A Collection in the
Manuscripts and Rare Books Department
Collection Number Mss. 39.2 H41
Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and
Mary
Special Collections Earl Gregg Swem Library College of William and Mary Williamsburg, Virginia 23187-8794 USA Phone: (757) 221-3090 Fax: (757) 221-5440 Email: spcoll@wm.edu URL: http://swem.wm.edu/scrc/
Funding:
Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a
grant from the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
Processed by:
Special Collections Staff
Repository
Special Collections, Earl Gregg Swem Library,
College of William and Mary
Collection number
Mss. 39.2 H41
Title
Patrick Henry Papers,
1778-1927,
1778-1792.
Extent
30 items.
Creators
Patrick Henry,
Richard Henry Lee,
William Wirt,
George Wythe.
Language
English
Abstract
Includes letters, 1778-1792, of
Patrick Henry while living in Prince Edward County, Virginia
and including letter, 28 May 1778, to Richard Henry Lee. Also
includes copies of letters received by William Wirt from
persons to whom he had written seeking biographical and
anecdotal material concerning Henry (including one letter from
George Wythe); prints and engravings of Henry; and an article
concerning Patrick Henry's mother, Sarah Henry from the
Journal of American
History.
Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any
materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of
Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the
copyright, if not Swem Library.
Preferred Citation
Patrick Henry Papers, Manuscripts and Rare Books
Department, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
Acquisition Information
29 items, in the possession of Swem Library before 1939.
Purchase: 1 item,
6/3/1980.
Patrick Henry was born in Hanover County, Virginia in 1736.
He was largely self-educated, becoming a prominent trial
lawyer and great orator. The most famous phrase attributed to
him is "Give me liberty or give me death." He was delegate to
the House of Burgesses, 1765-1774; the Continential Congress,
1774-1776; and the Virginia provincial convention, 1775. He
also served as governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and from
1784 to 1786. Patrick Henry died in 1799.
Includes letters, 1778-1792, of Patrick Henry while living
in Prince Edward County, Virginia and including letter, 28 May
1778, to Richard Henry Lee. Also includes copies of letters
received by William Wirt from persons to whom he had written
seeking biographical and anecdotal material concerning Henry
(including one letter from George Wythe); prints and
engravings of Henry; and an article concerning Patrick Henry's
mother, Sarah Henry from the
Journal of American
History.
This collection has been organized into four series.
Series 1 contains portrait engravings and prints, Series 2
contains letters written to and from Patrick Henry, Series
3 contains photostatic copies of papers, and Series 4
contains material relating to Patrick Henry's mother, Sarah
Henry.