Alexander hamilton how many children

The musical opened for the first time at the Public Theater in New York in , before becoming a Broadway phenomenon. An important element of the musical is the relationship that Hamilton had with Eliza Schuyler, the woman who would go on to become his wife and eventually carry on his historical legacy after his untimely death.

The two married in December of , and would go on to have eight children, the eldest of which being Phillip Hamilton. Phillip was tragically shot and killed in a duel in , an event which marred the rest of Alexander Hamilton's life in relative tragedy culminating in his own death in a duel with political rival Aaron Burr three years later.

Due to the fact that he lived over years ago, modern day historians aren't able to fill in all the gaps of Hamilton's life. Certain details including the very date of his birth may not be entirely accurate, due to conflicting reports, and certain documents being lost to time. One particular point of contention for many who study Alexander's life is the possibility that he may have been the father of William Hamilton, a famous Black abolitionist.

While there is little surviving information regarding William's childhood, it's widely accepted that William's mother was a free black woman who may have crossed paths with Alexander Hamilton in the year in which he arrived in New York. She listened to his early drafts of Washington's "Farewell Address" and excerpts from the Federalist Papers.

She probably copied some of the Federalist Papers for Alexander to distribute. Never idyllic, the Hamiltons' marriage was hampered by incessant credit problems. Alexander resigned from military service and qualified for the bar in From to , he worked for the fledgling American government as the first secretary of the treasury and as a member of President Washington's cabinet. He resigned in and returned to his New York City law practice.

The Hamiltons struggled financially, never accepting assistance from General Schuyler, with the exception of food and goods from Schuyler's estate.

With credit already stretched, Alexander bought fifteen acres in Harlem Heights, New York, to build his own estate, "The Grange," named after his ancestral home in Scotland.

Tragically, Elizabeth's life changed dramatically in with the deaths of both her husband and father. Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton had quarreled over Hamilton's alleged personal slurs against Burr's reputation and political aspirations, and Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel, which took place on 11 July Told he was just having spasms to prevent her hysterics, Elizabeth rushed to the mortally wounded Alexander. He left Elizabeth and his family virtually destitute.

Left to pay her husband's debts and raise their children the youngest was two , Elizabeth relied on the help of friends and family. The death of her father four months after her husband's provided her with some financial relief through her inheritance of property and money. She was able to repurchase The Grange, which had been sold at public auction. She also petitioned the government for her husband's army pension that he had waived. Even though Elizabeth spent her widowhood in poverty, she was active in charitable organizations.

She was known to take homeless children into her own home. To establish her husband's political legacy and repair his reputation, she spent nearly fifty years after his death collecting and preserving his papers and letters. She corresponded with and visited the leading Federalists to collect papers and other information concerning her husband. Ironically, none of her correspondence to Alexander survived, although she did save his letters to her.

Throughout her life Elizabeth Hamilton staunchly defended her husband against his critics, maintaining his authorship of Washington's "Farewell Address" and refusing to acknowledge his responsibility in the duel and sexual scandals of his life.

Eliza - Remained very close to her mother throughout her life, even living with her after her own marriage. Philip aka Little Phil - Named after his oldest brother, who had died the year before Little Phil was born.

Happily, Little Phil had a nice, long life — he died in at the age of Although the rest of Hamilton's kids don't make an appearance in the musical, there's no denying that they were a huge part of his and Eliza's life. Now, we know just a little bit more about them.

Distractify is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved.