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Rachael Faucette

Female Abt 1728 - Yes, date unknown


Personal Information    |    Sources    |    All    |    PDF

  • Name Rachael Faucette 
    Born Abt 1728  British West Indies Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    Died Yes, date unknown 
    Person ID I1799  My Reynolds Line
    Last Modified 2 Nov 2022 

    Family James A. Hamilton,   b. Est 1725, Charlestown, Nevis, Leeward Islands, Brittish West Indies Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown 
    Married unmarried 
    Children 
    +1. James A. Hamilton, Jr.,   b. 1743, Charlestown, Nevis, Leeward Islands, Brittish West Indies Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1781, Maryland Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 38 years)
    +2. Statesman Alexander Hamilton,   b. 11 Jan 1755, Charlestown, Nevis, Leeward Islands, Brittish West Indies Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 12 Jul 1804, Manhattan, New York Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 49 years)
    Last Modified 2 Nov 2022 
    Family ID F9079  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Sources 
    1. [S130] Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Schuyler.

    2. [S130] Wikipedia, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton.
      Alexander Hamilton was born and spent part of his childhood in Charlestown, the capital of the island of Nevis in the Leeward Islands (then part of the British West Indies). Hamilton and his older brother James Jr. (1753?1786)[3] were born out of wedlock to Rachel Faucette,[note 1][note 2] a married woman of half-British and half-French Huguenot descent,[12] and James A. Hamilton, a Scotsman who was the fourth son of Alexander Hamilton, the laird of Grange in Ayrshire.[13]

      It is not clear whether Hamilton was born in 1755 or 1757.[14] Most historical evidence, after Hamilton's arrival in North America, supports the idea that he was born in 1757, including Hamilton's own writings.[15][16] Hamilton listed his birth year as 1757 when he first arrived in the Thirteen Colonies, and celebrated his birthday on January 11. In later life, he tended to give his age only in round figures. Historians accepted 1757 as his birth year until about 1930, when additional documentation of his early life in the Caribbean was published, initially in Danish. A probate paper from St. Croix in 1768, drafted after the death of Hamilton's mother, listed him as 13 years old, which has caused some historians since the 1930s to favor a birth year of 1755.[1]
      The Museum of Nevis History, Charlestown
      The Hamilton House, Charlestown, Nevis. The current structure was rebuilt from the ruins of the house where it was thought that Alexander Hamilton was born and lived as a young child.

      Historians have speculated on possible reasons for two different years of birth to have appeared in historical documents. If 1755 is correct, Hamilton might have been trying to appear younger than his college classmates, or perhaps wished to avoid standing out as older.[1] If 1757 is correct, the single probate document indicating a birth year of 1755 may have simply included an error, or Hamilton might once have given his age as 13 after his mother's death in an attempt to appear older and more employable.[17] Historians have pointed out that the probate document contained other proven inaccuracies, demonstrating it was not entirely reliable. Richard Brookhiser noted that "a man is more likely to know his own birthday than a probate court."[15]

      Hamilton's mother had been married previously on St. Croix[18] in the Virgin Islands, then ruled by Denmark, to a Danish[6] or German merchant,[19][20] Johann Michael Lavien. They had one son, Peter Lavien.[18] In 1750, Faucette left her husband and first son; then traveled to Saint Kitts where she met James Hamilton.[18] Hamilton and Faucette moved together to Nevis, her birthplace, where she had inherited a seaside lot in town from her father.[1]

      James Hamilton later abandoned Rachel Faucette and their two sons, James Jr. and Alexander, allegedly to "spar[e] [her] a charge of bigamy... after finding out that her first husband intend[ed] to divorce her under Danish law on grounds of adultery and desertion."[13] Thereafter, Rachel moved with her two children to St. Croix, where she supported them by keeping a small store in Christiansted. She contracted yellow fever and died on February 19, 1768, leaving Hamilton orphaned.[21] This may have had severe emotional consequences for him, even by the standards of an 18th-century childhood.[22] In probate court, Faucette's "first husband seized her estate"[13] and obtained the few valuables that she had owned, including some household silver. Many items were auctioned off, but a friend purchased the family's books and returned them to Hamilton.[23]
      Hamilton in his youth

      Hamilton became a clerk at Beekman and Cruger, a local import-export firm that traded with New York and New England.[24] He and James Jr. were briefly taken in by their cousin Peter Lytton; however, Lytton took his own life in July 1769, leaving his property to his mistress and their son, and the Hamilton brothers were subsequently separated.[23] James apprenticed with a local carpenter, while Alexander was given a home by Thomas Stevens a merchant from Nevis.[25] Some clues have led to speculation that Stevens was Alexander Hamilton's biological father: his son Edward Stevens became a close friend of Hamilton, the two boys were described as looking much alike, both were fluent in French and shared similar interests.[23] However, this allegation, mostly based on the comments of Timothy Pickering on the resemblance between the two men, has always been vague and unsupported.[26] Rachel Faucette had been living on St. Kitts and Nevis for years at the time when Alexander was conceived, while Thomas Stevens lived on Antigua and St. Croix; also, James Hamilton never disclaimed paternity, and even in later years, signed his letters to Hamilton with "Your very Affectionate Father."[27][28]

