Alexander Hamilton descendant loans heirlooms to museum
Nov 12, 2018
The fifth-great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton was in Philadelphia Monday to loan some family heirlooms to the Museum of the American Revolution
PHILADELPHIA — The fifth great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton is loaning some family heirlooms to the Museum of the American Revolution.
The items include a Society of the Cincinnati Eagle insignia worn and owned by Hamilton and a gold mourning ring — featuring a lock of his hair set under a glass jewel — worn by his wife after his death.
The heirlooms will be featured as part of the museum's "Year of Hamilton" that includes an exhibit called "Hamilton Was Here: Rising Up in Revolutionary Philadelphia."
Douglas Hamilton was in Philadelphia Monday to present the items.
The 67-year-old Ohio man says their famous distant relative wasn't something his family focused on. He said a cardboard box containing the heirlooms was quietly passed down from generation to generation.
But as Hamilton's legacy has re-emerged with the hit Broadway musical and a number of books in recent years, he has been embracing his ancestor and sharing his stories and objects.
