Peggy Chew Howard

Margaret "Peggy" Oswald Chew was born on December 16, 1760, at Cliveden, the Chew family estate, in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[1] Her parents were Elizabeth (née Oswald) and Benjamin Chew, Pennsylvania Attorney General and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.^[1] She grew up in the high society of early 18th-century Philadelphia, and her siblings and she were treated by General George Washington as "if they were his own children".^[1]

Chew was pursued by a number of suitors, including Major John André. He courted her by inviting her as his escort to The Mischianza, a fête on May 18, 1778, that he helped plan in honor of Sir William Howe.^[1][2] Also, in attendance at The Mischianza was her friend and the later wife of Benedict Arnold, Peggy Shippen.^[2] André presented Peggy Chew with a souvenir manuscript of the evening and poetry upon his departure from Philadelphia. He was later found guilty of spying alongside Benedict Arnold and he was hanged on October 2, 1780.^[1] Peggy Shippen would use the letters sent by Peggy Chew to André to "interline" secret messages in invisible ink that could be read by André in British-occupied New York City.^[3]

Chew then met John Eager Howard at her home during a battle of the Revolutionary War. He was wounded during the Battle of Eutaw Springs and sent letters via his physician, Dr. Craik, to woo her into engagement.^[1][4] In May 1787, she married John Eager Howard.^[1][4] George Washington took note of the ceremony and reception in his diary.^[1]

Peggy would reminisce about André's courting of her to her husband, John Eager Howard, which would infuriate him. Later in life, he is quoted as saying "He was a damned spy, sir, nothing but a damned spy", in reference to his wife's former suitor.^[4][5]

Together, Peggy and John Eager Howard had 9 children:^[1][4]

• John Eager Howard Jr. – served in the War of 1812; had a son, John Eager Howard III that led the Battle of Chapultepec during the Mexican–American War^[4]
• George Howard – followed in his father's footsteps and became the 22nd Governor of Maryland.^[1]
• Benjamin Chew Howard – U.S. congressman and served in the War of 1812^[4]
• William Howard – physician; designer of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; one of the first Americans to reach the peak of Mont Blanc^[4]
• Charles Howard – president of the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad
• James Howard
• Juliana Elizabeth
• Sophia Catherine
• Mary Anne