The Legacy and Influence of Alexander Hamilton In Greenburgh: The Life of His Great-Great Granddaughter - Mary Schuyler Hamilton
The Legacy and Influence of Alexander Hamilton In Greenburgh: The Life of His Great-Great Granddaughter - Mary Schuyler Hamilton
By Riley Wentzler & Felicia Barber
with research assistance from Ryan Stuzin
Alexander Hamilton (1755?(maybe) 1757?(maybe) -1804)
Introduction:
He helped us win the American Revolution as General George Washington’s Aide-De Camp, then he campaigned vigorously for the ratification of the United States Constitution in the famous Federalist Papers. After that, he became the United States’ first Secretary of The Treasury. He was also the primary architect of the plan which moved the Capital from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Washington D.C. Alexander Hamilton was a mover and a shaker, who went out with a bang!! But while Aaron Burr’s bullet ended the life of Alexander Hamilton, it didn’t end his influence. As is often the case with great men, his influence far outlasted his body.
It continues to this day. Hamilton had eight children and many grandchildren, and great grandchildren. What follows is the story of his great-great granddaughter, Mary Schuyler Hamilton, who was, perhaps, as influential in the Town of Greenburgh as her famous great-great grandfather was to the nation as a whole.
Early Life:
Mary Schuyler Hamilton was born in 1870 (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47854684/mary-schuyler-hamilton ) to parents John Cornelius Leon Hamilton and Frances P. Horton Hamilton (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27151771/5181941-mary-schuyler-hamilton-obit/). Though born in Brooklyn (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47854684/mary-schuyler-hamilton), she moved with her family to Greenburgh’s Village of Elmsford at age five (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27151771/5181941-mary-schuyler-hamilton-obit). At age 24, she became a teacher (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27151771/5181941-mary-schuyler-hamilton-obit).
Teaching and Political Activism:
She taught biology in New York City. Initially, she taught at Washington Irving High School, before later teaching at Theodore Roosevelt High School (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27151771/5181941-mary-schuyler-hamilton-obit). Even though her job was in New York City, her heart was always with Greenburgh. She was an active member of: the Elmsford Historical Society, the Tarrytown Historical Society, the Westchester Historical Society and The Greenburgh Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). She was also a member of Colonial Dames of America (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27151771/5181941-mary-schuyler-hamilton-obit).
She was very proud of her famous ancestor, and as such, unveiled many statues of him throughout the State of New York. She is responsible for reminding Greenburgh residents of everything he accomplished. It is thanks to her effort that there is a high school in Elmsford named after Alexander Hamilton. She laid the corner stone of this high school (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27151771/5181941-mary-schuyler-hamilton-obit). As a fervent Republican, she was also very active in politics at the local level (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27151771/5181941-mary-schuyler-hamilton-obit).A letter to the editor of the Enterprise from an unknown reader states that she even ran for office in 1921 (https://www.rivertownsenterprise.net/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/panthers-family-fund-addresses-need-recognized-60-years-ago/article_679ca904-5782-11eb-afb7-6b8eb7a58e37.html)
Later Years and Death
Through it all, she continued to teach until her retirement in 1934, at the age of 64 (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27151771/5181941-mary-schuyler-hamilton-obit). She died on May 17th 1941, at her home, in Elmsford, at age 71. She is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47854684/mary-schuyler-hamilton).
Previous Slices of History include:
- Hastings’ Best and Brightest: Nobel Laureates of Hastings
About the Authors:
We are both Assistant Town Historians at Greenburgh Town Hall and we are engaged to be married and are currently looking for permanent employment.
Riley Wentzler:
I was born and raised in a small rural town in central Pennsylvania. In high school, I took every honors course available including four years of Spanish. I received A’s in all of them. I graduated third in my class of 146 students. This brought me to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Once there, I continued my trend of academic excellence. I graduated summa cum laude in Political Science with a minor in Spanish and a Master’s in Communication Studies, with a G.P.A of 3.94. It was also there that I met my lovely fiancée, Felicia Barber. My Master’s in Communication has promoted public speaking, teamwork, and customer service. My Political Science degree has developed my research skills using computer-based tools and provided me with experience using the Microsoft Office products. My minor in Spanish has facilitated my bilingual capabilities. During my internship at Greenburgh, I created the petition for the State Roads project using website tools. My diverse education and areas of interest have provided me with a wide range of skills. I look forward to finding a career opportunity in business or government. To suggest a topic for next week’s article, you can contact me at assistanthistorian@greenburghny.com, or to help me find employment, you can contact me at rjwentzler413@gmail.com
Felicia Barber:
I was born in New York City and raised in Hartsdale, New York. I graduated from Ardsley High School. I recently earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. It was here that I met my fiancé, Riley Wentzler. As a result of my academic excellence, I won a scholarship every year. I learned and applied many graphic design skills to projects during my summer internships and at school. I am proficient in using Adobe graphic design applications including Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. For my Identity/branding course at Edinboro, I created logos to appear on the tee-shirts of Physical Education majors. For a veteran’s upcoming event, I used a typeface to focus the reader to the soldier in the poster. For the State Roads Legislative Campaign project, I created the embedded graphic-photo that accompanied the petition I am looking for a job to utilize my skills as a Graphic Designer in an agency, print shop, company or government To suggest a topic for next week’s article, you can contact me at assistanthistorian@greenburghny.com. To learn more about my artwork or to help me find employment you can contact me at feliciadbarber@gmail.com.
Two Interviews with the authors:
https://riverjournalonline.com/around-town/a-love-of-history-and-each-other/13708/
https://wcbs880.radio.com/articles/news/stories-main-street-couple-cerebral-palsy-brings-manytalents-town-greenburgh
Volunteer - Research Assistant - Ryan Stuzin:
I was born and raised in Scarsdale, New York. I am a senior at Edgemont High School, where I am captain of the varsity ski and golf teams. I also cover the ski team for the Scarsdale Inquirer. I have been a volunteer junior ski patroller at Stratton Mountain in Vermont and founded the Red Cross Club at my high school. I will be attending Colgate University in the fall, with a plan to study political science and/or history and eventually go to law school. I participated in the Town of Greenburgh internship program last summer, which inspired me to learn more about our town and its government. That, coupled with my love of history, is what prompted me to reach out to Riley and Felicia to help them with their articles about the history of Greenburgh.
References:
Bonafonte, M. (2010, February 9). Mary Schuyler Hamilton. Retrieved from Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47854684/mary-schuyler-hamilton
Unknown. (1941, May 18). Mary Schuyler Hamilton 71, Ex-Teacher, Kin of Statesman. Brooklyn Eagle, p. A 11.
Unknown. (2021, January 15). Panthers Family Fund Addresses need Recognized 60 Years Ago. The Enterprise, p. unknown.