The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-03-14
The Two Wives Of Aaron Bur-.


name and history of the man who
figured as the second husband OF the
woman whose property now bids fair to
be swallowed up in the insatiate NAV OF
the legal profession. We do not. OF
course, propose to attempt any biogra-
ply or criticism of one who has been so
thoroughly crucified by the pens of
scribblers Of high and low degree, as
Aaron Burr but the very notOrity he
has gained lends strong interest to
some details of his domestic life which
are not entirely familiar to the majority
of newspaper readers.
1t was while commanding his regi-
ment In New Jersey during the early
years OF the revolutionary war, that
Colonel Burr made the acquaintance of
the lady who afterwards became his
first wife and the mother of that incOm-
parable daughter, whose genius and
fidelity have almost redeemed her
fathers fame Mrs. Theodosia Provost
was then the wife OF Colonel Provost of
the British aru;v, at that time in the
West Indies. She resided at Paramus,
with her mother and sister and her two
sons-the latter sprightly little fellows
whose yivacity could not be other than
attractive to man so passlOnately fond
OF bright children as Burr was till the
day of his death. Mrs Provost was
ten years older than the young officer
whom she captivated by her rare grace
and culture but neither the difference
in age, nor the absence Of beauty les
sened her charms in his estimation.
Her familv-the DE Niennes-was of
French or Swiss origin, and she herself
3 I
cordancc with the European standard
whom Burr had ever met. She was
thoroughly versed in the best literature
of the day, and undoubtedly did much
much toward forming the taste and
shaping the intellectual development of
an admIrer who. above all other things
in the world, appreciated brains-par-
ticularly when lodged in a female head.
Her manners are represented to have
been the perfection of elegance and re-
tinement, and long after she had been
mercIfuliy taken away from the evil to
came, Burr was accustomed to say that
If his own manners were In any respect
superior to those a. men in general, 1t
was mainly owing to the iusensible in
tiuence of hgIs. Some unpublished
letters from her hand which we have
seen, abundantlv confirm this estimate
of her character-tha peumanship is
eXquisItely neat aud clear, and the mat
ter is no less remarkable for its vigorous
common sense than for the admirable
style in which it Is set forth.
We have said that Burr was an admir-
cr of Mrs. Provost, but there is not the
slightest reason to suppose that his adj
miration ever went beyond the bounds
of strict Proprietv, or that her behavior
was in any respect unworthy the posi-
ton she occupied. Ii she was con-
scious of the impression she had made
that consciousness never revealed itself
in word or act-aud it is the most
wretched and injustice To fasten upon
her reputation even n shadow Of the
stain which rests upon him whose
brighter fortunes she shared. But
when, uor long after their first meeting,
Colonel Provost died, 1t Is probable that
this mutual self restraint gradually be
gan to disappear; for We know that
when Burr resigned from the army in
1779, thev were engaged to be married
the ceremony being delayed only by
those pecuniary considerations which
cannot be overlooked even in the deliri-
um of passionate love Both were
slight atOnemcnt for his many subse-
0uent transgrcssions. that Burr deliber-
atelv married for affection and not for
money. He was young. handsome and
brilliant: he had come out of the war
with a splendid record for bravery and
military skill: he had begun the practice
of law under tine most fiattering aus
Dicos he WAS universally REGARDED as n
to be glorious and with these recon-
mendations he might easily have wooed
and won n Younger and Iovelier bride.
who would have brought him the in
Huence of her family as well as the
more tangible blessings Of an amplefor-
tune. To say that Burr did not see the
advantages which might result from
making what Is now termed ga good
match. " Is to Supna,e him a f0nl-which
me certainly was not. That he put aside
these advantages while perfectly com
pretending their weight. is at least an
evidence that his heart was not uuite
hard. his saIHsflu,.5 not duitc as pro-
found rs his enemies ,youId have MS be-
Iisvp
Burr WAS admitted To the bar Janua-
ar-v 17S2. and ON ,n,. OF 10. July fol-
lowing he married Mrs. Prevosf-she
then being thirfv-six wears old and he
tweptv-six. The pair ta1k ND their resi-
lencf in ALBANY. wbcre-.Tune %. 1888
-Theodosia was born. As far as we are
able to iudre from the scantv material
at our command, the union was, from
first to last. a happy one. Welded to
the woman he loved, surrounded by the
purest and teudrrest associations. with
no cause for anxiety. present or prospec-
five. anI with everything to stimulate
his ambition and crafty his wishes-thc
next twelve Years we're bv far the best
and BRIGHTEST of Burr's long and varied
career. How he must have looked back
to the,o v,ars from the gloomy stand
Doint of tbr+ .r;,I whom tbere could
hardly be f,9n I'm fba whole country q
dozen person, Who darad cali them
selves his friends
A. p.,-,. r-,1 e - :. A..