The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-06-27
TheOdOsia Burr Aston and Aaron
Burr.

Extract from an Address delivered
before the Historical Society on ''Theo-
dosia Burr Aston and her Father at
the Commencement OF the \. 6. Uni
versity on the 9th of June. 1878. by
Col. John Ii. Wheeler, a member of
the Historical Society OF North Caro-
lima.
The beauty and accomplishments. as
we'll as the social position of Theodo-
STA Burr Aston. her eventful life. and
her premature and tragic death. have
thrown around her name a spell of ro-
nance and sympathy which recent
events have greatly enhanced. She
inherited the genius of her distin-
guished father. once Vice-President of
the United States, cultivated by all the
accomplishments and learning of the
age and was the fit companion of her
talented husband. Joseph Aston. late
Governor of South Carolina. Thus
fostered and so husbanded, she was
stronger than her sex" and worthy to
be ranked with the Portals Of ancient
Rome.
After her marriage in New York,
(in January, 1901 at the age of IL,
she accompanied her husband to South
Carolina. where she resided for several
years, interrupted by occasional visits
to the home OF her father. Her last
voyage was commenced in December,
1912, when, with impaired health, at
the request of both her husband cat
this time the Governor of South Caro-
lina) and her father, she embarked
from Charleston for New York, IN a
small pilot boat vessel, called the Pa
triot. From that day she has eve
I-O~ l11.l c~ ~ x-n
~conjectured that the vessel fcundered
in a gale of wind at sea and all had
persisted. By others it has been stated
that the vessel was captured by Pirates,
and all on board murdered. This state
ment was made more credible by the
diving confessions of a sailor in Texas.
and by the statement of an officer in
the Navy, who had the same facts
from two prisoners that he had brought
to Norfolk in irons, who were tried,
condemned and executed for Piracy.
Similar statements have appeared In
the public prints. and a painful OBJ
security rests upon the fate of this I'M
fortunate and lovely lady, But a re-
cent discovery has beer made IN our
State which disSipates this ~obscurlty
and makes certain the mode of her I'M
timely end.
A few months ago the late Presi-
dent of this Institution inquired of me
if | had ever seer or possessed an au-
thentic LIKENESS of Theodosia Burr
Aston. L showed to him a fine cop
per-plate engraving after the celebra-
ted picture of her by Nanderlyn. Prof
Pool then produced an exquisite pho
tograph of an original painting, now
in the possession Of his brother. DR..
w. G.. Pool. who resides near Eliza
beth City. of which he gave the fol
lowing account
DIR. Pool is a native and resident
near Elizabeth City, in Eastern North
Carolina. Some eight or ten years
since, he visited in his professional
capacity a family near Cape Hatteras,
and although they were in moderate
circumstances, he observed hanging
on the wall an exquisite oil painting
of a beautiful woman. On inquiry n
discovered that this had been found
with some other articles by the man Of
the house, (now about 50 years of age,
when a youth. on 4 vessel that hac
been wrecked near Cape HatteraS in
furious storm that occurred in tn,
Winter of 1912. or 1913. The vesse
was a small one. and all on board wer,
drowned"
| This picture was presented 10 DR.