A CROTON CONNECTION: THE GUNS OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON

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A CROTON CONNECTION: THE GUNS OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON--MANY THANKS TO THE CROTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY FACEBOOK PAGE for the heads-up.

"The guns remained in the family until Schuyler Hamilton III of Croton-on-Hudson, New York, sold them to Robert Abels in 1942 for $150 . . ."

 

Schuyler Hamilton III, whose full name was Schuyler Van Cortlandt Hamilton, was the son of Schuyler Hamilton, Jr. who married Gertrude Van Cortlandt Wells. 

 

Schuyler Hamilton, Jr. was the great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton. He owned the Anchor Brick Company in Croton and managed the land owned by the Van Wyck estate, which comprised most of the upper village.

 

According to the auction catalog "These fabulously important pistols were sold by Schuyler Hamilton III in 1942 to respected antique and firearms dealer Robert Abels. In an included original notarized letter of provenance addressed to Robert Abels dated August 4, 1942 and on his own letterhead stationary from Croton-on-the-Hudson, Schuyler Hamilton III describes these pistols as, “the property of my Great-Great Grandfather, Alexander Hamilton”. He further states that “these pistols were presented to Hamilton following the historic Battle of Saratoga by General Philip Schuyler”, Hamilton's father-in-law. He points out that the pistols were passed down to John C. Hamilton, then to Major General Schuyler Hamilton, then to Schuyler Hamilton Jr., and finally to himself. He then additionally describes the pistols at length, and finally notes that the pistols were housed at Hamilton Grange in New York, Alexander Hamilton's historic home, which is now a museum and national memorial. Lastly, an original sales receipt on Robert Abels paperwork is signed and dated by Schuyler Hamilton and accompanies the aforementioned letter." MORE FROM FORBES HERE.