Rensselaer of the Manor of Van Renselaerswyck. Elizabeth also appeared in the 1986 TV series, George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation. Hamilton died from wounds received during the duel in July 12, 1804. He had been stationed along with the General and his men in Morristown. 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). Here's what you need to know about the real-life founding mother. A lifelong reader who was largely self-educated, he soon set his sights far beyond his tiny island home. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton at age 94 When she was 95 years old and President Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States, Elizabeth Hamilton was invited to dinner at the White House, and the First Lady, Abigail Filmore, gave up her chair to her. [citation needed], Like most Dutch families of the area, her family belonged to the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany, which still stands; however, the original 1715 building, where Elizabeth was baptized and attended services, was demolished in 1806. Eliza Hamilton poured her energy into founding a free school and an orphanage in New York to help children in need. 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. [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. Its unlikely that Eliza was involved on a day-to-day basis, according to Mazzeo. [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 early 1780, Elizabeth went to stay with her aunt in New Jersey where she met Hamilton, who was one of General George Washingtons aides-de-camp at the time. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. We don't get that often in fiction. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. 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. Emma Dibdin is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles who writes about culture, mental health, and true crime. He was born c. 1755 on the island of Nevis, in the British West Indies. After Hamilton became treasury secretary in 1789 her social duties increased. [52] By the time she left she had been with the organization continuously since its founding, a total of 42 years. 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. She survived a miscarriage, her daughter's mental health issues, and, within four years, the deaths of her son, husband, sister, mother, and father. 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. 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. Her father, Philip Schuyler, was a revered American Revolutionary war general, and her mother was. 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+. Hamilton depicts the Reynolds Affair, one of the country's earliest sex scandals.