#catharine livingston

[jewellery-box]

Neoclassical Gown

1790s White Muslin

Neoclassical or “antique” style gowns were part of a broader revolution in style that was meant to echo the radical political changes of the American and later the French Revolution. Like Neoclassicism in buildings and art, these white chemise dresses mimicked the fashions of the ancient Greek and Roman republics – lightweight, high waisted, and short sleeved. 

It is possible that this gown was sewn by Catharine “Kitty” Livingston Ridley, the daughter of Susan French Livingston and New Jersey Governor (1776 –1790) William Livingston, in Trenton, New Jersey.

The most likely owner of this dress is Eleanor Armstrong, daughter of Susanna Livingston and James Francis Armstrong. Born in 1785 in Trenton, New Jersey, Armstrong married in 1803 at the age of 18. This may have been her wedding dress.

The Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, Washington DC. Gift of Mrs. Anne Glover Anderson.

[46ten]

In this April 1780 letter to AH, Philip Schuyler acknowledges that he and his wife consent to the engagement of AH and Elizabeth. He also tells AH that he is being considered as an ambassador and provides some reports on the Continental Congress. The other pressing news he has:

Be so good as to desire Mrs. Cochran to mark which and how many Yards of the Silks marked on the inclosed she wishes to have and advise me by the first Conveyance.

Yes, please have AH spend time figuring out what kind and how much silk your sister wants, Philip, ASAP. This reminds of another source:

Colonel Ned Varick and Colonel Henry Livingston continually record escorting Miss Angelica, Miss Betsey with their mama to and fro between Albany and Saratoga. A deserter is brought in and Miss Betsey, learning that he is a tailor, proposes keeping him as useful in the family. Colonel Varick makes himself essential in the family affairs. Now he is hunting for the curtains of the General’s field bed, and can’t find the key, now transporting garden seeds and cuttings to Saratoga. His sister writes: “You mention in your last about Miss Schuyler’s stays. I’ve no opportunity to inquire yet, but will get Mr. Elting to do it in the morning.” Another aide, Captain Lewis, is entrusted to see about Mrs. Schuyler’s silk dresses. Indeed, the only letter of Catherine Schuyler that can now be traced “begs the favor of Captain Varick to purchase two thousand oysters and to get Mrs. Vernon or somebody that understands it to pickle them.” [pgs 189-190, Catherine Schuyler by Mary Gay Humphreys, 1897; 46ten notes: this is no longer the only letter we have from Catharine VR Schuyler; one is publicly available and transcribed here.]

I’m glad the Schuyler teenagers used the soldiers and aides-de-camp stationed with their father to get them undergarments. 

2000 oysters!!! See this 1850 tea party where I guess each person was expected to consume 20 oysters. 

[angelqueen04]

Hamliza Month, Day 18

@megpeggs @historysalt 

Genderbend First Summary: Colonel Hamilton makes a new acquaintance.

Alexander marched along the snow-covered path, his shoulders hunched against the frigid air as he followed several of his fellow aides toward the local storeroom. Honestly, with every step he took he was regretting more and more his decision to purchase the voucher for these local dancing assemblies that the officers insisted on sponsoring. While he knew it was an excellent way to interact with others outside of his immediate circle of acquaintance, it was also damned cold! How many would actually show up in this kind of weather?

His mental grousing was interrupted when Tench Tilghman suddenly appeared beside him, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “Come on, Hammie, keep up!” he said cheerfully. “You lollygag far enough behind and you’ll not be found ‘til spring! And stop moping over the fact that the General wouldn’t let you run off with Laurens to play soldier in the Carolinas!”

Alexander rolled his eyes, but nonetheless quickened his pace. They were nearly there, anyway. He pointedly did not respond to Tilghman’s comment about Laurens. Yes, he missed his friend. Yes, he wished the General had let him accompany Laurens down south to fight Cornwallis. None of that was a secret.

“Besides,” Tench added, “tonight’s going to be special! I overheard Dr. Cochran talking to the General – apparently Mrs. Cochran’s niece has come to stay with them. It’s Miss Elizabeth Schuyler, direct from Albany!”

Ah. So that explained Tench’s high spirits. Alexander could recall Tench waxing poetic over the vaunted Miss Schuyler more than once over the years. He had met back in ’75 during a visit he had made to the Albany area, calling her “good-natured” and describing her “dark, lovely eyes” and how they emphasized her “good temper and benevolence”. Tench had been clearly smitten with her, and still was, it appeared. [1]

Alexander himself could not claim any acquaintance with the lady. His trip to Albany after the victory at Saratoga had included a brief visit to General Schuyler’s home, where he had hoped to gain advice on the best manner to convince General Gates to release his vicelike grip on a number of troops who were desperately needed further south, but the lady in question had not been home at the time.[2] Still, he also recalled the joke she had made to Tilghman, which the man had passed along, about how she had teased him about his “upcoming nuptials” and that she looked forward to being “a bridesmaid at his wedding”. Alexander was not entirely sure of the context of this little joke – Tilghman had not retold it very well – but from what he could tell, that did not bode well for his friend’s chances with her, if she was talking about attending his bride rather than being the bride herself.

Finally, they arrived at their destination and made their way inside. Grateful to finally be out of the cold, Alexander sought and obtained a glass of punch. Sipping it, he was surprised to discover that it wasn’t half-bad. Whoever had organized the refreshments must have gotten creative, since it was far above the swill that was normally served.

It did not take long for the music and dancing to begin. General Washington, who greatly enjoyed dancing, led the first set by stepping out with Mrs. Greene. Alexander, knowing his duty to the ladies who had come tonight, partnered with a Miss Abigail Rollins, who had in the past proved a better dancer than conversationalist. This was the first time he had seen her since the previous winter, and time had not much improved her, as she proved to be as tongue-tied as ever.

When the time came for the musicians and dancers alike to take a break, many broke into different groups, some taking the chance to reestablish acquaintances, some to discuss politics, and others simply to sit down and rest their tired feet. Alexander had thought to join the group surrounding the General – at least there he could likely be assured of some intelligent conversation – when someone calling his name through the crush caught his attention.

“Alexander! Colonel Hamilton!”

Alexander turned, and immediately brightened as a young woman, her dark hair freshly powdered, approached him, a beaming smile on her face. “Miss Livingston,” he said, suddenly feeling much cheered. He took her proffered hand and kissed it as he bowed to her. “How delightful to see that you are again come among us,” he said, feeling some measure of delight for the first time since the assembly had begun. “The room has become all the brighter from your amiable presence!”

She laughed, tapping her fan on his arm teasingly. “And you are as charming as ever, my dear friend,” she replied. “Be careful, Alexander, lest you give some poor girl the wrong idea.”

He gave her his best, most innocent expression, which only made her laugh more. As they settled into a conversation, Alexander could feel himself beginning to relax. A conversation with Kitty Livingston, a lady he had known for some years, since the days when he had boarded with her family while he attended school in Elizabethtown, was just what he needed. Someone he could engage in a conversation without undue expectations being raised.

However, he soon discovered that Kitty had other plans.

After a little time had passed, where they had asked about mutual acquaintances and her family – everyone was well – Kitty’s gaze was caught by something over her shoulder. A mischievous sparkle entered her dark eyes. “Ah, Alexander,” she said, “There is someone you should meet.”

He eyed her curiously. “And who might that be, madam?”

Kitty did not respond directly, but instead waved her hand and called, “Eliza! Here, dear, you must meet Colonel Hamilton!”

Blinking at the sudden turn in conversation, Alexander turned in the same direction Kitty was waving at. Approaching them was another young woman, dressed in a deep green silk and wool with embroidered pink flowers. Her hair powdered like Kitty’s, but not enough to entirely disguise the rich, dark color.

“Alexander,” Kitty said from his right, “please allow me to introduce my cousin, Miss Elizabeth Schuyler. Betsey, this is Colonel Alexander Hamilton, aide-de-camp to General Washington.”

Ah, so this was the lady that had so bewitched Tilghman. Taking her in, Alexander supposed he could understand the other man’s interest. While she would not be considered a conventional beauty – he imagined that most would say that Kitty was the fairer of the two ladies – there was no denying that she was still very handsome. No wispy, willowy thing, there appeared a measure of health and strength in how she carried herself. Suddenly, Alexander recalled a story Tilghman had told of Eliza climbing a steep hill to a waterfall without one bit of help, while all of the other ladies of the party had required the aid of the gentlemen to make it up the steep, slippery slope.

Her most striking feature, however, the one that caught his attention the most, was Miss Schuyler’s fine, dark eyes. They sparkled in the candlelight, and lit up her entire face as she smiled and curtsied to him. Alexander was startled to feel himself blushing a bit as he bowed in return. “Miss Schuyler,” he said, “a true pleasure.”

