Margarita Schuyler (Peggy)

Born: September 19, 1758 Died: March 14, 1801

Margarita Schuyler (also known as Peggy) was born in 1758. She was the third daughter of Catherine and Philip Schuyler and was born into a wealthy Dutch family. Some people think her mother, Catherine was a very prominent figure in her life. According to her family documents she saved her new born baby sister (also named Catherine) from a loyalist kidnapping when she was just twenty two years old. 

Peggy was born about halfway through the seven year war and most likely did not even remember the fighting, however, she may have remembered the Schuyler estate being burned down after the battle of Saratoga during the revolutionary war.

Peggy was Alexander Hamilton’s sister in law. She married Stephen Van Rensselaer III in 1783, right after the revolutionary war ended. She was 25 and he was 19, which caused some controversy with the Schuylers. It is surprisingly hard to find portraits of Margarita Schuyler considering how many her family members have. Some Historians think this is because she was so young during and leading up to the revolution. Peggy Schuyler died at age 42 on March 14, 1801 after suffering from an unknown illness.