      Hamilton, despite being only in his teenage years, proved capable enough as a trader to be left in charge of the firm for five months in 1771 while the owner was at sea.[29] He remained an avid reader and later developed an interest in writing. He began to desire a life outside the island where he lived. He wrote a letter to his father that was a detailed account of a hurricane that had devastated Christiansted on August 30, 1772.[30] The Presbyterian Reverend Hugh Knox, a tutor and mentor to Hamilton, submitted the letter for publication in the Royal Danish-American Gazette. The biographer Ron Chernow found the letter astounding for two reasons; first, that "for all its bombastic excesses, it does seem wondrous [that a] self-educated clerk could write with such verve and gusto," and second, that a teenage boy produced an apocalyptic "fire-and-brimstone sermon" viewing the hurricane as a "divine rebuke to human vanity and pomposity."[31] The essay impressed community leaders, who collected a fund to send Hamilton to the North American colonies for his education.[32]
      Hamilton had a long-time rivalry with Jefferson's vice president Aaron Burr. This resulted in the Burr?Hamilton duel of 1804 in which Burr killed Hamilton. Hamilton kept Burr from being re-nominated for vice president.[4] He also kept him from becoming Governor of New York.[4] Burr responded by challenging Hamilton to a duel.[4] They agreed to meet July 11, 1804 at Weehawken, New Jersey.[5] Dueling was illegal in New York which is why they chose Weehawken.[6] It was also the site where Philip Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton's son, had been killed in a duel three years earlier.[6] The night before the duel, Hamilton wrote his will, letters to friends, and finally a letter to his wife.[7] At dawn the next morning the two met at Weehawken. Without any discussion, the two men took their positions.[7] Unusual for a duel of this kind, the two fired about 4?5 seconds apart.[7] Who fired first is not known today. Burr's bullet struck Hamilton and knocked him down.[7] Then Burr promptly turned and left. The bullet went through Hamilton's ribs, and damaged his lungs and liver. Hamilton was taken to a friend's house in Manhattan where his wife and children joined him.[7] He asked two ministers to give him Communion but was refused.[7] Finally the Episcopal Bishop Benjamin Moore gave him the sacrament.[7] Hamilton died the next morning.[7]
      Hamilton had a long-time rivalry with Jefferson's vice president Aaron Burr. This resulted in the Burr?Hamilton duel of 1804 in which Burr killed Hamilton. Hamilton kept Burr from being re-nominated for vice president.[4] He also kept him from becoming Governor of New York.[4] Burr responded by challenging Hamilton to a duel.[4] They agreed to meet July 11, 1804 at Weehawken, New Jersey.[5] Dueling was illegal in New York which is why they chose Weehawken.[6] It was also the site where Philip Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton's son, had been killed in a duel three years earlier.[6] The night before the duel, Hamilton wrote his will, letters to friends, and finally a letter to his wife.[7] At dawn the next morning the two met at Weehawken. Without any discussion, the two men took their positions.[7] Unusual for a duel of this kind, the two fired about 4?5 seconds apart.[7] Who fired first is not known today. Burr's bullet struck Hamilton and knocked him down.[7] Then Burr promptly turned and left. The bullet went through Hamilton's ribs, and damaged his lungs and liver. Hamilton was taken to a friend's house in Manhattan where his wife and children joined him.[7] He asked two ministers to give him Communion but was refused.[7] Finally the Episcopal Bishop Benjamin Moore gave him the sacrament.[7] Hamilton died the next morning.[7]
      Legacy
      Hamilton on the US $10 bill

      Hamilton is shown on the face of the U.S. 10-dollar bill. Hamilton is one of only two non-presidents honored on commonly used notes.[8] Some of Hamilton's words are still quoted. For example,

      "I never expect a perfect work from imperfect man." -The Federalist #25[9]

      Hamilton was the founder of the United States Revenue Cutter Service, which in 1915 became the United States Coast Guard.[10] For that reason, he is considered the father of the United States Coast Guard.[10] He was a staunch constitutionalist who, unlike several of the founding fathers, believed in a strong central government.[11] During his life he was involved in nearly every major political event from the Revolution to the election of 1800.[12] His writings fill a staggering 27 volumes.[12] Yet he is probably the least well understood of any of the founding fathers.[12] By the time of Hamilton's death, the Federalist Party he had helped start was in decline.[13] Hamilton and the Federalists had convinced Washington to create a central bank, assume the debts of the states and pass tax laws.[13] There is little doubt these moves helped save the new democracy.[13]

      Hamilton is the subject of the 2015 Broadway Musical, Hamilton. It was written by and stars Lin-Manuel Miranda in the title role.[14]