“Indeed, Colonel Hamilton,” Miss Schuyler responded. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance as well. My father has spoken highly of you and your talents. He asked me to convey his best wishes to you, should we have occasion to meet.”

Alexander was startled, but pleased. He had come to like and respect General Schuyler – though now technically he was Mr. Schuyler now, serving in Congress – when they had met during Alexander’s trip to Albany. It was gratifying to be remembered by such an excellent man.

As he fell into conversation with the two ladies, he could not help but take Miss Schuyler in further. It didn’t appear that Tilghman had exaggerated her qualities. There was something warm about the lady. She did not put on airs or give herself graces, but spoke gently and kindly. While she didn’t appear to have Kitty’s razor-sharp wit, she was by no means dull or simpering either. Miss Schuyler was well-informed of the doings of Congress – something Alexander attributed to her father’s position – and was keenly interested in the plight of the soldiers. “Mrs. Washington has invited me to join her on her rounds in visiting them,” she mentioned. Her expression was open and earnest. “I hope to be useful in any way I can.”

Soon enough, the musicians retook their positions and began to play again. A young man, a major, appeared and bowed to Kitty. “Miss Livingston, I believe I have the pleasure of the next set?”

Kitty beamed. “Indeed so, Major Gibbons.” Taking his outstretched hand, she flashed a smile in both Alexander and Miss Schuyler’s direction before stepping off with the man, leaving the two of them alone.

Alexander glanced around. He did not see anyone else approaching to claim Miss Schuyler for the next dance, which surprised him. New arrivals were always a subject of much interest, and their cards would be filled up quickly. In fact, he was equally surprised that Tilghman hadn’t bounded over to her like an overexcited pup, given his earlier anticipation of her company.

“If you are not engaged, Miss Schuyler,” Alexander said impulsively, “might I induce you to join me on the floor?”

A flicker of surprise crossed her handsome features, and then she smiled at him. “I would be honored, Colonel,” she replied, her voice soft. Obligingly, he held out his hand to her, and she laid her gloved hand in his own so that he might lead her out among the other couples.

It turned out, Alexander soon discovered, that Miss Schuyler was as excellent a dancer as she was good company off of the dance floor. At end of the assembly, he had the chance to escort her out to the sleigh that would bear her back to aunt and uncle’s lodgings. He aided her into the sleigh, helping her settle into the seat next to Kitty, and then kissed her hand before stepping back.

“I have had a most enjoyable evening in your company, Miss Schuyler,” Alexander said. “I do hope we shall meet again in the near future.”

“As do I, Colonel Hamilton,” Miss Schuyler said, her smile now taking on a shy but pleased quality. She then glanced at Kitty briefly, before adding, “We were planning to go for a sleigh ride in a few days. We should be delighted if you would join us.” [3]

He bowed. “It would be my honor,” Alexander said, and was pleased to feel that he truly meant it. He found he rather liked this young lady that Kitty had introduced him to.

There was no chance to say anything else, because at that moment the driver of their sleigh flicked the whip and the horses started forward, carrying the ladies off.

As he walked back toward headquarters a short time later, Alexander found that he did not so much mind the cold as he had earlier in the evening. He felt pleasantly warm the whole way.

 -----

[1] Tench Tilghman was very complimentary of Eliza when he described her in his diary, and it sounds as though he did indeed have something of a crush on her.

[2] This is speculation on my part. There really is no way of knowing for certain one way or the other if Eliza and Alexander first met when he visited the area after the Battle of Saratoga. It’s possible, of course, but it’s equally possible that Eliza may have been in Boston at the time, visiting Angelica. Chernow, for one, seems to believe that they did meet at this time, but he does not cite a source to back this belief up.  All we really do know is that Alexander arrived in Albany in early November 1777 and did visit the Schuyler family home while in the area. But I would point out that, at this time, Angelica was pregnant with her first child (who would be born in April 1778), so it’s possible that Eliza had gone to visit and help her prepare for the birth and motherhood to come. I went with that interpretation here.

[3] Alexander Hamilton to Catharine Livingston and Elizabeth Schuyler, circa January/February 1780.

[pub-lius]

The Schuyler Sisters (Peggy, Angelica, Eliza) for @thereallvrboy

aaaaaaa

this post is a couple weeks late because the research took longer than normal for some reason, so i’m typing it all out on the same day im researching for the next post so you’ll probably see that tomorrow if not next week. a lot of the information for this post comes from this website, and cross referenced with my usual favorites (britannica especially) and Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow because i hate myself. but i love @thereallvrb0y so its fine

Margarita Schuyler Van Rensselaer

Margarita Schuyler was born on September 24, 1758 in Albany, and was referred to as Meggy or Peggy, but I’ll be calling her Peggy because that is how she is widely known. She was the THIRD OF ELEVEN children to General Philip Schuyler and Catharine Van Rensselaer Schuyler, which is why I am refusing to do all the Schuyler kids (don’t love you that much, richie /j). She was closest with her sisters Angelica and Elizabeth (who I will refer to as Betsey). She was known for being smart, beautiful, witty, and fiesty.

On August 7, 1781, the Schuyler home was threatened by a Tory mob. There’s this one story that when they sieged upon the house, Peggy came out of hiding to get her younger sister Catherine who was just fucking abandoned, and they threw a tomahawk at her which sliced her gown and was embedded in the staircase. That didn’t happen, Catherine made it up because she didn’t like Indigenous people (probably).

Peggy married Stephen Van Rensselaer III when he was 19 and she was 25. At this time, men were shamed for their mommy kinks, and Stephen’s dad was disappointed that he married an older woman, so they eloped. They would go on to have three children, one of which would survive to adulthood, Stephen Van Rensselaer IV.

More about Stephen, his mom was a Livingston (these three families constantly married each other it was lowkey highkey weird) and his dad was the ninth patroon of Rensselaerwyck which means he was a really really rich dude who owned a big ass piece of land. Stephen was entitled to assume responsibility as lord of Van Rensselaer Manor when he turned 21. 

The Schuylers were wealthy, Dutch American, landowning families in New York. Peggy and Stephen’s parents were third generation immigrants, and it was likely that Dutch was a common family language. They all belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany, New York.

Peggy was unfortunately affected by an illness in 1799, and died on March 14, 1801. She was really close with Alexander Hamilton, and was with her when she died. 

“On Saturday, my dear Eliza, your sister took leave of her sufferings and friends, I trust to find repose and happiness in a better country.” -Alexander Hamilton to Elizabeth Hamilton

She was initially buried in the family plot at the Van Rensselaer estate, and was later reinterred at Albany Rural Cemetery.

Angelica Schuyler Church

Angelica Schuyler was born on February 20, 1756, and Ron Chernow shat himself. She was described as educated, intelligent, attractive, and more sociable than Betsey because that is a character trait apparently (solid notes, Henry). She was the eldest daughter so she totally had some kind of complex going on.

She eloped with John Church in 1777 before Alexander Hamilton had time to get into her pants. She was afraid her father wouldn’t approve of Church because he was suspicious as fuck. He came to America to avoid bankruptcy, and was secretly (and suspiciously) supplying the French and American armies, and eventually became Washington’s Commissary General, which is slay, but like you didn’t need to be that suspicious. 

Angelica left for Europe in 1783 with her family and didn’t return until 1797 (once again before Hamilton could engage in Amorous Congress with her). She held frequent parties, and was an absolute bad bitch in European social circles. For example, between 1783 and 1785, John was a US envoy to the French government, and Angelica became besties with Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson (she kinda bullied him but besties nonetheless) and the Marquis de Lafayette. Also, Jefferson’s daughter attended the same school as Angelica’s daughter, and I think that’s cool. 

In 1785, she made a visit to New York, but again, left before Hamilton could make whoopee with her. She also went to Washington’s inauguration in 1789, but I don’t know if that was the same or a different trip.

She moved to London after that and became friends with the fucking royal family, specifically the Prince of Wales. Also, Church was elected to serve on the British Parliament in 1790, but this isn’t about him. 

She was reunited with her family in New York in 1797 and that was cool. The US wasn’t able to pay Church back for his efforts during the war which is homophobic so they gave him 100,000 acres of land in Western NY (Genesee and Allegany counties) in order to retain their status as allies. They laid out a town with designs reminiscent of Paris, and their son Philip named it after Angelica. The layout is still the same which is really cool!

FINE I’LL TALK ABOUT HER AND HAMILTON.

So Angelica was very close with her brother-in-law Bitchbaby Ham a ton. She told Betsey she loved Hamilton “very much, and if you were as generous as the old Romans, you would lend him to me for a little while.”

