Greta Magnusen

As a young child Elizabeth had many dreams but one dream, she could not imagine was her future. During the 1700’s and 1800’s, children were often abused or hurt with no one to care for them. However, Elizabeth and a small group of women would not let that slide. Caring for children was her passion, which led her to creating a safe place where children of all ages could feel secure.

Elizabeth Hamilton was a wealthy girl with a normal childhood. Elizabeth was born on August 9, 1757, in Albany, New York to wealthy parents, Philip Schuyler, and Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler. Elizabeth had 9 siblings. They were Angelica Schuyler, Catherine Schuyler Malcolm Cochran, Cornelia Schuyler Morton, John Bradstreet Schuyler, Margarita Schuyler Van Rensselaer, Philip Jeremiah Schuyler, and Rensselaer Schuyler. Her father was a continental army general, and her mother was a socialite. A socialite is someone a person who is well known in fashionable society and is fond of social activities and entertainment. They say Elizabeth had an “athletic” build, but this is just a description because girls did not participate in many activities outside of their homes. Girls were not allowed to go to school, but Elizabeth’s mother wanted her to read and write. She homeschooled Elizabeth along with Elizabeth's sisters. Something that may have certainly influenced young Elizabeth was when Benjamin Franklin stayed overnight at their home. Being an influential person in America’s revolution it does say something about her family and who they had connections with.

Much of Elizabeth’s childhood was like other girls of that age. When Elizabeth was in her thirties she went to Morristown where she met a young immigrant named Alexander Hamilton. She did not know how important this meeting would be, but it would be something that would change her life in many ways. Because Alexander had no family to help him, he had little money. This did not stop Elizabeth from taking a liking to him fairly fast. Elizabeth’s father allowed the marriage, and they were married on December 14, 1780. Their marriage saw many things happen in their life and in this country. Together they had 8 children and lived through the revolutionary war. Her husband died from an incredibly famous duel with Aaron Burr and his name is more often the one people know but however without Elizabeth Schyler he may not have been able to have made such important moves. Being wealthy helped Elizabeth grow into a smart independent woman.

Through Elizabeth’s life she was sure to have had many people influence her. Her mother’s influence played an influential role in her early life because she educated her and gave her the power to read which played a role in the rest of her life. Her biggest influence was her husband and all the people that she was introduced to through his pursuits and their marriage. Knowing that Alexander was orphaned as a young child really moved Elizabeth to worry about children that were left alone during those challenging times. She saw their hurt and she wanted to take action. As a matter of fact, she was also influenced by George Washington and his friendship with her and her husband. Even with all these amazing people influencing her, her greatest influence was herself.

For every woman of that period and many years later her biggest obstacle was being female. It took a marriage to someone of power to make your way as a woman and Elizabeth did just that. Most of the information about her is taken from things written about her husband. Personally, Elizabeth had troubles because she and Alexander had money problems throughout their life as well as problems in their marriage. Much sadness also affected her. Elizabeth’s oldest son died in a duel at the age of 19 and her oldest daughter suffered from mental illness. Her husband died in a duel in 1804. You might think that the death of her husband so early in their life together would have been the biggest obstacle, but she turned that into something that pushed her to work harder.

Elizabeth worked extremely hard her whole life but especially after her husband’s death. She worked to make sure people remembered what he did for the country and fought to let people know what Alexander accomplished during his life and that he was the main author of George Washinton’s final address. Her biggest accomplishment was the formation of Graham Orphanage in 1806 She teamed up with Isabella Graham and a few other women to make this orphanage real. The Orphanage gave children food, shelter, and someone to care for them. The school also taught skills that they could use in the world to help them succeed. Eliza also moved to Washington D.C later in life and helped Dolley Madison and Louisa Adams raise money for the Washington Monument. All that arduous work paid off when Elizabeth’s dream came true.

Almost living a full century, Elizabeth died when she was ninety-seven years old on November 9, 1854, from old age. During the last years of her life, she suffered from short term memory loss but always remembered her years married to Alexander. She outlived all but one of her siblings. She is buried next to her husband at Trinity Church Cemetery in New York City. Her sister Angelica is also buried in this cemetery. With all things considered even after her death we still remember her today.

Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton was a woman who worked hard throughout her entire life. She had profound influence on one of our founding fathers. It is said that Alexander asked her opinion in many things and although her name is not on any of those documents, he wrote to her to help influence her. Her biggest accomplishment lives on today as the Graham Orphanage still works as an organization to help children. She may have had personal struggles throughout her life, but her legacy is strong. You can remember Elizabeth by visiting Trinity Church Cemetery. Elizabeth’s influence is still present today which is an amazing accomplishment but especially for a woman born two hundred and forty-one years ago.