The Rebellious Son: Philip Jeremiah’s Elopement

By Jessie Serfilippi

Philip Jeremiah Schuyler.

 Myth: Only daughters of the Schuyler family eloped.

When Angelica Schuyler, the eldest of the Schuyler children, eloped with John Barker Church on June 23, 1777, she taught her younger siblings a valuable lesson: you can ask your parents for forgiveness later. She had no way of knowing that her actions would inspire three more of her siblings­­—one of whom, Catharine, wasn’t yet born at the time of Angelica’s elopement—to follow in her footsteps. Out of the four Schuyler children to elope, Philip Jeremiah, the fifth surviving child and second son, was the only boy to do so. He was only eleven at the time of Angelica’s transgression, but he clearly took his sister’s lesson to heart.

The Golden Child

Philip Jeremiah possessed every quality his brothers, John Bradstreet and Rensselaer, lacked, according to their father. He was a studious and well-educated boy. As a child, he was instructed in English grammar, French, Catechism, and the German flute among other subjects. He likely received some tutoring at the Academy at Albany, as a 1783 receipt indicates, as well.

While his brothers, especially Rensselaer, were competent students, Philip Jeremiah was the only son to go to college. In 1787, at the age of 19, Philip Jeremiah studied at Columbia College (now Columbia University). He studied with William Cochran, who taught Latin and Greek at the college. As the only Schuyler son to attend college, his father had high expectations for him. Elder brother Johnny had proven to be a lousy businessman, much to Schuyler’s disappointment. Although Rensselaer, aged 14 when Philip Jeremiah entered college, was still young, he would eventually become addicted to gambling and accrue a large amount of debt. Philip Jeremiah quickly became his father’s one chance at a son achieving renown. He likely hoped for Philip Jeremiah to become a lawyer.

Yet it seems as if Philip Jeremiah didn’t finish his coursework at Columbia. Instead, he did something his father did not want him to do. Philip Jeremiah, the golden child, eloped.

The Childhood of the Bride-to-be

Sarah Rutsen.

Sarah Rutsen came from a wealthy landowning family in Rhinebeck, NY. Her ancestry was full of notable Dutch families. Her paternal grandmother was Alida Livingston and her paternal great-great grandparents included Livingstons and Beekmans. Further back still, she was the x3 great granddaughter of Alida Schuyler. Her father’s family had been in the Ulster area for generations—her grandparents moving to Rhinebeck shortly after their marriage—whereas her mother’s family seems to have migrated upstate from the Long Island area. Her father, Colonel John Rutsen, likely served in the local militia. He died in 1772, when he was twenty-eight and his daughter was two.

Phebe Carman Rutsen.

Sarah and her older sister, Catharina, were raised by their mother, Phebe Carman. Phebe had been married to John for only five years when he left her a widow with two young children. The small family was said to have lived in a stone house in Rhinebeck, and were likely well-supported by the grist mill Sarah’s paternal grandfather, Jacob Rutsen, had established in 1739, and by Beekman land she, her mother, and sister inherited upon the death of her father. Their mother was able to collect enough rent from the tenant farmers living on the inherited land to keep her and her daughters comfortable.

How, exactly, Sarah Rutsen met Philip Jeremiah Schuyler is a bit of a mystery. At the time of their meeting, Philip Jeremiah was studying at Columbia College, but he did have relatives who lived in the Rhinebeck area, so he was likely familiar with the neighborhood and families living there. Sometime after Philip Jeremiah and Sarah met, his interest in his studies seemed to have tapered off, and his heart became set on starting a family.

The Elopement

Philip Jeremiah did two things that likely infuriated his father: he dropped out of Columbia College and eloped. He likely dropped out of Columbia College to elope and start his married life. Philip Jeremiah was twenty when he married Sarah Rutsen, who was eighteen at the time. They married on May 31, 1788. Where they married is not known, although her family home is certainly a possibility, since it doesn’t seem to have been an elopement for her, but only for her husband.

Philip Jeremiah tried getting his parents' permission to marry Sarah, but to no avail. Once it became clear to him his parents would not change their minds, he decided to marry Sarah anyway. In a letter from April 27, 1788, penned to his eldest son, Schuyler writes “Your Brother Philip is at Rhynbeck and I fear is married, I have not heard from him himself since he left [?]” Philip Jeremiah wasn’t actually married at that point, but would be within the next month.

There has long been an assumption that because Philip Schuyler didn’t approve of the marriage he automatically didn’t approve of Sarah Rutsen. It is evident that he had no contact with Sarah for at least the first year of her marriage to Philip Jeremiah, but whether that was because he was upset with his son or with his choice of bride remains unknown. What is known is that Schuyler attempted to make whatever bad feelings may have existed between himself and Sarah vanish by May of 1789.

In a letter to his son-in-law, Alexander Hamilton, Schuyler details out his plans for making Sarah Rutsen feel welcomed into the family. He writes this clearly in response to a question or concern Hamilton posed to him in his last letter. Schuyler states “Philip [Jeremiah] has visited me since his return from England he is returned to his wife with a message from me that will afford her comfort & confidence in my friendly intentions towards her. I have charged him to bring her here immediately on the Arrival of his Mother & Sisters.”

No matter how he felt for that year of no contact with his newest daughter-in-law, he at least attempted (and was later proven successful) in making amends and welcoming her into the family. He also seemed to have accepted Philip Jeremiah back into the family regardless of his transgression. This period of disapproval seemingly lasted much longer than Angelica’s two weeks after her elopement, and less is known of the circumstances. But whatever happened, within a year Philip Jeremiah and Sarah Rutsen were finally given their proper place in the Schuyler family.

Read more: "Inquire of the Subscriber at Rhinebeck: Philip Jeremiah Schuyler and Slavery"

Want to explore Philip Jeremiah and Sarah's Rhinebeck? Click here to access a Google Maps with homes that would have existed, along with their own home, mapped out. Click each point for a picture and information about the home. Enjoy!

Philip Jeremiah and Sarah's Rhinebeck home, which still exists today as apartments.

Sarah Rutsen's ancestral home in Ulster, which burnt down in 1911.