“I am sensible how much trouble I give you, but you will have the goodness to excuse it, when you know that it proceeded from a persuasion that I was asking from one who promised me his love and attention if I returned to America.” -Angelica to Hamilton, February 19, 1796

Did they have an affair? Was Hamilton the little slutty man that Angelica makes him out to be in the first quote?

No. *roll credits*

Okay, I’m gonna say this once and never again (jk I probably will), but the idea that they had an affair is bullshit (in my opinion, this is all my opinion, my educated opinion, but my opinion nonetheless). There is like. more proof that they didn’t have an affair than that they did. 

The biggest “evidence” there is for the relationship is the flirtatious comments they made in their letters to one another. I think there’s two reasonable explanations to this than just assuming they were fucking or in love: they were joking, or they were just being affectionate. Angelica refers to Hamilton as “brother” in literally every letter we have from her to him, and the two of them, along with Angelica’s sister and Hamilton’s wife, Betsey, had extremely affectionate relationships. The affection in the second quote is a great example of how they all talked to each other. 

Now for the actual flirtatious comments, you can tell they are joking. Like in all the examples, they have a lighthearted, joking tone, that doesn’t really come across as actual flirting. 

Okay, but let’s say you’re insistent that they were actually flirting. It still doesn’t make sense. Angelica loved her husband (she had to to stay with that fuckhead for that long), and Hamilton was working constantly to balance his job, his family, and the other affair SLFHSKJFH Additionally, they were apart for a large part of their lives, and honestly, I don’t think there would have been any kind of opportunity for romantic feelings to grow between them. 

Also, I’m just going to say it, most of the people who argue for this (historians mostly) are homophobic and misogynistic. First of all, if you assume that a man and a woman are automatically romantically or sexually involved because they have an affectionate relationship and make flirtatious jokes, it gives thinking that women are inherently unable to form platonic relationships with men. Especially if you think that same sex friends can make flirtatious jokes and not be in a romantic/sexual relationship, but it’s impossible for opposite sex friendships (that’s also pretty homophobic).

But most of the homophobia comes from the people who will die on the hill that Angelica and Hamilton had a romantic and/or sexual relationship, but refuse to accept the idea that Hamilton and Laurens had feelings for each other. Their letters displayed legitimate jealousy and anger over each others’ marriages, which doesn’t exist with Hamilton and Angelica. Their letters lack the flirtatious humor, but contain legitimate evidence of a romantic relationship. The logic that backs up Hamilton and Angelica’s “relationship” provides basically double the amount of evidence for Hamilton and Laurens’ relationship.

Anyway... she died on March 13, 1814.

Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton

Elizabeth Schuyler was born on August 9, 1757 in Albany. She was called Eliza or Betsey. Hamilton called her Eliza later in life, but before that he called her Betsey.

She stayed with her aunt in Morristown, New Jersey in 1780 where she met Alexander Hamilton, who was serving as Washington’s aide-de-camp at headquarters which had been set up there for the winter encampment. Their relationship grew quickly, even after he left a month after she arrived. They became officially engaged in early April with her father’s blessing. This was very important to General Schuyler, because his two other daughters had eloped and he was starting to get sad. 

They were married on December 14, 1780 at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany. The only person to attend the wedding on Hamilton’s side, James McHenry, a fellow aide-de-camp, wrote them a cute little poem that i don’t feel like looking for, but it definitely exists. 

They moved around a lot during the early part of their marriage, but settled in New York City in late 1783. They had an active social life, and became well known. Betsey was very important to Hamilton, helping him often with his work, but had the biggest impact on his domestic life. His traumatic past caused him to really not have much of a comfortable, safe space to come home to, and he often thought of a familial environment (ie Washington’s staff) almost like he was being coddled. Until he married her ofc. She helped him mature and move past, what I call, his “I hate Dad” phase. More on that later, but he had a major change in personality after she met him.

Then there was the uh... the affair. I’ll go into more detail about Maria Reynolds in Hamilton’s post, but I’ll talk a little about what we know of Betsey’s experience. She didn’t believe the rumors at first, until Hamilton owned up to it. It put a strain on the relationship for a little while, but they eventually reconciled. That’s all we know pretty much. 

Then he died. Whoops!

This is when Betsey turned on the girlboss and kicked absolute fucking ass. She became a co-founder of the Society for the relief of poor widows with small children. She became the co-founder of the Orphan Asylum Society, of which she was appointed second directress, then first directress in 1821 and served for 27 years until she left New York in 1848.

She was required to pay substantial debts after Hamilton’s death, and sold her 35 acre estate in upper Manhattan, and was later able to buy it back because executors decided she couldn’t be publicly dispossessed. She sold it again and moved into a townhouse owned by her son, the Hamilton-Holly House. She lived there for 9 years with her kids. She left for Washington DC in 1848 where she lived until 1854 with her daughter.

She, along with her children, remained dedicated to preserving Hamilton’s legacy. She re-organized all of his letters, papers, and writing with John, C. Hamilton, and ensured his biography was published. She also helped Dolly Madison raise money for the Washington Monument. 

She died in Washington DC on November 9, 1854. She was buried by her husband and son in Trinity Church. 

[yr-obedt-cicero]

This is my first time making an ask, like, ever, so apologies if this seems long winded. Okay, this is bloody insane to me and I sadly can’t find much on it, but I’ll make this brief (apologies for bothering you!):

So, there was an African-American (specifically ‘mulatto’, according to record) free man born sometime in 1773 in New York, and he later went on to become an activist for the end of slavery and civil rights as a whole. He spent his entire life making newspapers advocating for African-American rights and helped start (and join, of course) anti-slavery organizations. Pretty cool, right? You’re probably wondering what his name was on records.

His name was William Hamilton. Remember when I said that he was mulatto? Well, his mother was a free black woman, and it’s alleged that Alexander Hamilton (yes, THAT Alexander Hamilton) was the father. However, it hasn’t been confirmed, as little to no paternity tests have been conducted. According to Wikipedia sources (reliable, I know /s), even Ron Chernow said that it’s murky whether A. Hamilton was truly the father or if it was just a coincidence.

Pardon for the ramble, I just came upon this a couple moments ago while researching Hamilton’s relation to slavery out of curiosity and it… well, surprised me, ngl! Apologies if this has all already been debunked or something of the sort, I just wanted to pass this info along if you didn’t know/were interested. Perhaps you know something on this? Or if not, it could be something interesting to research!!

Again, apologies for the ramble, thank you for reading! :))

No, I had actually not heard of this until now, and it's definitely something I hope we can learn more about!

But unfortunately, as of right now; there is little evidence to support either claims. We know so little about this man, not even his birthday, or birthplace, or who even was his mother, that it makes it impossible to tell wether it's true or not. A DNA test would be a luxury considering how little is actually known of this man. So, without any real proof but claims; I sit on the fence for this one.

There is room to believe it's possible, especially since 1773 would have been when Hamilton had first landed himself in America and was quite an “active” young man at the time. Ex; his flirtatious friendship with Kitty Livingston (Catharine Livingston), whom was the daughter of William Livingston, governor of New Jersey. Hamilton had met and become well acquainted with the members of the Livingston family when he lived at Elizabethtown, New Jersey, soon after his arrival in this country. And Kitty was such a close friend of his, there are rumors they were “friends with benefits”. Though it's unlikely the two actually did anything until 1777, due to Livingston having been much older than AH at the time of his stay in Elizabethtown. Still, Hamilton is known for his lack of sexual restraint, and flirtatious character.

But at the same time, I remain doubtful. Hamilton, if following the common belief of his self proclaimed birthday, would have been sixteen at the time. That isn't to say he couldn't have possibly gotten a woman pregnant, but it's doubtful. Pregnant teenagers were not a light case in the 18th century, and surely Hamilton would know the severity of his actions had he recklessly slept with a woman (to which I'm hoping was similar to him in age). As women who had children before marriage were seen as shameful, and usually shunned from society. And without a husband, they would probably struggle to survive, and in many cases the child and/or mother would die. Part of me doubts Hamilton knew of this outcome and still decided to sleep with a woman. Especially if this woman was his young age.

But also, rumoring of celebrities (celebrities of their time at least) having illegitimate children was a very common claim. Many pulled this claim for many reasons, but one being; slander. As having illegitimate children was shameful and meant you usually went sleeping around with others. But I doubt this is the case, so the next option is hoping the supposed partner will lend over some cash to help support the child. It is possible, that this rumor came about due to the similar last names and was intended to pull AH down a few pegs by accusing him of sleeping with a lady. Which isn't horribly unlikely due to Hamilton's known rivals in the political world at the time. But also because of his infamous affair with Maria Reynolds, the rumor wouldn't have been taken with too much of a grain of salt due to his bad reputation. Or the mother could have started such hoping Hamilton would offer out some cash in pity, or to keep her quiet.

