Theodosia Burr Alston: Portrait of a Prodigy [Hardcover]

Richard N. Cote (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1929175310 | ISBN-13: 978-1929175314 | Publication Date: August 2002 | Edition: 1

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.

Editorial Reviews

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.

Côté 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

Côté 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.

Côté 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, Côté 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 Côté 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 fiancé 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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Corinthian Books; 1 edition (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929175310
• ISBN-13: 978-1929175314
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real story about Theodosia and her father, Aaron Burr, December 14, 2002

By 

Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Theodosia Burr Alston: Portrait of a Prodigy (Paperback)

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening!, May 15, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Theodosia Burr Alston: Portrait of a Prodigy (Paperback)

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!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Theodosia Burr Alston, October 15, 2002

By 

"dgnettles" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Theodosia Burr Alston: Portrait of a Prodigy (Hardcover)

Well researched, well written, this book is a great read. Mr. Côté has given us the fascinating story of Aaron Burr's daughter. Multi-lingual, sophisticated and beautiful, Theodosia interacted with some of the greatest personalities of her time. The author refers to her as a prodigy, but she might well also be considered to be a true super woman, molded by an education based on the then-radical concepts of Mary Wollstonecraft. Her father conspired with a foreign power to carve her an empire out of Mexico and part of the young United States. Instead, his plans were crushed.

Even after her mysterious disappearance at sea, Theodosia's mystique lives on, as can be seen by anyone who as ever read a collection of Carolina ghost stories, or taken a tour in Georgetown or Charleston. She is surrounded by a mist of local legends. However, the author has given us a chance to see the real Theodosia, extracted from the nefarious shadow of her infamous father. He gives us, not a legend, nor a dry history, but a portrait of a real woman, with real emotions and concerns. Yet again, his approach is analytical, and where there are unanswered questions or conflicting data, he carefully examines the possible arguments to aid the reader in drawing his or her own conclusions.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes biographies of fascinating people, but also to reading groups (a discussion guide is available). It is also a book for anyone who loves art or a great mystery (The portrait that surfaced after her death is just one example). It is an engaging read that will leave you dreaming about what might have been, lost in admiration for its subject, and trying to unravel its mysteries long after you finish the last page.