Bonaparte, Elizabeth Patterson, 1785-1879

Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte was the daughter of Irish born merchant, William Patterson and his wife, Dorcas Spear Patterson. She married the youngest brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, Jerome, on December 24, 1803, but Napoleon refused to acknowledge the marriage. She was eventually abandoned by her husband, gave birth to their son, Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, and raised him alone. She was a brilliant socialite in both Baltimore and Europe, though the Patterson Family disowned her. She died on April 4, 1879 a very wealthy woman. Her descendants live in Europe and are part of the Scandinavian aristocracy.

Mentioned in these documents

[Letter from Elizabeth Upshur Teackle to her husband, Littleton Dennis Teackle, January 15, 1810]

Letter from Elizabeth Upshur Teackle to her husband Littleton Dennis Teackle. She talks of sending hair in a locket and her love for him. She says she will write to his mother, Elizabeth Dennis Teackle, and tells him to talk highly of his wife in the American nobility circles.