#edward stevens

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i've seen mention of hamilton being adopted by a thomas stevens during his years in nevis and i was wondering if you had anything to expand with relating to that??

thankyuuu💞💞

Hello! Hope you’re doing well!

I do! Recent developments in this area have been an interest of mine, so I’m more than happy to talk about it.

The classic tale you’ll hear—and read in many books published over the last century—is that after the deaths of his mother, cousin, and uncle (the latter pair of whom were designated his legal guardians afterward), Alexander Hamilton went to live with Thomas Stevens and his family until leaving for the American mainland.

While Hamilton is believed to have been born on Nevis, by the time he came to know the Stevens’, he was living further west on the island of St. Croix. In fact, recent discoveries in the last several years by researchers have indicated that Alexander Hamilton spent most of his youth not on Nevis, but rather the neighboring island of St. Eustatius—and later St. Croix

For more here specifically, see Newton, Michael E. Discovering Hamilton: New Discoveries in the Lives of Alexander Hamilton, His Family, Friends, and Colleagues, from Various Archives Around the World (Eleftheria Publishing, 2019), pp. 4-24; Stelten, Rudd, Hinton, Alexandre. “Alexander Hamilton’s Missing Years: New Discoveries and Insights into the Little Lion’s Caribbean Childhood,” Journal of the American Revolution (October, 2020), https://allthingsliberty.com/2020/10/alexander-hamiltons-missing-years-new-discoveries-and-insights-into-the-little-lions-caribbean-childhood/.

While living in Christiansted, St. Croix, Hamilton’s mother, Rachel Faucett, ran a store on the first floor of the family’s home which sold produce and other items often needed by the merchant community. Thomas Stevens was himself a merchant, and Alexander Hamilton would begin working as a clerk at Christiansted’s major import and export firm not long after moving there. It is entirely plausible (but not confirmed in any way) that Stevens and the Hamilton family could have come into contact with one another through their lines of work prior to Rachel’s death, or potentially have mutual connections. Stevens’ son, Edward, befriend Alexander Hamilton, and stayed in contact with him for several years—but when and how exactly they met is not clear.

A fairly recent examination of St. Croix’s matrikels [census records] by Michael E. Newton to try and determine where Hamilton lived after his mother’s passing revealed that the probability of that classic tale having been reality is probably slim. Of course, when looking at census data, it is important to acknowledge that we do not know who recorded that data—nor do we know if the census takers made any mistakes in their writing. There are other gaps to keep in mind as well, but these records are quite interesting to look at nonetheless.

Rachel Faucett passed on February 19, 1768, and examining the census record for that year as regards the Stevens, Newton explained thus:

In the 1768 matrikel, compiled in January 1769, the Stevens household again [from the previous year—where Newton concludes that only the family occupied the home] has one man, one woman, three male children, two female children, and no white servants. Assuming that the children are the Stevens children—and there is no evidence that any of the Stevens children had left St. Croix before this date as it appears that Edward Stevens left in the summer of 1769, as mentioned earlier—then the Hamiltons were not living in the Stevens household at this time.

However, Thomas Stevens Jr. was older than Edward Stevens, so perhaps he had left St. Croix to pursue his education. If so, one of the three sons could have been Alexander Hamilton. But there is no evidence to support this.

Newton goes on to note that the records for 1769 through 1772 (when Hamilton left the island) show that “[r]ather than seeing an increase in the number of people in the household, which would have been the case if one or both of the Hamilton boys had moved in, there is instead a decrease.” Thus, the records at least indicate that any long-term stay by Hamilton, or adoption by the Stevens family of him, perhaps did not happen. It is possible that Hamilton lived with the Stevens family in the months between one or more of the census’ being taken—but any precise details beyond this are not known.

The origin of this story comes down to us from Hamilton and Edward Stevens’ mutual friend, Timothy Pickering, who stated that in 1822 (notably several years after Hamilton’s death) that “To-day, Mr. Yard informed me” that “when young children, they lived together in the family of the father of Stevens, and were sent together to New York for their education.” Human memory is fallible, and Pickering was incorrect about Hamilton and Stevens leaving for college at the same time (Stevens likely leaving in the summer of 1769), but his other idea shouldn’t necessarily be thrown out completely due to the gaps surviving in the records.

