Hello, welcome. Welcome to our new series where we are examining untold

aspects of popular stories or introducing you to people you might not know.

You are going to want to buckle up and hold on tight for this one because here's

where it gets interesting. I'm Sharon McCann and welcome to the Sharon Says So

podcast. This is a tale of two women. two women who share the same first name, two women that had a deep

and consequential connection to an important figure in early America.

Two women named Theodosia.

Theodosia Barto was born in 1746 and she was the descendant of a woman who was renowned for her beauty.

Her father died a few weeks before she was born and when she was 17 years old theodosia Bartow married

she married a man named James Provost. Together theodosia and James had five children, Sally, Anna Louisa, Mary Louisa, Augustine, and John.

James Prevoist was a British officer which at the time of their marriage more than a decade before the Declaration of Independence was sent as this sort of ultimate dear John letter to a despotic king of England was not a particular problem.

Provided a good income and allowed the provost to live in a lovely home on a large parcel of land in New Jersey.

They called the property the hermitage.

Eventually, being a British officer did become problematic, however, as the colonies came closer and closer

to rising up, the Adosha knew that she needed to do something.

The property of British soldiers was often seized.

And to keep that from happening,

Theodosia became a patriot. James was often sent away on missions for the British Army and

while he was gone Theodoga opened the hermitage as a gathering place for

American soldiers.

When she heard that George Washington was nearby after fighting the Battle of Monmouth,

she sent word to him and offered him and his soldiers her home as a reprieve.

...