“In an era when people frequently exchanged hair as a keepsake, it's quite probable that Martha had given Eliza some of George's hair, which in turn was given to their son, James, who later distributed it, strand by strand, as a precious memento to close friends and family members,” said Susan Holloway Scott, an independent scholar and author of the recent historical novel “I Eliza Hamilton.” Alexander Hamilton served as a lieutenant colonel in the Revolutionary War under Washington and later joined his cabinet as the first secretary of the Treasury when Washington was elected the nation’s first president.Īccording to Ron Chernow’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Hamilton (which inspired the blockbuster musical), George and Martha Washington were close to the much younger Alexander and Eliza. ![]() 10, 1871.” The envelope contained several strands of gray or whitening hair, neatly tied together by a single thread.Īlso inside was an 1804 letter to the younger Schuyler.Ī grandson of General Schuyler, James Alexander Hamilton was the third son of Alexander and Eliza Schuyler Hamilton. It was inscribed: “Washington's hair, L.S.S. Philip Ten Eycke New York April 20, 1793.”įurther examination of the almanac by John Myers, catalogue and metadata librarian, uncovered a slender yellowed envelope tucked inside. The almanac contains a series of handwritten notes from Schuyler, including how to “preserve beef for summer’s use.” It is inscribed “Philip Schuyler’s a present from his friend Mr. The eldest Schuyler was also a close friend and supporter of Washington, served under him during the Revolutionary War, and later became a U.S. ![]() Philip Schuyler, one of the College’s founders. The popular almanac, which includes population estimates for the American colonies and comparisons of various coins and monies, is believed to have belonged to Philip J. While surveying some of the College’s oldest books and records, Daniel Michelson, a historical records project archivist, spotted on a shelf a compact, leather book, “Gaines Universal Register or American and British Kalendar for the year 1793.”
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