I don't believe in it, but I think it's hilarious as shit lol. James was such a deadbeat that some people don't even think he's the dad

Hilarious is understating it. It is, however, also one of those things that makes perfect sense in terms of human gossip and entirely fails in terms of hard evidence, like most good historical gossip. And it survives because it is the kind of thing that Ron Chernow, in his 2004 biography, actually felt compelled to record, because apparently even if it’s baseless, someone once suggested it with such confidence that it demanded a footnote.

This rumor is old, like genuinely 19th-century gossip-old. Timothy Pickering, who knew Alexander in adulthood, allegedly commented on the uncanny resemblance between Hamilton and Ned Stevens. Pickering was apparently so struck he assumed there had to be a family connection beyond mere friendship, remarking that on first glance he thought they “must be brothers.” Then Henry Cabot Lodge prints it in 1882, taking oral history seriously enough to record the story in his biography. He repeats the rumor almost in passing, suggesting that it was “generally understood” at the time that Hamilton might have been the illegitimate child of a gentleman named Stevens. So we’re starting with early-19th-century gossip, which is simultaneously unreliable and absolutely delightful.

So the rumor existed contemporaneously, passed down, and then became codified in early historical accounts. Chernow, naturally, loves this kind of ambiguity—quotes Pickering, discusses the story, but is very careful to say, in effect, “interesting, maybe, but no proof, none, nada.” And of course modern scholars either shrug or ignore it because, like most gossip, it is structurally incapable of being proven.

Now, why does this theory even exist beyond “people liked gossiping about orphans and merchants in the Caribbean”?

Circumstantial, of course. Alexander and Edward were close, shockingly close. They grew up together, shared education, shared interests, were constantly in one another’s lives. Pickering saw them as startlingly alike. People apparently commented on it repeatedly. And then there’s the Stevens household factor—Thomas Stevens took Alexander in after Rachel Faucette died, but not his older half-brother James. Stevens became, in effect, a guardian or adoptive father, which, while not unusual in 18th-century Caribbean society, seems suspiciously attentive if you are in the business of looking for scandal. Add in that James Hamilton Sr. was already proving himself unreliable, absent, legally complicated, and morally questionable, and suddenly the rumor has legs.

Arguments against the theory are, of course, simple and boring, which is probably why people prefer to dwell on the Stevens hypothesis. There’s literally no evidence. No letters, no confessions, no portraits of Edward Stevens to check the alleged resemblance. James Hamilton Sr. consistently treated Alexander as his son, formally and publicly. Rachel Faucette was living on St. Kitts at the time, Stevens was on another island entirely, and there’s no documented meeting between them. So the theory survives purely on resemblance, convenient proximity after Rachel’s death, and maybe the human need to attribute genius to scandal.

But let’s not pretend this isn’t hilarious. The theory answers questions that nobody asked explicitly but that biographers like Chernow can’t resist entertaining: why Alexander was so close to Edward, why he had this odd, urgent drive that James apparently could not inspire, why James had zero involvement after Rachel dies. Stevens being the father is a tidy explanation for otherwise messy human behavior.

It’s also completely unprovable. Which is the sweet spot.

In short, it is funny. And it has survived centuries, in Pickering’s notes, Lodge’s biography, Chernow’s footnotes, and every fan discussion where people collectively nod if they also lack a healthy father figure and want Mr. Stevens for one. It is scandal, biography, and absurdist history all rolled into one.

And I've been meaning to tell you I think your house is haunted Your dad is always mad and that must be why And I think you should come live with Me and we can be pirates Then you won't have to cry Or hide in the closet And just like a folk song Our love will be passed on Please picture me In the weeds Before I learned civility I used to scream ferociously Any time I wanted I, I Sweet tea in the summer Cross my heart, won't tell no other And though I can't recall your face I still got love for you

- @edward-stevens