But all are hypothetical points that don't have much ground to them aside from “Well what if?”. But at the same time, with the little information we have, all we truly have are what if's. I'm just providing hypothetical options based on the time period. But overall in the end, we may never truly know, but we certainly can't right now due to the amount of knowledge we have currently.

[americangirlstar]

American Girl Best Friend Doll Inspo Boards - 2/?

Caroline’s Cousin, Lydia Livingston (1812)

Full Name: Lydia Catharine Livingston (middle name as a reference to Kitty Knight)

Short Summary: Cousin of Caroline Abbott. Originally a British citizen of Canada, during the war of 1812 her family fled to New York and moved onto a farm. 

Reasons for Choice as a Best Friend: Story Reasons: Lydia is the girl with which Caroline spends the most time in her mainline books, and her struggling to fit into a new country after fleeing her original one would make for a good story. Marketing Reasons: While Caroline had a few farm accessories, Lydia would have more of them and thus be distinct again. As well as this, she is more ladylike than Caroline and thus can have the fancier dresses and items. 

Story Idea: Sometime inbetween A Surprise for Caroline and Caroline Takes a Chance, Lydia and her family begin life on their new American farm, while Lydia tries to find her own identity at the same time. 

Meet Outfit: Her dress from Caroline’s Secret Message; floral-patterned green and with lace collar and sleeves and black shoes. Her hair is pinned up into a low bun with blue flower clips. 

Collection: Mostly farm inspired, including farm animals like Garnet the calf, buckets and tools, and cooking sets and utensils to make her own bread. She also has her own sewing kit, and a collection of spinning tops. Her clothes will include her farm dress from Changes for Caroline, and her holiday dress from A Surprise for Caroline. 

Doll: Josefina Mold, Light-to-Medium Skin, Feathered Brows, Aquamarine Eyes. She has thick, curly, light brown hair with a reddish tint, that when let down reaches her mid-back and parts to the left. 

Special thanks to @lesbianleaclark for her help!

[usnatarchives]

My Shot - performed at the White House (3/14/16) here, image from musical here, gif here. 

HAMILTON IN OUR RECORDS: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?  Song 3:  My Shot

ICYMI: Song 1, Alexander Hamilton; Song 2: Aaron Burr, Sir

Today’s post, by Miriam Kleiman from the Public Affairs office, is the third in a series using records (largely from the National Archives Founders Online) to explore Hamilton’s life and legacy, song by song. 

Song 3 - My Shot   This catchy song is a far-less-than-humble brag, an early rendition of The World’s Greatest. Hamilton repeats that he’s “young, scrappy, and hungry” and shouts “to the rooftops” his dreams for himself and the country. For emphasis, he raps his “I am not throwin' away my shot" mantra 10 times, and mentions the word “shot” 41 times! Instead of the obvious death/bullet/gun motif, this post uses a more upbeat basketball one:

HAMILTON SHOOTS: Predicts there will be a conflict, and he’ll be part of it. Lyrics: Hamilton’s songs including numerous references to the coming Revolution. In Song 1 he promises: “There’s a million things I haven’t done, but just you wait.” In My Shot he’s more specific: “So there will be a revolution in this century/Enter me!” He’ll go the distance, promising: “I will lay down my life if it sets us free.” Letters:  Hamilton wrote of achieving greatness even as a kid, writing in 1769 that he’s “plannin’ for the future” and is willing to risk his life to “exalt my station” to something higher than a clerk. While he may be accused of trying to “Build Castles in the Air,” he wants a chance to prove himself, and closes hoping: “I wish there was a War.” 

HAMILTON SHOOTS:  Climbs the political and social ladder. Lyrics: “Eventually, you'll see my ascendancy.” Letters: Hamilton networks, BIG TIME. He writes to super statesman John Jay, then-member of the 2nd Continental Congress (11/26/1775), with alarm about the “ungoverned spirit in the people of New England.” He warns Jay this is “a matter of consequence and deserves serious attention,” and urges him to “use your influence in Congress to procure a remedy for the evil...”  And he flatters Jay: “In such tempestuous times, it requires the greatest skill in the political pilots to keep men steady and within proper bounds…” Jay appreciates such outreach and becomes an advocate and ally.     

HAMILTON SHOOTS: Aspires to greatness. Lyrics:  “Give me a position, show me where the ammunition is.” He’s confident that he will leave his mark on history: “Don't be shocked when your history book mentions me.” Letters:  Journals of Congress track his meteoric rise from a volunteer in the Continental Army to Captain of the NY Provincial Artillery (2/23/1776). One year later, he gets his big break when he’s promoted to Aide-De-Camp to General Washington (3/1/1777). 

Just one week into his new job, Hamilton is responding to high-level officials on Washington’s behalf, without checking. He writes to a Brigadier General (letter of 3/10/1777) that Washington is sick, but there’s no need to await an answer “especially as I conceive the only answer he would give, may be given by myself.”

HAMILTON SHOOTS: flirts with politically-connected young women. Lyrics: He promises: “you'll see my ascendancy.” Letters: Buoyed by his new position with General Washington, Hamilton flirts with Catharine Livingston, an old friend who just happens to be the daughter of William Livingston, Revolutionary War governor of NJ. This letter (4/11/1777) shows great advancement over his 1771 love/hate poem. He praises Catharine’s “relish for politics” but suggests that for “variety and amusement” they should “sometimes make excursions in the flowery walks, and roseate bowers of Cupid.” He brags: “I am renowned for gallantry, and shall always be able to entertain you…” A few weeks later he writes: “ALL FOR LOVE is my motto.”    

Was he genuinely interested? Or was this another effort to reach Jay, who was married to Catherine’s sister? SPOILER ALERT!  Hamilton later cements his social position when he weds Eliza Schuyler, another well-connected daughter of a Revolutionary War leader.

STAY TUNED for Song 4, The Story of Tonight, to learn:

If the tomcat (Hamilton) can get married, is there hope for his friends?

Is there any question that Burr is “the worst”?

Do records verify Burr’s alleged affair?

More online:

Historians on Hamilton: How a Blockbuster Musical is Restaging America’s Past, with remarks by Archivist David S. Ferriero.

Papers of Alexander Hamilton, Founders Online.

Papers of Aaron Burr, Founders Online.

Archives Displays Hamilton’s Documents in Exhibit Incorporating Musical’s Lyrics, National Archives News.

Conversation with Chernow, Kail, and Miranda, 2016 Records of Achievement event.

[an-american-experiment]

Ha! Two weeks later, in the living room stressin’ my father’s stone-faced while you’re asking for his blessin’. I’m dying inside, as you wine and dine and I’m tryin’ not to cry, ‘cause there’s nothing that your mind can’t do. My father makes his way across the room to you. I panic for a second, thinking ‘we’re through.’ Two weeks later, stressin’ blessin’. Ooohh Ooohh Ooohh But then he shakes your and and says, ‘be true.’ And you turn back to me, smiling, and I’m helpless! Ooohh Helpless! Look into your eyes, and the sky’s the limit I’m helpless!! Helpless! Hoo! Down for the count, and I’m downin’ in ‘em I’m helpless! That boy is mine. That boy is mine!

Lin-Manuel Miranda

By no later than February of 1780, Eliza and her friend Catharine received a note from Hamilton saying, “Col Hamiltons compliments to Miss Livingston and Miss Schuyler. He is sorry to inform them that his zeal for their service make him forget that he is so bad a Charioteer as hardly to dare to trust himself with so precious a charge; though if he were only to consult his own wishes like Phaeton he would assemble the chariot of the sun, if he were sure of experiencing the same fate. Col Tilghman offers himself a volunteer. Col Hamilton is unwilling to lose the pleasure of the party; but one or the other will have the honor to attend the ladies” (From Alexander Hamilton to Catharine Livingston and Elizabeth Schuyler, [January–February 1780]).

At this point they were not engaged, but were presumably courting. The engagement probably took place in early March as Hamilton signs his letter from 17 March 1780 with, “I have spun out this letter much longer than I intended. It is now half an hour past our time of meeting. I must bid you adieu. Adieu my charmer; take care of your self and love your Hamilton as well as he does you. God bless you. AH” (From Alexander Hamilton to Elizabeth Schuyler, [17 March 1780]) which would be very familiar were they not engaged already.

By the start of April they were most certainly engaged as Hamilton and Philip Schuyler exchange a letter discussing the upcoming nuptials (To Alexander Hamilton from Philip Schuyler, 8 April 1780). Catherine Schuyler (Eliza’s mother) also exchanged letters with Hamilton about the wedding (From Alexander Hamilton to Catherine Schuyler, [14 April 1780]).

