LOOKING FOR A MIND AT WORK



"I'm lookin' for a mind at work." Ain't we all Angelica. Hamilton's Schuyler Sisters predate Sister Sledge by 200 years, but they were family ; everyone could see they were together as they walked on by, all girl group sass and swishing hips.  And the real Schuyler Sisters were the same, holding 1770's New York city society in thrall. But one man with a dueling pistol changed the life of middle sister Eliza, and possibly the fate of the nation.

ANGELICA! 

Phillip Schuyler, father of Angelica Eliza and Peggy, was a general in the Continental Army. Their mother Catherine was born a Van Renesselaer. Both were old name Dutch founders of New York City families. (Like the names Mrs. Astor would put on her 400 a hundred years later.) Angelica was the first daughter. Through their father's military connections the sisters socialized with the top political names of the era. Angelica fell in love with a Brit, John Baker Church, supplier to both the French and American armies. The two eloped and in 1783 they moved to Europe, living first in Paris. Angelica welcomed  Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and the Marquis De Lafayette into her home.

The family, which would eventually include eight children, moved to London. Angelica traveled to the U.S. to attend George Washington's presidential inauguration. The family permanently returned to the U.S. in 1799. They accepted 100,000 acres of land as payment of a debt by a friend. Angelica's oldest son built the acreage into the village of Angelica, New York. Throughout her life Angelica wrote letters to her political friends, including brother-in-law Alexander Hamilton These letters are now preserved in the library of Congress. While there is clear flirtation between Angelica and Alexander Hamilton, no proof of an affair existed.

PEGGY! 

Margarita Schuyler was the third born daughter. Peggy was known to be the wit of the family, and a "Swift's Vanessa" - a lady who liked discussing politics to the point men may not find her attractive. She was Alexander Hamilton's closest Schuyler family confident. In fact, Alexander Hamilton begged Peggy to bring Eliza to a series of military balls so Peggy could distract the other soldiers while Alexander Hamilton chatted up Eliza. When Peggy was 25 she eloped with a 19 year old distant Van Renesselaer cousin. They had three children but only one lived past childhood. Peggy fell ill in 1799 and died in 1801. Alexander Hamilton was at her bedside when she died.

ELIZA! 

The second daughter of the Schuyler family, Eliza was reputed to be strong-willed and impulsive. In 1780 she stayed with an aunt and met Martha Washington. The two ladies became fast friends. She also met a brash young aide-de-camp Alexander Hamilton. Their relationship developed quickly via weekly letters. They were engaged by April and married by December of 1780. She followed him on his Revolutionary War path, along with her friend Martha Washington, but Alexander Hamilton fell out with George Washington, so Eliza returned to her parents home in Albany. After Alexander Hamilton returned home, he and Eliza moved to a house across the river from her parents.


When Alexander Hamilton became Secretary of the Treasury, the family moved to New York City. Alexander and Eliza led an active social life, attending balls, parties, and the theater. By 1794 Alexander Hamilton left politics to practice law in New York City. Eliza assisted her husband in his political writings. Years later many of Alexander Hamilton's writings would be re-examined ; much of his work was found to be written in Eliza's handwriting.


In 1802 the family, Alexander Hamilton, Eliza, and their eight children built a home they called Hamilton Grange. In 1804 Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Eliza sold Hamilton Grange to pay off debts, but Alexander Hamilton's executors bought the home back, then re-sold it to Eliza at half-price. When Eliza was 76 years old in 1833 she sold the Grange and bought a townhouse in New York City. In 1806 she founded the orphan Asylum Society. Eliza Hamilton served as director for 27 years. The society fostered 700 orphans in Eliza's time, and exists today under the name Graham Windham. Eliza Hamilton fiercely protected her husband's legacy. She made James Monroe apologize for saying Alexander Hamilton took money from the U.S. government. Eliza Hamilton died at 97 years old. She helped Dolley Madison and Louisa Adams raise money to fund the Washington Monument. She curated and sold Alexander Hamilton's papers to Congress, making sure "history had its eyes on" Alexander Hamilton.


SOURCES :

"Getting to Know the Schuyler Sisters." Playhouse Square, 30 September 2020. 

Westenfeld, Adrienne. Who Were the Real Schuyler Sisters From Hamilton? Esquire, 3 July 2020.

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