Please join us as we pay tribute to Eliza Monroe Hay at Hollywood Cemetery with a wreath laying ceremony to celebrate the return of our Regency sister.
Born Elizabeth Kortright Monroe, Eliza was the daughter of President James Monroe, is buried in the James Monroe Presidential plot following her repatriation from France. Eliza was reinterred on October 23, 2025, resting beside her father, mother (Elizabeth Monroe), and sister (Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur) near the cemetery's iconic Gothic sarcophagus overlooking the James River.
According to VDHR "Eliza had a firebrand personality and accompanied her father in the White House (term 1817-1825) as unofficial first lady due to her mother Elizabeth Monroe's chronic illness. The Washington D.C. society quickly maligned her and maintained their stance until long after her death. Her life was beset with tragedies unfolding in short time, first with the death of her husband George Hay in 1830 and her mother’s death two days later. Her father James Monroe died nine months later. James Monroe had given specific instructions to Maria’s husband Samuel Gouverneur, who was executor of the will. He did not take care of Eliza and squandered and withheld her money. Eliza navigated the tricky standing of widows and women in legal affairs, yet her attempts to assert her rightful heritage were fruitless.
Eliza went to Europe as a means of survival and returned to help her daughter Hortensia with her three children in 1834. Hortensia died months later. Eliza made her final trip to France in 1838 and did not return again to the U.S. in life, although this was not her intention. Eliza died in 1840 penniless with no home in France and was buried in a modest, unmarked grave in the American section of Père Lachaise Cemetery. Barbara VornDick reached out to Eliza’s descendants to facilitate bringing her home since it became evident through her research that Eliza would have come back to America if she had been able. In October 2025, Eliza was successfully returned."
The wreath laying ceremony will be followed by a picnic, a traditional form of entertainment in the Regency Period. Hollywood Cemetery staff have asked that we eat in the picnic area located. Please feel free to bring a folding chair to sit during the short ceremony.
Location of the Family tomb and parking instructions will be sent one week prior to the event. This celebration is open to everyone so bring a friend or two.
Registration costs will help fund the purchase of the wreath.
Refunds given until August 15, 2026.