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Theodosia Burr Alston: Portrait of a Prodigy, by Richard N. Cote
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Theodosia Burr Alston was a brilliant, independent, highly-educated and freethinking woman in an age which valued none of those traits in females. She was born June 21, 1783 in Albany, New York, the daughter of prominent attorney Aaron Burr (1756-1836) and his wife, the former Mrs. Theodosia Prevost (d. 1794), a widow. Young Theodosia spent most of her unmarried life in New York City with her charismatic, influential father, who had distinguished himself as an officer in the Revolutionary War. There he served under Col. Benedict Arnold and became a member of General George Washington's inner circle. After her mother died when Theodosia was eleven, she became her father's closest confidante and the mistress of Richmond Hill, his New York country estate. A child prodigy whose education was designed by her adoring and demanding father, Theodosia spoke Latin, French, German, and read Greek by the age of twelve.
For Aaron Burr, providing his little girl with an extraordinary education was a lifelong obsession. But Burr's desire to rear a superior woman-child went far beyond mere education. By the time she could walk, Burr had envisioned an incredible goal for her and crafted a master plan to achieve it. Every waking breath of her day was directed by her father to shape Theodosia into something new, radical, and monumental. He was not interested in turning out just a smart, pretty girl; a father's pride; or a husband's delight. Burr was no petty theorist. He was a passionate, egotistical visionary on scale that made the gods cringe. With his vision and his daughter's talent, Burr intended to push the envelope of mortal achievement to its absolute limit. Burr's goal was to sculpt Theodosia into a model for the woman of the future: a female Aaron Burr. She was not trained to serve hearth, home, or plantation. From her first breath of life, she was groomed and educated to take her intended station in life: nothing less than president, queen... or empress. From her birth into New York's high society, her childhood among the leaders of the new nation, her marriage to Joseph Alston, a Southern slaveholding aristocrat, to her mysterious death at sea at the age of twenty-nine, this is the true story of Theodosia Burr Alston. From the letters she exchanged with her father, Aaron Burr, and her husband, Joseph Alston, and from the accounts of those who knew her personally, emerges a powerful portrait of a true American prodigy.
- Sales Rank: #663816 in eBooks
- Published on: 2011-07-21
- Released on: 2011-07-21
- Format: Kindle eBook
Review
A vivid portrait of Theodosia, torn between devotion to her father, Aaron Burr, and her loving husband, Joseph Alston. -- James A. Fitch, Executive Director, The Rice Museum, Georgetown, S.C.
C�t� exposes the nonsense, presents new evidence, and achieves a fresh perspective on this captivating and enigmatic woman. -- Joseph K. Schwarzer, II, Executive Director, Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Hatteras, North Carolina
C�t� has successfully woven together all of the elements of Theodosia's story into a highly readable and scholarly work. -- Katrina P. Lawrimore, Director, The Kaminski House Museum, Georgetown, S.C.
C�t� restores to Theodosia her brilliant intellect, unfathomable resolve, and ferocious loyalty to her father, Aaron Burr. -- Valerie Lambros, The Coastal Observer (Pawley's Island, S.C.), Sept. 26, 2002
In this exciting biography, C�t� has rescued Aaron Burr's amazing daughter from 200 years of obscurity. -- Ray Swick, Ph.D., Historian, Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park
It reads like a novel.... Theodosia is a book that history buffs will find extremely interesting." -- The Chester (S.C.) News & Reporter, November 29, 2002
Meticulously researched and superbly written... An engaging and remarkable look into a formidable woman's life in the early nineteenth century. -- Midwest Book Review, October 2002
Should you consider John Adams a compelling figure in early America, wait until you behold Theodosia Burr Alston. -- The State newspaper (Columbia, S.C.), November 10, 2002
What a monumentally exciting story!... We must thank C�t� for providing this fresh, revealing look at Theodosia Burr Alston. -- South Carolina Historical Magazine, April 2004
[It] examines some of the more striking (and perhaps disturbing) aspects of Burr's complex, unusually close relationship with his daughter. -- The Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier, November 10, 2002
From the Author
Ovid’s saying, "time devours all things," was never more true than when applied to Theodosia Burr Alston. During her life, her friends, family, and acquaintances knew her as a vivacious, mischievous little girl; a charming, intelligent young woman; a tender, loving wife; a caring, attentive mother; and a devoted daughter. In addition, she was trained by her obsessive and loving father as an intellectual prodigy and educational role model for women of the future. On the day of her marriage in 1801, Theodosia, aged seventeen years, seven months, and nine days, was without question the best educated woman in the United States. However, she was not being prepared solely for adulthood, marriage, and motherhood. Burr was grooming her to become a president, queen, or empress.
This book was written to restore to the daylight the flesh-and-blood Theodosia, the girl who giggled on her mother’s knee; the thirteen-year-old who presided alone over a formal dinner for a powerful Indian chief; the young woman who pinned back the ears of her overbearing fianc� only days before their wedding; and the elegant lady who floated gracefully down the Ohio River on a flatboat, headed, she believed, on a one-way-trip to become Theodosia I, Empress of Mexico. In addition, I hope that this book will be the front door through which the next generation of scholars and readers will pass to meet Theodosia and explore the many facets of her heritage, personality, experiences, and destiny for themselves.
