envoy to France, so he and Angelica left the U.S. Related: Photos: Time capsule from 1795 reveals pieces of American historyĪfter the war, Church was made the U.S. Hamilton relied on his brother-in-law's generosity so much that he once confided in a letter to his college friend Robert Troup that he was insolvent and resigned to "leave family to the benevolence of others." In the letter, Hamilton also noted that he trusted especially in the "friendship and generosity" of Church to take care of his wife and children after he died. Hamilton was much impressed with his brother-in-law and described him to his friend Oliver Wolcott, Jr., who later served as the second secretary of the treasury, as "a man of fortune and integrity, of strong mind, very exact, very active, and very much a man of business." At the turn of the 19th century, Church had also established himself as New York's foremost insurance underwriter.Ĭhurch's wealth proved vital to the musical's main couple, Hamilton and Eliza, as he employed Hamilton at various stages and loaned the family significant amounts of money - £5,000 over time (roughly £632,300 or $788,100 today). Throughout the early years of their marriage, Church amassed a fortune in currency and land speculation, and by negotiating contracts that supplied the American Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Photos: Remains of colonial cemetery in Philadelphia discovered 13 significant protests that changed the course of history Creative genius: The world's greatest minds In time, General Schuyler accepted Church into the family and told his daughter that she'd been restored "to his full confidence." When they finally allowed Angelica back into their home, they treated her with such hostility that, according to Tom Cutterham, a lecturer of United States History at the University of Birmingham in the U.K., Church said: "My charming Angelica is much distressed at their behavior, if they continue their coldness we shall soon quit their house." Angelica's grandparents, the Van Rensselaers, interceded on her behalf to bring about a reconciliation and reparations were eventually made, according to biographical information from The History of Parliament. The elder Schuylers were so incensed when they first learned of the marriage that they wouldn't speak to their daughter for several days. To make matters worse, Angelica's parents, Catherine and General Phillip Schuyler, wouldn't bless the marriage, so the couple chose to elope. He and Angelica both assumed the surname Carter for the first seven years of their marriage. A compulsive gambler, John had changed his name to avoid creditors and the authorities pursuing him for gambling debts and stock speculation (a form of investing that involves speculating on how well a stock will perform) in England. At the time of their wedding, John was hiding behind the pseudonym John B. You can listen to it here.) What's more, she wasn't a "Church" yet either. ("The Schuyler Sisters" is one of the musical's most lauded songs, sung by the sisters Angelica, Eliza and Peggy. So Angelica wasn't technically one of the single "Schuyler Sisters" when she met Hamilton after all. To appreciate all the ways that Church came through for Hamilton, it's important to understand that Lin-Manuel Miranda took many liberties with the actual timeline of events, something he said he had to do "for the sake of dramatic coherence." One example: Angelica and John married in June 1777 - a full three and half years before Hamilton married Angelica's sister, Eliza, in December 1780. Church loaned Hamilton significant sums of money, was a confidant and a friend, employed him as his personal lawyer and commercial agent, tried to save his oldest son's life prior to his dueling George Eacker, relayed valuable information from Hamilton's wife, Eliza Schuyler, to her husband during Hamilton's torrid affair with Maria Reynolds, and even provided the pistols used in Hamilton's fateful duel against Burr. The "wealthy husband" Angelica referred to is John Barker Church, who was as intertwined with Hamilton's story as Angelica was. The real story, as it turns out, isn't nearly so cliched, and it's a lot more entertaining.
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