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 Theodosia Burr Alston became far more famous after her she went missing than she ever was in life. Born in New York in 1783, she was the daughter of the controversial U.S. Vice President, Aaron Burr. Unlike most girls and young women of that time, Theodosia was provided a rigorous education usually reserved only for males. In addition to subjects traditionally studied by women, including French, music, and dancing, Theodosia was trained in arithmetic, Latin, Greek, and English composition. After her mother died when Theodosia was eleven, her father assumed supervision of his daughter's social education as well. She was trained in the appreciation of arts and eloquent conversation. By the time she was fourteen she was serving as hostess at the family home, Richmond Hill. Theodosia hosted formal dinners even in her father’s absence.
In 1801, Theodosia married Joseph Alston, a wealthy South Carolina plantation owner and politician. Though the marriage was clearly a love match, it is likely that Aaron Burr sought for his daughter to make a financially secure marriage, since his own financial state generally leaned to the precarious. The couple was happy, and Theodosia gave birth to a son, Aaron Burr Alston, in 1802. Her health never fully recovered following the birth of the baby, and Theodosia journeyed to the spas at Saratoga and other locations in an effort to restore her health. She continued to visit with and sometimes travel with her father, bringing her little son along.
In 1807 Aaron Burr was arrested for treason and put on trial in Richmond, VA. Theodosia was there to support him the entire time. He was acquitted of the charges against him, but he then left to live in Europe for four years. The stresses of the trial, coupled with her father's absence took a further toll on Theodosia's health. She worked tirelessly to negotiate her father's return to the United States, writing letters to the Secretary of State and First Lady Dolley Madison. After all her efforts, when Burr returned in July of 1812, Theodosia still could not rejoice and join her father. Her son had suffered and died from a fever, and Theodosia was filled with such anguish that her life was again threatened. When she finally was able to sail to New York her husband was unable to accompany her, and so sent an old friend, Timothy Green, to go on the trip north with her. Apparently Green had a degree of medical knowledge and might be of service to Theodosia in that capacity. She boarded the schooner Patriot on December 30, 1812 to sail to New York. The vessel had served as a privateer during the recent war, and the captain may well have been delivering goods from the proceeds from the vessel's raids. The Patriot never reached her destination, and no one on board was ever heard from again.
The early nineteenth century was an active age for pirates along the Atlantic coast. Once the Patriot and her passengers went missing, rumors began to swirl on both sides of the Atlantic. A grieving Aaron Burr refused to believe any rumors of capture, and was convinced his daughter had died at sea. Rumors persisted over the decades of the nineteenth century, including several highly detailed accounts that included variations of Theodosia's demise. One account stated that Theodosia and the other passengers were forced to walk the plank before laughing pirates. Another story suggested she was captured and held as a sexual slave for several years until she was rescued by an Indian chief. Still another story, which still seems somewhat plausible, concerns a group of "shore pirates" along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. People living on the banks at that time were known for attacking foundering ships, killing passengers and crew and taking any booty on board. In other instances, "bankers" would pillage abandoned, wrecked ships for any valuable or useful contents. A ship fitting the description of the Patriot, according to an old banker woman, washed close to shore in 1812. A local family boarded the wrecked vessel and discovered several fine, silk dresses, a sewing basket, and a portrait of a woman who matched the description of Theodosia. According to the story, the old banker woman related the tale to her doctor, and to whom she gave the portrait as payment. Many other stories regarding the fate of Theodosia Burr Alston have appeared and been discussed, but to this day no evidence exists that can verify any of them. She remains a missing person, presumed lost at sea.
Image: "Theodosia Burr Alston," by John Vanderlyn (1802).
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