Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton – By Grace M
Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton was born August 7,1757 in Albany. She was born wealthy along with her other siblings (Angelica, Margarita/Peggy, John, Philip) because their father, Philip Schuyler, was a revolutionary war general. She was very close with her older sister Angelica. Angelica always was there for Eliza like an older sister should. Eliza was good-hearted yet serious. A lot of men were attracted to Eliza and her sisters.
Then in 1780, the moment came… true love! She met her husband, Alexander Hamilton, at a ball, February of 1780. Alexander didn’t have any family and survived on his own. That meant he was poor which influenced Eliza’s dad’s view of him at first. Then, after less than a year of writing love letters, they got married on December 14, 1780. Two years after their marriage, they had their first child – Philip. Then came Angelica, Alexander Jr., and James (they eventually have four more). But after that, they didn’t have too much of a happily ever after. While the rest of the family was spending the summer of 1791 in Albany, Alexander had an affair with Maria Reynolds. This scandal lasted for about three years. When it was first publicized, Eliza didn’t believe it until Hamilton told her personally. Eliza eventually forgave Hamilton. Although that was over, the bad news kept on coming. In 1801, Eliza’s sister, Peggy, passed away from a disease. The following November, her son Philip was killed in a duel in 1804. Eliza also witnessed her father die that same month. After that, their child Angelica went insane. A lot of their other children didn’t live long either. 3 years later, Hamilton was also killed in a duel by Aaron Burr.
What makes her a remarkable woman, is the fact that she did not spend the rest of her days in gloom. She helped establish the first private orphanage 1806. She stayed there for a quite some time while still honoring many people. She interviewed and publicized the soldiers of the the revolutionary war. She raised funds for many different things such as the Washington Monument. It is astonishing how much she was able to do after all she went through.
Troop 48’s juniors hope you enjoy the rest of our website. Thank you for reading!
“Elizabeth Hamilton (1757-1854).” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 2018, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/hamilton-elizabeth-hamilton-1757-1854/.
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