Sources: the following sources were used - the collected letters/writings of Alexander Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton the Revolution, Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton, The Intimate Life of Alexander Hamilton by Allan McLane Hamilton, Hamilton by Richard Syllia, and Charles Cerami’s book called Young Patriots. Eliza Hamilton, The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar J. Mazzeo was also used for information specifically about Eliza.

Follow us at @an-american-experiment where we are historically analyzing the lyrics of Hamilton with a new post every day!

[letsmerameramoeru]

ウィルバー・ジョン・カー

ウィルバー・ジョン・カーは、アメリカ合衆国の外交官、政治家。国務省でおよそ45年間を過ごし、「外務の父」として貢献した。

生涯

1870年10月31日、カーはオハイオ州ヒルズボロにおいて、エドワード・リヴィングストン・カー (Edward Livingston Carr、1944-1918) とキャサリン・A・フェンダー (Catharine A. Fender, 1851-1929) の息子として誕生した。カーは1892年に事務官として国務省に入省した。カーは1902年に領事局長、1907年に事務官長となり、1909年から1924年まで領事監督官を務めた。

カーは厳格な業務運営と効率的な行政管理を信奉し、自身の領事業務について「可能な限り完璧に近づける」ことを誇���とした。カーは国務省が持つあらゆる長所を拡大させ、専門性を高める努力を行った。カーは1906年の領事再編法を��決させるために奔走し、またロジャーズ法の草案作成を支援した。

カーは1924年7月1日から1937年7月28日まで国務次官補を務めた。カーは外務職員人事委員会の委員長、および国務省主計官としての任務も担当した。またカーは、分離されていた外交業務と領事業務を統合し、単一の外務業務部門として管理することを任された。

1937年9月16日、カーは在チェコスロバキアアメリカ合衆国特命全権公使に就任し、プラハに赴任した。カーはナチス・ドイツがプラハを占領する1939年3月15日まで公使職を務めた。その後カーは3月21日にプラハの合衆国公使館を閉鎖し、4月6日にプラハを引き上げた。カーは間もなく国務省を引退し、ドイツで余生を過ごした。

ウィルウェイ｜ウィルウェイ｜ウィルウェイ｜ウィルウェイ｜ウィルウェイ｜ウィルウェイ

[aswithasunbeam]

Hey! I love your fics soo(get it Soo) much! Could you please make a fluffy A Winter's Ball/a night in Morristown Hamliza fic?I'd really appreciate it.

Ha! I love that! And I’d love to do more fluffy Morristown stories!! They’re one of my favorite things to write! I actually wrote a really long piece set in Morristown over on my AO3 account, which you might not have seen as I haven’t cross-posted here on tumblr. It’s called “A Winter’s Romance” and the overall vib is pretty fluffy, though there is some angst thrown in for good measure :)

Here’s a link and an except from the first chapter, if you’re interested!

[Read on AO3]

February 1780

“Is this your shirt?” Tilghman asked, digging through a pile of clothes that had yet to be laundered. His jacket had been discarded, his breeches were half undone and the shirt he had on had been untucked. All in all, he looked like a disheveled mess, which was unfortunate, as the dancing assembly was to start in less than an hour’s time.

Hamilton looked over at the bright white linen in Tilghman’s hands and shook his head. Not only was the shirt too large for him, but his clothes had all been mended and washed too many times to look that white. “Must be Mac’s,” he suggested as he yanked fresh breeches over his hips.

Tilghman frowned, looking around the room with an intensely puzzled expression. “What’s happened to all my shirts?”

Hamilton tried to stifle a laugh. “Would you like to borrow one of mine?”

“Yours would make me look like a chubby giant,” Tilghman refused.

Hamilton did laugh this time. “Just wear the one you have on, then.”

“This one smells.”

“Well, I don’t know how to help you,” Hamilton said with amusement as he pulled on his uniform jacket. He ran his hand over his chin and considered shaving again.

“I want to look my best. Do you know who just arrived in town today?” Tilghman’s eyes lit up with excitement. Hamilton shook his head, and his friend continued, “General Schuyler’s daughter, Elizabeth. We met some time ago when I was negotiating with the Six Nations. She’s twenty-two, now, and still unattached. She’s supposedly visiting her aunt, Doctor Cochran’s wife, but it’s obvious she’s on the hunt for a husband.”

Elizabeth Schuyler. The name conjured the image of striking black eyes and a warm smile. He’d met the young lady some time ago when he was in Albany trying to pry troops loose from the greedy hands of General Gates. General Schuyler had invited him to dine, although most of his family was away. Elizabeth had been at home, however, and she had more than upheld the Schuyler reputation for hospitality. He didn’t remember the conversation exactly, but he remembered laughing a great deal.

“And you’re hoping to oblige her in her quest?” Hamilton asked. Tilghman had just turned thirty-five that Christmas, so there was something of an age difference, but he doubted it would prove much of an obstacle if the girl was willing.

“She’s a lovely young woman,” Tilghman replied diplomatically. Hamilton took that to be a firm yes. “She’s traveling with Catharine Livingston. Aren’t you acquainted with her family?”  

Kitty Livingston’s name hit him like a swift kick to the abdomen. He’d been utterly infatuated with the beautiful heiress when he’d boarded with her family before he’d started at King’s. He’d gone so far as to write her a love letter. She’d rejected him in no uncertain terms. He was still trying to disentangle himself from Cornelia Lott after his disastrous meeting with her father. The prospect of a night with both Cornelia and Kitty made him feel vaguely ill.

“Ham?” Tilghman prompted.

“Hm?” He hummed, pulled from his thoughts. “Oh, yes. I’m very well acquainted with the Livingstons.”

“You wouldn’t mind entertaining Miss Livingston a bit, would you? Just so I might have the chance to speak with Miss Schuyler alone?”

Hamilton met his friend’s hopeful eyes and found himself nodding. What was a bit more humiliation and misery, after all, if it might bring his friend happiness?

~*~

Lively music and a roaring fire greeted Hamilton and Tilghman as they entered the hall where the dancing assembly was held. A table was set up in the corner with what passed for a feast in these conditions: two pots of stew, assorted root vegetables, and a very meager chicken that had already been almost entirely consumed.

“Colonel Hamilton,” Cornelia’s high voice came from just behind him.

He turned and saw that she had been waiting by the door. “Miss Lott,” he replied, bending low and pressing a kiss to her outstretched hand. “You’re looking well.”

“Oh, I’m very well, Colonel.” She gave him a tiny, hopeful smile. “I hope you are, also. I’ve missed seeing you the past few weeks.”

“I’ve been…very busy,” he said vaguely.

She nodded rapidly, clinging on to the excuse like a lifeline. “I thought you must be.”

An awkward pause followed as he searched for something to say. He didn’t want to raise her hopes, and he was still too embarrassed and stung to tell her about his humiliating meeting with her father. And what good would telling her do anyway, he thought; knowing would only cause a rift between her and her father. As he was standing there staring at her, the band struck up a new song.

“Would you like to dance, Colonel?”

“I…” He hesitated. If he danced with her, she’d think there was still hope for them. The only way forward he could see was to break her heart. Being cruel now would be kinder in the end, he told himself. “No, Miss Lott.”

Her whole face fell. She blinked at him, as if waiting for him to take it back, or to explain.

“I’m sorry,” he told her. Then he turned away.

He felt like a monster.

He spotted Tilghman, McHenry, Webb, and Richard Meade standing in a group near the food and he made his way towards them. Mac slapped him on the back companionably when he stopped beside him. Tilghman shook his head. “Poor Polly. Looks as though you’ve just torn her heart out.”

He refused to look back. Plastering the same fake smile he’d been wearing more and more of late, he said, “You know how it goes.”

“Onwards to the next conquest,” Webb laughed.

“That chicken didn’t make for much of a feast,” Hamilton commented, desperate to change to subject. The conversation mercifully turned to dreams of feasts after the war.

Tilghman tugged at his sleeve a few minutes later.

“Mrs. Washington is done speaking with Miss Schuyler and Miss Livingston,” Tilghman whispered, his eyes focused somewhere to the left. Hamilton followed his gaze and saw the two young ladies were standing by the fireplace, speaking quietly to each other.

Hamilton nodded for his friend to go first, and followed a pace behind as they made their way to the girls.

“Miss Schuyler, how wonderful to see you again,” Tilghman proclaimed as they approached.

“Colonel Tilghman,” Miss Schuyler greeted him warmly. “I did not know I’d be graced with your company tonight.”

Tilghman bent low to kiss her hand.

“Might I present Colonel Hamilton? He’s a dear friend of mine,” Tilghman added, gesturing back to him without turning around.

