Theodosia Prevost

1746-1794

I was a loyal English woman who had to work hard to save her home.

In 1746 I was born the daughter of Theodosious Bartow – from whom I get my name – and his wife Ann Bartow. Unfortunately, my father died before I was born. My mother remarried British army Captain Philip de Visme in 1751, and in 1763 I married British army officer James Marcus Prevost in New York City.

James purchased land in Bergen County, and we built a house we called the Hermitage. When the war broke out, our home became a target for confiscation because James was a British officer. To prevent this, I welcomed important Patriots in and entertained them, including George Washington, who came to stay for four days in 1778 after the Battle of Monmouth.

Another Patriot who visited was Aaron Burr, who recuperated at my house after Monmouth. We began a friendship and correspondence and became very close. When James died in 1781, there was no more reason for Patriots to take our lands, and my relationship with Aaron became more serious. On July 2, 1782, I married Aaron at the Hermitage, even though at age 35, I was a decade older than he was!

Once married, we moved to Albany, New York, where Aaron was developing his law practice and would eventually go into politics. This would put him in confrontation with Alexander Hamilton, and lead to their famous duel. But I would not live to see that, I died of stomach cancer on May 18, 1794 at the age of 48.

 

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