A political friendship led to Caroline Schoolcraft's marriage, the guardian of his children and a young widow

This historian has filled columns with information on the Schoolcraft House and the congressman that built it, John L. Schoolcraft. Now let’s take a closer look at the woman who stole his heart and married him.

Congressman Schoolcraft was a close friend of Senator William H. Seward who became President Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of state after Lincoln defeated him for the office of president in 1860.

When Schoolcraft became a representative in 1848, he went to Washington, D.C., to temporarily live with the Seward family to get himself engrossed in the “big” politics of those times. While living with the Seward family, he became acquainted with Caroline Canfield, Seward’s young niece. She was the daughter of Seward’s sister, Louisa Seward Canfield, who had just died.

Caroline had been a student at the Emma Willard School in Troy when the family lived in New York State. Her mother was also a graduate of Emma Willard. Caroline wrote many letters to her Uncle.

“Oct 18, 1850. My Dear Uncle, I received your letter and its contents a few days since. I thank you very kindly for your attention to my wants. I received papers concerning my school bill.... Please tell Aunty that I am obliged to go out to Washington and attend to having my dresses made...”

“Oct. 24, 1851...I did as you requested me to do in your last letter, and I answered the Estate letter of acceptance.”

Caroline had been left an inheritance from her Grandfather Seward’s death of $5,000, a tidy sum at that time.

It was for 1851 through 1852 that Schoolcraft decided not to run for congress again. He decided to return to his banking career as president of the Albany Savings Bank, and he had plans to marry his best friend’s niece, Caroline Canfield.  He was 47, she was 19. The wedding took place on Aug. 6, 1853, in the First Presbyterian Church on State Street in Albany.

Caroline and John Schoolcraft had three children — Oliver, John L., and Marie Seward — in their short seven years of married life.

Schoolcraft died on his trip to the Republican national convention in 1860 where he expected his friend, William Seward, to be nominated as the Whig candidate for the presidency. That did not happen, as a young candidate from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln won that honor. Schoolcraft died on the trip home while visiting relatives in Canada.  John and Caroline Schoolcraft’s third child, Marie Seward Schoolcraft, was born on June 29, 1860, three weeks after her father died.

On May 23, 1862, Caroline, as a widow and guardian of the children, sold her landholdings in Guilderland to Sarah Ann and John P. Veeder.  Part of that piece of land became Prospect Hill Cemetery.  After living for a year in their home on Lodge Street in Albany, Caroline moved with her children across the Hudson River to a house in the Cantonment in East Greenbush.

The federal government had purchased a tract of land, 400 acres, in the hills of East Greenbush. It established a large military camp called “Cantonment Greenbush.” It was the headquarters of the Northern Division of the U.S. Army of 1812. It contained accommodations for 4,000 troops and a small hospital. Several buildings contained barracks.  Officers’ residences were also there.

It is believed that Caroline moved into one of the officer housing units. In addition to her three children, according to 1863 census papers, she also brought six servants, a nurse, a cook, a chambermaid, a waitress, a gardener, and a groom.  All were from Ireland, except the gardener, who was from Germany. No information was found as to what accommodations were made for these servants.

In May of 1862, Caroline Schoolcraft wrote to her Uncle Seward that she expected to sail for Europe soon.

“I intended starting yesterday to go to Washington to see you all before leaving but the confusion the great numbers of troops going on will prevent me from visiting as I could not under these circumstances undertake the journey alone. I am going with friends. I have not been in good health since I had scarlet fever. I hope to regain my health by the sea voyage. I desire much love to Aunt Fanny [Seward’s wife], Fred and Anna. Your affectionate niece, Caroline.” This was, of course, during the beginning of the Civil War.

In 1865, Marie Seward Schoolcraft died, she was the five-year-old daughter of  John and Caroline. 

It was also the time when Caroline Schoolcraft met Dr. Harry Beattie, a doctor from Scotland who had set up a practice in Albany.  In 1866, Caroline married Dr. Beattie and they moved to Richmond, Virginia with her two sons and had six more children.

Schoolcraft’s eldest son, Oliver J. Schoolcraft, married Mattie Ould of Richmond. She died giving birth to their first child. He spent some time serving in the U.S. Navy then moved to England.

Cambridge University Records reveal that he became a clergyman in the Church of England in 1891. This historian has a copy of a handwritten letter dated March 2, l903 written by Oliver Schoolcraft from Kent, in England, to a General at Virginia Military Academy requesting to be a Chaplain there. He died in Richmond on Dec. 8, 1911.

John L. Schoolcraft Jr. became the owner of The Richmond Inquirer in January of 1877. He later became president of the R.S. Railway Company and later secretary, treasurer of the stock exchange.

Caroline Schoolcraft Beattie died at the age of 87 in El Paso, Texas on Feb. 22, 1922.  Her burial was in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia where Dr. Beattie and several of her children are buried.

This historian has had several letters from the great-great-great-granddaughters of John and Caroline Schoolcraft.  They discussed an interest in seeing the Schoolcraft House of their grandparents that is being restored in Guilderland.