“I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Schuyler when I dined with her family in Albany,” he stated, bowing and kissing her hand as well. When he stood, he found her dark eyes scrutinizing his face. He smiled tightly at her, sure she didn’t remember the meeting. She must have dined with the whole Continental Army by this point, with Philip Schuyler for a father.

He turned his attention to Kitty. “Miss Livingston,” he greeted, bowing to her this time. He then introduced Tilghman, who repeated the ritual.  

“Did you have a pleasant journey?” Tilghman asked, his eyes glued to Miss Schuyler.

Hamilton turned his attention to Kitty. “It’s been quite a while since we’ve last spoken.”

Kitty nodded, her eyes tracking over his uniform and lingering on his rank insignia. “You’ve done well for yourself since then, Hammy,” she noted, smiling warmly at him. “I’m very glad to see it.”

He thanked her softly. Glancing to the side, he saw Tilghman had fully engaged with Miss Schuyler in conversation about her travels from Albany. He smiled and held out a hand to Kitty. “Would you care to dance, Miss Livingston?”

“It would be my pleasure, Colonel,” she agreed. As he lead her towards the dance floor, she leaned in to him and added, “I see Colonel Tilghman has wasted no time in staking a claim for my dear Betsey.”  

They shared a smile as they positioned themselves to join the dance.

~*~

His breath created a great puff of white smoke in the frigid air as he leaned against the porch rail. The music from inside was still audible, but dulled by the closed front door. There were torches glowing along the walkway that provided fairly good light, but hardly any warmth. Still, a moment of solitude was well worth braving the bitter cold.

Miss Livingston had quickly found dancing partners, lovely and eligible as she was. Cornelia seemed to have departed the party shortly after their talk. Tilghman was happily monopolizing Miss Schuyler. Everyone inside seemed paired off and content, leaving him free to slip outside.

He missed John. He missed having a dear, loyal companion, someone with whom he could talk and laugh. Someone to drive away his darkest thoughts on these cold, lonely nights.

He may as well get used to being alone, he thought harshly. No man was ever going to consent to having him for a son-in-law. Cornelia’s broken heart would be a warning to him to never attempt to love again.

The music swelled suddenly, then dulled again with the sound of the front door closing. He turned to see Elizabeth Schuyler stepping out onto the front porch. She smiled at him.

“Are you well, Colonel? I saw you stepping outside, and I was concerned.”

He forced another smile. “Quite well, thank you. I was just a bit warm from dancing.”

She nodded, then stepped closer to him, leaning against the rail as well.

“It’s a beautiful night,” she commented mildly, her face turned up towards the sky.

He followed her gaze, looking up at the nearly full moon and the bright stars dotting the dark winter sky. “Yes, it is,” he agreed. “Though it is terribly cold.”

She laughed. “I’m from Albany. I’m quite used to the cold.”

“I wish I were,” he replied.

“I suppose you never had to deal with these kinds of conditions in the Caribbean.”

He nodded, then his brow furrowed. “Did you recognize my accent?”

“No,” she said simply. She glanced over at him and smiled again. The expression made her eyes sparkle, he noticed. “You mentioned you were from Saint Croix when you dined with my family in Albany.”

He cocked his head to the side, surprised. “I didn’t think you remembered.”

“Of course I do.”

“It’s just, I know you must have dinner with officers all the time,” he tried to explain, hoping she didn’t think he accusing her of being rude or ill-mannered.

“That is true,” she laughed. “But you made an impression.”

He laughed as well. “Is that a compliment or an insult?”

She gave him a considering look. “I suppose we’ll find out,” she said coyly.

He grinned and nodded.

A companionable silence followed, their attention turning back to the still winter night.

“Did you really come out here because you were warm from dancing?” she asked suddenly.

He looked back at her, and found he wanted to answer honestly. “No. I’ve been feeling a little low of late. And, due to some unfortunate circumstances, I had to hurt someone’s feelings tonight. I suppose I’m simply not in the merry-making spirit.”

Her expression was compassionate. She reached out a hand tentatively, laying it lightly on his upper arm. “I saw you standing out here from the window,” she told him. “You looked…lonely.”

“So you came to keep me company?” he asked.

She nodded as she removed her hand. “You can tell me if I’m intruding.”

He shook his head. “I’m enjoying your company,” he assured her.

She smiled again. A moment of silence followed, before she began to speak again, easily changing topics. “I was speaking to Mrs. Washington earlier. She was telling me about her work with the sick and wounded soldiers, and she promised to take me with her on one of her visits. I do hope I can make myself useful while I’m here.”

“I’m sure the men would appreciate your assistance,” he told her sincerely.

“Is there anything else I could do to help? Mrs. Washington told me you would know best what needed doing.”

He felt a flicker of pride at the compliment from the dear old lady. Considering a moment, he asked, “Can you knit? Sew?”

She nodded.

“We always need hats, mittens, scarfs and the like. And many of the men have clothes that need mending. That would certainly be a help.”

Her eyes dropped to his hands gripping at the railing. “Do you have any mittens, Colonel?”

He looked down at his chapped hands and shook his head. “I had a pair, but they wore out last winter. I haven’t had the chance to replace them.”

“I’ll knit you a pair first,” she said decisively. “From what I’ve heard, your pen is our country’s best hope of winning this war. Whatever would we do if you developed frost bite?”

“I’d be most obliged to you, Miss Schuyler.”

“Speaking of frost bite, I think perhaps we should go back inside,” she suggested. She chuckled as she looked at him. “Your nose has turned bright red with cold.”

He nodded. She turned and pulled open the front door, light and music pouring out. Looking back at him, she made a little motion with her head to urge him on. As he followed her inside, he felt a smile stretching his face again. A real smile.

Well, he thought, that was just…so inconvenient.

[fromconflicttocooperation]

Works Cited

Buonamano, Roberto. Rights and Subjectivity: A Pre-History of Human Rights. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008.

Eisler, Riane. The power of partnership: Seven relationships that will change your life. New World Library, 2003.

Goldberg, Steven. The inevitability of patriarchy. London: Temple Smith, 1977.

Livingstone, Frank B. "General, Applied and Theoretical: The Inevitability of Patriarchy. Steven Goldberg." American Anthropologist 76.2 (1974): 365-367.

MacKinnon, Catharine A. "Feminism, Marxism, method, and the state: An agenda for theory." Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 7.3 (1982): 515-544.

Nussbaum, Martha Craven. Sex and Social Justice. Oxford University Press, 1999.

Van den Berghe, Pierre L. “Dialectic and Functionalism: Toward a Theoretical Synthesis.” American Sociological Review, vol. 28, no. 5, 1963, pp. 695–705.

Wolf, Naomi. The beauty myth: How images of women are used against women. 1991. London: Vintage, 2015.

Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. 1792. London: Vintage, 2015.

[46ten]

Elizabeth Matilda Church Bunner (1783-1867)

Elizabeth was the second daughter of Angelica Schuyler Church and John Barker Church.  Angelica had teased her sister, Elizabeth, about the name, saying that she was going to name her second daughter Eliza after John Barker Church’s mother. 

She married Rudolph Bunner (1779-1837) and had at least three children, including Catherine Cruger Bunner, as though that’s not confusing since Elizabeth’s older sister was Catharine Church Cruger (1779-1839).* But before you assume that Elizabeth was naming her own daughter after her sister, Bunner was also a Cruger going back a couple generations on his mother’s side. If the name Cruger seems familiar, it’s because one of AH’s boss on St. Croix was Nicholas Cruger (1743-1800). Nicholas was Catharine Church Cruger’s father-in-law; in 1802 she married his son, Bertram Peter Cruger, born on St. Croix in 1772. Read all about the 18th century Cruger men.

But back to the Angelica-John Barker Church children. 

From the top, clockwise, the four paintings are Elizabeth Matilda Church (1783-1867), John Barker Church, Jr. (1781-1865), Catharine “Kitty” Church (1779-1839), and Philip Church (1778-1861) painted by John Trossarelli.

See this summary of the Church kids by Danielle Funiciello. Not painted are Richard Hamilton Church (1785-1786), Alexander Church (1792-1802), and Richard Stephen Church (1798-1889).

By the way, John Church Cruger (1807-1879), son of Catharine Church Cruger, eventually marries (1843!) Euphemia White Van Rensselaer, one of the daughters of Stephen Van Rensselaer III (whose first wife was Margarita/Peggy Schuyler) and his second wife. And they give their kids names like Catherine Church Cruger and Stephen Van Rensselaer Cruger.

