Lock Of George Washington’s Hair Found In A Very Old Library Book
- 6 years ago
A lock of former President George Washington’s hair was recently found in a very old library book.
A lock of former President George Washington's hair was recently found in a very old library book. The tied bundle of six long strands was discovered when staff at Union College's Schaffer Library in Schenectady, New York were performing an inventory of the collection, reports Fox News. It was inside an almanac published in 1793 and accompanied by a handwritten note reading, "Washington's hair, L.S.S. & GBS from James A Hamilton given by his mother, Aug. 10, 1871." A bit of sleuthing revealed the almanac had likely once belonged to Philip J. Schuyler, one of the founders of the college, who was both Washington's friend and Alexander Hamilton's father-in-law. The theory is that Washington gave the hair to Hamilton and his wife Eliza, who later gave it to their son James Hamilton. James then passed it along to his granddaughters Louisa Lee and Georgina Schuyler, notes WCVB. John Reznikoff, an area expert in historic objects, commented, "Without DNA, you're never positive, but I believe it's 100 percent authentic."
A lock of former President George Washington's hair was recently found in a very old library book. The tied bundle of six long strands was discovered when staff at Union College's Schaffer Library in Schenectady, New York were performing an inventory of the collection, reports Fox News. It was inside an almanac published in 1793 and accompanied by a handwritten note reading, "Washington's hair, L.S.S. & GBS from James A Hamilton given by his mother, Aug. 10, 1871." A bit of sleuthing revealed the almanac had likely once belonged to Philip J. Schuyler, one of the founders of the college, who was both Washington's friend and Alexander Hamilton's father-in-law. The theory is that Washington gave the hair to Hamilton and his wife Eliza, who later gave it to their son James Hamilton. James then passed it along to his granddaughters Louisa Lee and Georgina Schuyler, notes WCVB. John Reznikoff, an area expert in historic objects, commented, "Without DNA, you're never positive, but I believe it's 100 percent authentic."