He was still acting as the lawyer and executor of all his brother-in-law’s American holdings while (Eliza’s sister) Angelica and her husband were in Europe, and had business and familial ties throughout the widespread branches of the Schuyler clan. Whether or not Alexander was trading for his own benefit or that of others is also at question. Later, some historians proposed that Eliza burned her own love letters to Alexander because the wording and spelling closely resembled that found in the Maria Reynolds letters – so perhaps Alexander modeled the letters after the real ones from his wife? Maria herself claimed this, and offered to give a writing sample for people to compare – yet, one never given. Many thought the love letters from Maria to Alexander were forged. This was actually the belief most of his accusers still clung to at the time, to varying degrees. The author here leans toward the belief that Alexander did not really sleep with Maria Reynolds. Alexander claimed that the payments were made because he had slept with Reynolds’ wife, and Reynolds was blackmailing him. For those who don’t know the basics: Evidence of payments made from Alexander to a man name James Reynolds lead some to believe that Alexander was engaged in insider trading while he was heading up the national Treasury. The idea was that getting the nation founded was even more important than the two of them always being together.Ī good portion of the middle of the book (around 20%) is dedicated to the Reynolds Affair. Alexander, in the midst of trying to help establish the new country, wanted a “Roman wife,” and Eliza agreed to be one. This was actually one of their ongoing disagreements.Īnother idea that comes up in this part of the book is that of the “Roman wife,” who would sacrifice for the good of the Republic, and the idea of the “American wife,” who was more of a romantic, dedicated to her husband and also to being a socialite. Eliza, on the other hand, did not have a lot of confidence in her spelling, and wrote back to Alexander less often than he would like. One is that Alexander was a prolific writer, and wrote an almost constant stream of letters home to Eliza during both their courtship and early married years. There are a couple key points from their early years together. The newlyweds would have to rely on Eliza’s side of the family for support, as Alexander had no family. Thankfully Hamilton had a good reputation in the military, and Philip Schuyler approved of this son-in-law. While Eliza had a few crushes, we already know who she ends up marrying – a military man with no family or money, one Alexander Hamilton. But they were mostly concerned with finding husbands. They learned a little reading and writing, and how to manage a household. Apparently, the story of a lady in all her finery setting fire to her crops was a regional legend for years.Įliza and her sisters also got an education, in New York City. Then she sent her horses to Philip, because she figured he’d need them on the front lines, and hitched her carriage to some oxen, instead, for the return trip. None of the slaves wanted to do it, so Kitty did it herself. She loaded up all the good silver at that house, and then got word from her husband to burn all the crops in the field so that the army couldn’t eat their food. When Philip (Eliza’s father) learned that an opposing army was going to pass by one of their properties, Kitty drove there from the other with a team of horses and a few slaves. There is one story about Eliza’s mother, Kitty, that stands out from these early years. Eliza was described as “outdoorsy,” and loved to ride horses. (The book “Last of the Mohicans” was written by one of Eliza’s distant cousins.) Also of note was that most of the region was being settled by families connected to the Schuylers – they knew just about everybody in New York state during this era, it seemed. Their father had long been involved in military and political machinations, and was even a liaison with the local tribal communities at times. The Schuyler sisters grew up on the Hudson River, with family land in both Albany and Saratoga. But, for the most part, there are a lot of great stories in Eliza’s long life. Even I found a few parts to be a bit dry, and I actually like history. If you’re the type to find history hard to focus on, this read might not be for you. A strong pioneer woman, a loving sister, a caring mother, and in her later years, a generous philanthropist, Eliza had many sides-and this fascinating biography brings her multi-faceted personality to vivid life. Fans fell in love with Eliza Hamilton-Alexander Hamilton’s devoted wife-in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s phenomenal musical Hamilton.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |