A few of the letters already published by the late John C. Hamilton and Senator Lodge, or which appear in the Life of James McHenry, have been used, and some of these are little known.
It is a pleasure to express my obligation to Delos McCurdy, Esq., and H. D. Estabrook, Esq., of the New York Bar; to Worthington C. Ford, Esq., Librarian of the Massachusetts Historical Society; Wilberforce Eames, Esq., Librarian of the Lenox Library; Edward S. Holden, Esq., Librarian of the United States Military Academy; William H. Winters, Esq., Librarian of the New York Law Institute; to Richard Church, Esq., of Rochester, New York, and R. K. Bixby, Esq., of St. Louis, Missouri, as well as others, for kindly and valuable help.
Allan McLane Hamilton.
New York, June 1, 1910.
Chapter I
Origin and Parentage
Alexander Hamilton came into the world on January 11, 1757, his birthplace being Nevis, a mountainous island of the picturesque Antilles, 17° 14´ latitude and 62° 33´ longitude. Nevis has an area of about sixty square miles, and was colonized by the British in 1728. It is quite near St. Christopher, or "St. Kitts," and both islands were in 1757, and are to-day, under the same local government. Within a comparatively short distance is St. Croix, which became a Danish possession early in the eighteenth century. These three islands are the centre of the greatest interest so far as the early history of Hamilton is concerned.
Much unnecessary speculation has arisen regarding Hamilton's antecedents, but why there should have been so much mystery is a matter of wonder, considering that many of his own letters, referring to his family, have for a long time been in existence and are easy of access, so that there is little doubt as to his paternity or early history.
Gouvemeur Morris, Bancroft, Lodge, and others, have from time to time hinted at vague stories regarding his illegitimacy, and he has been described as the son of various persons, among them a Danish governor of one of the islands; and as a half-brother of his friend and playmate, Edward Stevens, whom he is said to have closely resembled, and who was afterward sent to the United States, to be educated by the Rev. Mr. Knox, with Hamilton. This early friendship was continued through life, although there does not appear to be anything in their subsequent intercourse to show that they were more than friends. Timothy Pickering left among his memoirs a statement which has been resurrected by Cabot Lodge, and, although alluded to by him as "mere gossip," was brought forward and published in his volume of the "Statesmen's Series." In this Mr. Pickering relates an interview which he had with a Mr. James Yard in Philadelphia, who was a brother-in-law of Mr. Stevens, both of them having married the daughters of a Danish governor of the West Indies named Walterstorff. Yard told Pickering that Hamilton was the son of a Scotch gentleman named Hamilton; that Hamilton and Stevens went to school together; that after the death of Hamilton, an aunt came to New York and spent some time in Hamilton's house, from which fact Yard concluded that Mrs. Hamilton must have received full information as to her husband's parentage, there being a vague inference that Hamilton and Stevens had the same father.
From documents in my possession, it does not appear that this lady, who was Mrs. Ann Mitchell, ever visited Mrs. Hamilton during Hamilton's lifetime, although she came to America before his death. She lived at Burlington, New Jersey, and was befriended by Elisha Boudinot, a brother of Elias, and, after the death of Alexander Hamilton, by Mrs. Hamilton, who provided for her. Although Hamilton seems to have been very fond of her—for he referred to her even in his last letter to his wife as his best friend—it is not at all certain that she was his aunt; in fact, in his expense account-book the following entry appears: "July 11, 1796: Donation to my Cozen Mrs. Mitchell; draft upon me $100."
Lodge's speculations regarding the early history of Hamilton first appeared in 1882, and were based in part on the unsatisfactory and inexact statements made by his son, John C. Hamilton, who in his works made the mistake of not publishing the letters of his father in their entirety, for what reason it does not appear. It has been clearly shown that Hamilton's father lived until June 3, 1799, and his mother only until February 16, 1768, when the son was but eleven years old and she thirty-two.
These matters are settled by the church records of the island of St. Vincent, where the father lived for many years until his death,' and by those of St. Kitts, where the mother was buried, under the name of Rachel Levine, so that the confused story referred to by Pickering was not only wrong in regard to the statement that Hamilton's mother lived to a good old age, but probably erroneous as to his other information. That Hamilton knew of his origin is well attested by various letters that have been preserved, some of which are here reproduced. His father and younger brother, James, frequently wrote to him, or sent drafts which were honored; and in the expense book above referred to, in the years 1796-7, 8, and 9, this sum amounted to several thousand dollars, which was a great deal for him to pay, considering the crippled condition of his finances, and the many other demands upon his slender purse. There is absolutely no proof, as has been stated, that his father was married twice, or that James was a half-brother.
That he was aware of the existence of his half-brother, Peter Levine, is shown by a letter to General Nathaniel Greene; in 1782 he also wrote to his wife as follows:
Alexander Hamilton to Elizebeth Hamilton
Engrossed by our own immediate concerns, I omitted telling you of a disagreeable piece of intelligence I have received from a gentleman of Georgia. He tells me of the death of my brother Levine. You know the circumstances that abate my distress, yet my heart acknowledges the rights of a brother. He dies rich, but has disposed of the bulk of his fortune to strangers. I am told he has left me a legacy. I did not inquire how much. When you have occasion for money you can draw upon Messrs. Stewart & [illegible], Philadelphia. They owe me upwards of an hundred pounds.
That he really was the son of James Hamilton, and was aware of the fact, is also shown by letters written to his bethrothed as early as 1780, and later by those to others, among them Robert Troup.
Alexander Hamilton to Robert Troupe July 25, 1795
I hesitated whether I would not also secure a preference to the Drafts of my father, but these, as far as I am concerned, being a voluntary engagement, I doubted the justice of the measure, and I have done nothing. I repeat it lest they should return upon him and increase his distress. Though as I am informed, a man of respectable connections in Scotland, he became, as a merchant, bankrupt at an early day in the West Indies and is now in indigence. I have pressed him to come to us, but his age and infirmity have deterred him from the change of climate.
James Hamilton to his son Alexander Hamilton
St. Vincent, June 12, 1793.
Dear Alexander: I wrote you a letter, inclosed in one to Mr. Donald, of Virginia, since which I have had no further accounts from you. My bad state of health has prevented my going to sea at this time—being afflicted with a complication of disorders.
The war which has lately broken out between France and England makes it very dangerous going to sea at this time. However, we daily expect news of a peace, and when that takes place, provided it is not too late in the season, I will embark in the first vessel that sails for Philadelphia.
I have now settled all my business in this part of the world, with