Stephen Van Rensselaer IV (1789-1868), the only child of Peggy’s who survived into adulthood, married Harriet Elizabeth Bayard (1799-1875), William Bayard’s daughter. To confuse one further, they had children with names like Margaret Schuyler Van Rensselaer (1819-1897) and Catherine Van Rensselaer (1827-1909), in addition to the obvious Stephen Van Rensselaer (1824-1861).

*In one of his letters, AH mentions that he knew Catharine from the time Angelica was pregnant with her, which means AH had met Angelica by 1779 at least. I’ve always thought a good argument could be made that he may have first met several of the Philip and Catharine VR Schuyler kids in 1774, by the time of the wedding of John Jay and Sarah Livington, daughter of William Livingston whom AH may have stayed with during this period. Livingston was related to both Philip Schuyler and Catharine VR Schuyler.

[crsblogger]

References:

Andreeva, N. (2020). TV ratings climb as people Rediscover live Linear viewing amid corona-imposed stay at home. Deadline.

Brown, W. (2015). Examining four processes of audience involvement with media personae: Transportation, Parasocial interaction, identification, and worship. Communication theory, 25, 259-283.

Good, J. (2020). Audience Studies Lectures COMM 3P18, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON.

Kornfelda, R. & Tomab, C. (2020). When do online audiences amplify benefits of self-disclosure? The role of shared experience and anticipated interactivity. Journal of broadcasting & electronic media, 64(2), 277-297.

Livingstone, S (2010). Giving people a voice: On the critical role of the interview in the history of audience research. Communication, culture and critique, 3(4), 566-571

Sullivan, J (2020). Media Audiences: Effects, users, institutions and power (1st ed.) Sage Publications Inc., New York, NY.

[alexanderhamilton1778]

Oh dear Laurens, who is she not? Her beauty like Aphrodite, her wit as clever as Coeus, even Dionysus would envy her superior tastes... *sighs happily* Catharine Livingston. What a doll she is.

*runs toward him with a piece of paper* Alexander! Alexander, guess what?!

— J. Laurens

Jack! What is it?

[gracefarinacci]

Comm 3p18 Blog # 2

“The action of hearing: attention to what is spoken,” defined by The Oxford English Dictionary, is the definition of audience. There are two ways of audience experience. Temporal and Physical. “Temporal (paying attention to the same thing at the same time as others) and a physical one: you were sitting along with other strangers in a darkened theatre,” this quote comes from the book Media Audiences Effects, Users, Institutions, and Power written by John L. Sullivan. He explains a situation where if were watching a movie in a theatre, you would be having a temporal and physical experience. If you were watching a premiere of a television show at home, that would be temporal. I wanted to blog about how this week I bought tickets for the Cicada Festival. This will be a temporal and physical audience experience like Sullivan mentioned. Cicada festival is an arts and music festival that takes place at The Henley Island in St. Catharine's. After hearing about this in seminar, I realized that it relates to that experience I will have next month.  

https://www.cicadafestival.ca/site/home

When talking about audiences, there are three models. They are, audiences-as-outcome, audiences-as-mass, and audience-as-agent. Audience-as-outcome is what happens when media has effects on people. An example of this would be the effects on children from watching or playing violent videos. The second one is audience-as-agent. This means people can choose how they want to interpret media, how the consume it, and are only using media for their personal interest. The last one is audience-as-mass which is “people scattered across time and space who act autonomously and have little or no immediate knowledge of one another” (Sullivan 2013). This made me think about the App TikTok. There are millions of users on TikTok who post content on their daily but have no knowledge of who is seeing it on the “For You” page (feed). Anyone who post and hashtags “For you”, will have their video posted on there for anyone to see who clicks that tab. I scroll TikTok and think to myself these people are complete strangers, but we all coexist on this app and view their content.

This relates to the history of “Sender and receiver” which is an “information-based notion of media” (Sullivan 2013). What that is means, “communication requires two parties: a message sender (or creator) and a receiver” (Sullivan 2013). In media today on platforms such as TikTok, we see this type of interaction. It is important that the sender sends a clear message to the receiver in order for their message to be received in the intended way. On TikTok, most of the videos are meant to be humorous. There are some that are sad, influential, and informative. It is important that these creators make sure they are getting their message across without psychological noise. As quotes by Sullivan, “psychological noise such as competing thoughts or feelings that may interrupt or otherwise distort the original intent of the message” (Sullivan 2013). Learning this made me think about when I am on TikTok and see a lot of videos that came off the wrong way due to that lack of face-to-face communication or lack of details to the receiver. In media today it is very important to make sure that you get your message distorted as it can be easily shared (spreadable media).  

As mentioned in seminar and the book, there is another method that is used for communication. It is a process called meaning-based view. It means that between the receiver and the sender, their communication might go on, but it may or may not have been intended to. For example, when I was hired for a job later after working there a conversation about my interview was brought up. She mentioned how in the interview I was quiet, nervous, and did not answer the questions perfectly; but she noticed that my body language was confident, and my actions made her have a good feeling about hiring me. This made me realize that body language and other attributes are an important way of communicating as well.

On the topic of interviews, in this week's reading it discusses the change in interviews from the interviewer and the interviewee. “The critical alternative, then, enables interviewees to negotiate the terms of the interview and express themselves freely, including scope for them to question, surprise, or challenge the interviewer” (Livingstone, 2010). I thought this was interesting if you relate it to a modern-day job interview. Before, the article argues that there was no power for the interviewee. Today, when you think about job interviews it is encouraged of the interviewee to ask the hiring manager questions, present themselves to them, and have a high level of power and confidence that makes the hiring manager want to hire them. This is an example of the interview and interviewee situation changing the roles of power through modernization.  

Overall, “the audience is a theoretical abstraction, meaning that its nature and character are defined by the social, cultural, and political environment” (Sullivan 2013). In addition to this main point provided by Sullivan, audience is a variable and it is constantly changing over time and in different ways. We see this is many situations for the Temporal and physical experiences, the model of communication, and with sender-receiver, interviewer/interviewee interactions in today's media and society.  

[middlerice79-blog]

From Sweat Shop to Sumptuous Living - 44 Lispenard Street

Not long after New York's labor force returned from fighting in the South a building boom engulfed the Tribeca area as vintage homes and shops were replaced by tall loft buildings.  Among the most prolific of the architects working in the area was Isaac F. Duckworth, who routinely made use of the increasingly popular cast iron facades.   In 1866 he was hired by Emanuel Ehlfelder to design a five story structure on the site of a one-story brick building at No. 44 Lispenard Street.

Ehlfelder had made his fortune as a merchant of "fancy goods and trimmings."  He intended to continue his business at his Broadway address, erecting the Lispenard loft as an investment.   Completed in 1867, Duckworth had turned to the relatively new French Second Empire style.  Flat Corinthian pilasters separated the openings of the storefront, while the identical upper floors--each defined by prominent cornices--featured flat-arched openings with curved corners and paneled piers.  The upmost, or terminal, cornice incorporated an arched pediment which announced "ERECTED 1866."

(Interestingly, Duckworth would recycle the foundry molds, creating identical structures at No. 315-317 Church Street, No. 54 Lispenard Street, and No. 38 Lispenard Street.)

Ehlfelder's new building filled with a variety of tenants.  Among the first was M. Bleha, listed as "manufacturer and importer of artificial flowers, ostrich and fancy feathers."   His listing in The Merchants' Directory in 1867 promised "Feathers cleaned and repaired equal to new."

Other initial tenants were dry goods dealer Emanuel Buchstein, silk merchants Despres, Hartley & Co., and cloak manufacturer S. Heineman & Co.  Like some other businessmen in the area, all three would have problems with burglars and thieves

The first to be burglarized was Buchstein.  Soon after he moved his operation into the building, on the night of July 8, 1867, thieves broke into his space making off with four pieces of cloth valued at $300--more than $5,000 today.  Detectives quickly nabbed Charles Mayflower and Henry Schleabach who were found guilty and sentenced to four years and six month in the State Prison exactly one month later.

At the time of the crime construction was nearing completion on No. 42 Lispenard, next door.  Five months later, at around midnight on December 11, Police Office Kerns noticed a "suspicious individual" within the construction site.  When Kerns moved in to investigate, he became the target of loose bricks.  Officer McInerny, responding to Kerns's whistle, fired two shots at the trespasser, who jumped down 17 feet and tried to escape, but was immediately captured.

Inside the uncompleted building the officers found bundles of silk and other goods from Despres, Hartley & Co., later valued at more than $25,500 in today's dollars.  Inside No. 44 other goods had been packed up, ready for removal.  The New York Herald identified the burglar as "a young Frenchman named Alphonse Deplechon and reported "It is supposed that Deplechon had some confederates in the burglary, but they managed to make their escape."