From the Inside Flap
From South Carolina on August 1, 1809, a slender, delicate young woman with large, expressive, dark brown eyes and dark auburn hair picked up her pen to profess her adoration for the man who was the center of her universe. Theodosia Burr Alston, who had just turned twenty-six, wrote to her twice-disgraced father, Aaron Burr, then in self-imposed European exile, "I witness your extraordinary fortitude with new wonder at every new misfortune. Often, after reflecting on this subject, you appear to me so superior, so elevated above all other men, I contemplate you with such a strange mixture of humility, admiration, love, and pride, that very little superstition would be necessary to make me worship you as a superior being, such enthusiasm does your character excite in me. When I afterward revert to myself, how insignificant do my best qualities appear. My vanity would be greater if I had not been placed so near you; and yet my pride is our relationship. I had rather!
not live than not be the daughter of such a man." It was the perfect match. Aaron Burr was Theodosia’s god; Theodosia was Burr’s prodigy and vision. They were far more than soulmates. Theodosia and her father were emotional Siamese twins who occupied separate bodies but shared a single heart.
Most helpful customer reviews
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful.
The real story about Theodosia and her father, Aaron Burr
By Linda Linguvic
Richard N. Cote, the author of this biography of Aaron Burr's daughter certainly did meticulous research. Add to that his skill as a storyteller, and this fascinating woman's short and sad life becomes real. It's not just her story, however, that comes alive. It is the story of the early days of America. The author traces her roots back to the 13 colonies, adding to the background of this family and its place in history. Living during those times meant living with medical problems and risking death from a wide variety of causes. For example, two of Aaron Burr's relatives died as a result of smallpox vaccinations.
Aaron Burr, a vice president of the United States under Thomas Jefferson, is known primarily for his duel with Alexander Hamilton. After that he fell into disfavor and had grandiose dreams of invading Mexico and making himself emperor. He later spent time in exile and finally returned to the United States to live to a ripe old age.
Burr had grand plans for his daughter Theodosia, his only child born in 1783. Unlike the women in her generation, he had her educated as boys were then. By the time she was 11, she was studying classical literature and speaking French. That's around the time her mother died and she took on the responsibility of running her father's New York home. She was only 18 when she married Joseph Alston, a South Carolina planter. Soon afterwards her son was born. The birth, however, was a difficult one and for the rest of her life, she was in constant pain.
The book centers on the relationship between Aaron Burr and his daughter. They were extremely close and their letters reveal that he even would write to her about his amorous adventures. After her marriage, they visited often, usually for months at a time. Transportation was difficult in those days. It took weeks to travel from South Carolina to New York. Even a sea voyage between these two places took five or six days. It was on one of those trips, when Theodosia was only 29 years old, sickly and mourning the recent death of her 10-year-old son from a fever, that she was lost at sea. It was a tragedy whose mystery still haunts history. There are rumors of pirates and her having to walk a plank. But nothing was ever proved.
I loved this book, looked forward to picking it up each night. It brought me to an age very different from the world we live in today. It was just as complex though, given the context of the times. There were intrigues and war and disease. And there was love and pain and loss. I also felt I got to know both Aaron Burr and Theodosia as more than just historical figures. And my understanding of American history sure was enriched. I thank Mr. Cote for writing this book and making a major contribution by preserving this story. Highly recommended.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
Enlightening!
By A Customer
I entirely disagree with the reader below me. (Everyone owned slaves back then, except for, notably, Alexander Hamilton, who hated slavery, and yes, he wasn't the only one. But still, the focus of the book was Theodosia, not Aaron.)
I came across Theodosia while I was watching the PBS Home Video "The Duel" (which I recommend if you are interested in Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, the duel itself, or politics in that time period). I wanted to know more about her and purchased this book. I'm glad I did! This biography seems more like a novel because of the incredible, fast-paced journey it leads you on into the past. I especially liked the last few chapters, when the author explored Theodosia's possible fates and the "mystery of the Nag's Head portrait." This whole book never had a boring moment, so if you are interested in this great yet unknown woman or her infamous father, read this book ASAP!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
I Couldn't Put It Down
By Betty B. Davidson
What an in depth and at times riveting account of Theodosia, the beautiful and very gifted daughter of Vice President and scheming traitor, Aaron Burr. This is a story that has been told before but never brilliantly as in Mr. Cote's sweeping tale. The author brings to life the romantic and tragic heroine, Theodosia, so vividly that the reader truly feels her joys and pain. From her privileged upbringing by a father who was a brilliant but flawed man to her marriage into South Carolina's wealthiest family and eventually to her mysterious death at age 28, this is a story that carries us through the ballrooms and political intrigue of the 18th and early 19th Century. Theodosia, the most well educated woman of her time, was destined by her ambitious father to be empress of Mexico in a scheme both treasonous and ultimately ruinous. Theodosia vanished at sea in 1812 leaving behind a haunting portrait that washed up on a North Carolina beach and a story so intriguing that it lingers in the heart and mind long after the book is finished.
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