The Mysterious Disappearance of Theodosia Burr Alston

Theodosia Burr Alston

Theodosia Burr Alston was the daughter of an infamous former vice-president of the United States, Aaron Burr. Her father’s name lives in infamy because of a duel that he fought and won against Alexander Hamilton, which resulted in Hamilton’s death. He was also arrested for conspiracy when it was suspected that he was trying to plan a coup. Theodosia, however, is not known only for being the son of this man. She is known for her mysterious disappearance in 1813.

On December 30, 1812, Theodosia Burr Alston boarded a schooner ship known as the Patriot. She was leaving her home in South Carolina to visit her father in New York. Her father’s name had already been ruined, due to the incidents mentioned above. However, Theodosia stood by her father and maintained his innocence throughout. The two were very close. Also, Theodosia had lost her only son, Aaron Burr Alston, only months before and her father thought it would be good for her to come see him. In reality, they would never see each other again.

The Patriot should have made it to New York in a matter of five or six days, but it never arrived. Investigations were made into the schooner’s whereabouts and it was discovered that a British ship off of Cape Hatteras had stopped the schooner on January 2, 1813. No one had seen it beyond that date. So Theodosia had to have met with some accident or incident between January 2 and January 4.

No more was heard about the Patriot until twenty years later when a known pirate confessed that he and some other men had boarded and looted the vessel. He also claimed that they killed everyone on board. After another fifteen years had passed another pirate made the same claim. It seemed as if this was the fate of Theodosia Burr Alston. However, no concrete evidence of her fate emerged and then the story got a little weirder.

The pirates claimed to have killed every single passenger and crewmember on board the Patriot. Yet, there is a story that a ship washed up in the mouth of the San Bernard River in Texas after a big storm a few years after Theodosia’s disappearance. An English-speaking Native American Karankawa warrior found the ship and inside was a naked woman chained to the it. The only thing on her person was a locket. The locket belonged to Theodosia Burr Alston. Shortly after the warrior found her, the woman supposedly died. He buried her along the banks of the river and covered her grave with a door from the ship. If this were true, it would mean that she was taken prisoner by pirates and held captive. Whether or not this is true is a matter of speculation, but there are records of the existence of an English-speaking Karankawa warrior from Texas.

It is certainly possible, if not likely, that pirates killed that Theodosia Burr Alston. How and when is unclear. The testimony of pirates and tales from more than 100 years ago are all the evidence we have to go on. So, it is hard to say with any certainty. However, we can probably safely assume that Theodosia did not survive long after leaving her home in South Carolina, whether she was the victim of pirates or a victim of a freak accident at sea.

Sources

Mysterious Theodosia, retrieved 4/4/10, theoutlaws.com/people3.htm

Hause, Eric, The Fate of Theodosia Burr, retrieved 4/4/10, coastalguide.com/packet/theodosiaburrmystery.shtml