In the meantime, S. Heineman & Co. seems to have been doing well.  On July 9, 1868 it advertised "Wanted--A few first class operators on W. & W. [sewing] machines, accustomed to work on cloaks."  And a year later it was again increasing its staff, promising "good pay and constant employment to competent hands."

S. Heineman & Co. was the victim of crime in the fall of 1870; not by burglary but a slick 15-year old and an irresponsible mailman.  Augustus Mockers offered to deliver some of letter carrier Thomas W. Parson's mail, including an envelope addressed to S. Heineman & Co.   Instead, he opened the letters and removed anything of value, including the $16 draft (about $300 today) made out to Heineman & Co.  The teen discovered that stealing from the mails was a bad idea when it was not S. Heineman & Co. who landed him in court, but Special Agent James W. Taylor of the Post-Office Department.

At the same time another tenant was having problems.  Wm. Maas & Co. dealt in novelties, and in the winter of 1870 had been "constantly missing small packages of goods" little by little for months.  Simultaneously, two other novelty dealers in the immediate neighborhood were experiencing identical losses.  Detective Field concocted a trap to discover the culprit.  In February 1871 he hid in the store and waited.   The New York Times reported that he "detected the charwoman, named Catharine Lehan, in the act of stealing a small quantity of cheap jewelry."  She was arrested and in her rooms on Watts Street the detective found "a large quantity of miscellaneous goods which had been stolen from the stores in which she had been employed."

By 1875 linen dealer and accessory maker Emil S. Levi was in the building.  That year he interviewed potential workers in his office for his social club.  An advertisement in The New York Herald on February 18 read "Wanted--A caterer (German) for a first class club, composed of over 230 members.  Applicants call on S. Levi, 44 Lispendard st."

Levi's business was doing well enough that he needed a manager the following year.  In June 1876 he was looking for "Forewoman on Ladies' Collars and Cuffs."  He shared the building at the time with Isidor Rosenthal, woolens dealer, and Isidor Bloom, maker of ladies underwear.

In 1878 Bloom's business failed and the courts named Joseph Biernoff its assignee.  Within months he had formed Biernoff & Livingston with Lewis M. Livingston, at the same address.  A want ad on August 8, 1879 suggests that they had turned the old firm around.  "Wanted--Experienced hands on all kinds of ladies' underwear; study work."

At the same time S. & G. Lorsch was in the building.  The firm manufactured children's dresses and infants' robes.

Dry goods and apparel firms would continue to call No. 44 home over the decades.  In the 1885 Bischoff & Rodats, "embroidery material," moved its offices and salesroom here.  Founded in 1835, its mills and factory were in Hamburg, Germany.  New York's Great Industries called the firm in 1885 "a house of standard and in fact world-wide reputation."

As the 1890's neared, S. & M. Stern, cloak and jersey maker, was here, as were woolens dealer M. McCrossan and Berg Brothers Co., "fancy goods wholesalers."  (An overheated register caused a scare for M. McCrossan on February 2, 1889, when it sparked a small fire.)

Leo Moses had been a traveling salesman for S. & M. Stern for two years at the time.  His territory engulfed parts of New England and Canada.  On October 21, 1889 he boarded the steamer Cumberland headed, according to Fur Trade Review, to Eastport, Maine.  He never made it there.  When the vessel arrived at St. John, New Brunswick the following day the 55-year old was found dead in his stateroom.

Neither foul play nor suicide was suspected.  Before boarding the Cumberland Moses had sent a letter to the office with orders and confirming he had received his pay in the mail.  The esteem in which he was held by the firm was evidenced when Solomon Stern, senior partner, accompanied Moses's nephew to St. John's to recover the body.

Berg Brothers Co. hired 14-year old Joseph Silver as an errand boy in 1890.  His short-lived employment ended when he was fired in June that same year.  It was not the last the firm would hear of the enterprising lad, however.  As The New York Times worded it, "he had learned more than how to run errands."

Within a week or two Berg Brothers Co. began receiving invoices from the Clark Spool Thread Company.  On July 20 The Times reported "A watch was set and Silver came to grief when he presented an order apparently signed by Berg Brothers calling for $38 worth of goods.  It is thought that he obtained fully $400 worth of goods before his scheme was discovered."

Berg Brothers Co. and S. & M. Stern were joined in 1891 by Jacob Seligman, shirts, and I. Goodman, makers of "wrappers and tea gowns."  The latter's operation was substantial, employing 52 workers, only five of which were men.  Included in the work staff were 20 females under 21, two under 16, and one "child who cannot read or write English."  They worked 10 hours per day, according to the State Factory inspector that year.  Jacob Seligman's factory would remain in the building for more than a decade.

Another clothing firm here at the turn of the century was Levin & Zutalove, run by Meyer Levin, Jefferson M. Levy and Bernard Zatulove.  The trio provided what was apparently a most unpleasant working environment.  In 1902 all three were individually cited for "failure to clean, disinfect and ventilate water closets."

Surprisingly, Levy was a well-respected politician and former Congressman.  He soon left Levin & Zutalove and partnered with former Mayer Smith Ely to form the National Novelty Clothing Co.  The shirt-making firm also took space in No. 44 Lispenard.  A change of name did not improve Levy's practices, however.  In 1908 he was cited for "failure to provide water closet for female employees" and for "failure to ventilate and screen and keep in sanitary condition water closets at premises 44 Lispenard st."

Levy was persuaded to run for Congress again that year.  The disgusting facilities in his factory became an issue.  On August 9, 1908 The New York Times reported "In reference to the report that he had been arrested for violating the factory laws at 44 Lispenard Street, the headquarters of the National Novelty Clothing Company, ex-Congressman Jefferson M. Levy said yesterday that he was not the President of the company, but simply a part owner of the property."  He told reporters that "alterations requested by the factory inspectors were being carried out."

Presumably with improved restroom facilities, the National Novelty Clothing Co. was still in the building in 1910 when fire broke out on May 16.  Berg Brothers Co. suffered $15,000 in damages and National Novelty Clothing and Epstein & Brother lost a combined $10,000.  The total in damages would equal about about $665,000 today.

Berg Brothers would stay at No. 44 at least through 1914.  Following the fire it was joined by S. Hollander & Son, makers of children's wear and dealers in bridal accessories.

The Millinery Trade Review, July 1911 (copyright expired)

About the time that Berg Brothers left the building, a far different type tenant moved in.  Nicholas E. Marcoglou was a tobacco dealer and manufacture of Arabesca cigarettes.  His packaging drew the legal ire of Junius Parker, another manufacturer, in 1915.  Parker's letter to Marcoglou, dated September 1, complained in part of the "noticable, and, as we thought, unquestionable resemblance of these packages to our Pall Mall cigarettes."  Despite the conflict, which ended up in court, Marcoglou remained in business at No. 44 at least through 1921.

In 1920 two firms leased the building, the Efanef Fur Dyeing Co. and the Columbia Doll & Toy Co.  Only a few months later Columbia Doll & Toy Co. purchased the property.  The toy manufacturer leased space over the coming years to a mixed bag of tenants including the Signode System, Inc., which made strapping for textile bales and boxes; and the Grand Union Equipment Company, dealers in soft goods.

Like so many of its predecessors in the building, Grand Union Equipment Company was the victim of extensive theft beginning in 1930.  Over a period of years inventory mysteriously disappeared.  Then, in October 1934, the firm's president, Samuel Sackett, dropped into Frank J. Wolfram's engraving shop next door at No. 46.  He happened to notice towels bearing his label there.   He notified police who obtained a search warrant for Wolfram's furnished room at No. 135 East 104th Street.   Not only did they check Wolfram's, but all 95 of the rooms in that building.  After a five-hour search, they determined that "virtually all of the furnishings in the house" had been stolen from the Grand Union Equipment Company," according to The New York Times on October 30.  Wolfram had hired burglars to make off with an estimated $20,000 in goods over the years.  The value of the haul would equal about $366,000 today. Even as the garment district moved north of 34th Street there was at least one hanger-on on No. 44.  Lichiman & Son Mfg. Co., makers of children's wear, was here in the early 1940's.  When the building was sold to the newly-formed 44 Lispenard Street Corporation in October 1942, The New York Times reported that the building would "be altered by the buyers for their general merchandise business."

Throughout the decades of varying use, the cast iron facade remained essentially unaltered.  In the mid-1990's two art galleries--Thicket and Kurt Mundahl--moved in, signifying the arrival of the Tribeca rebirth.  A renovation completed in 2018 resulted in one loft residence on the second floor and a sprawling triplex above.  That 3,000 square foot residence was offered for sale in 2018 for $7.05 million. photographs by the author

Source: http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2018/12/from-sweat-shop-to-sumptuous-living-44.html