Portrait of Theodosia Burr Aliston.
Theodosia Burr Aliston (1783-1812?) was the daughter of Aaron Burr and Theodosia Prevost. She married Joseph Alston of Charleston, SC, who would later become governor. Their only son, Aaron Burr Alston, died in 1812. Theodosia's death was surrounded by mystery. It is said that she boarded a ship from Charleston (or possibly Georgetown) to take her up the coast to visit her father in New York. She never made it and stories claim that the boat sank off the coast of Smith Island, now Bald Head Island, NC. Some say it was the work of mutineers; others say it was a storm that sank the ship. The portrait of Theodosia was supposedly found on an abandoned ship floating off the coast of the Outer Banks.
