A Hamilton tale too tall? Group disputes tomcat story

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — In the song "A Winter's Ball" in the smash Broadway hit "Hamilton," Aaron Burr's character sings of Alexander Hamilton's delight for women, including the tale that Martha Washington named her feral tomcat after him.

Twenty miles from the Broadway theater where fans spend thousands of dollars to see the show, a group dedicated to studying the nation's first treasury secretary will gather Thursday to unveil new artifacts and retrace a piece of history they hope can soften some of Hamilton's rough edges.

The tomcat story is included in multiple biographies of Hamilton, including the Ron Chernow book that the musical is based on.

The Revolution, co-authored by Miranda, the song's lyrics include a footnote that says the line was most likely a tale spread by John Adams later in life but that Manuel included it because he likes Hamilton owning it.

Newton says that what apparently started as a joke about Martha Washington naming her cat after Hamilton "in a complimentary way" morphed through the years to biographies stating she named her tomcat after him to comment on his reputation.