Theodosia Burr Alston was born on June 21, 1783, in New York City. She was the daughter of Aaron Burr, the third Vice President of the United States, and Theodosia Bartow Prevost. Theodosia was well-educated and known for her intelligence and literary talents. In 1801, she married Joseph Alston, a wealthy plantation owner from South Carolina. The couple had one son, but he died in infancy. Theodosia's life was marked by personal tragedy, and she mysteriously disappeared in 1813 while traveling by ship from South Carolina to New York.