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Inventory of the Patrick Henry Papers 1778-1927 Henry, Patrick; 1736-1799. Mss. 39.2 H41

Inventory of the Patrick Henry Papers 1778-1927

A Collection in the
Manuscripts and Rare Books Department
Collection Number Mss. 39.2 H41


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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/

© 2002 By the College of William and Mary

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.

Administrative Information

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open to all researchers.

Publication Rights/Restrictions on Use

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.

Biographical/Historical Information

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.

Scope and Content Information

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.

Arrangement

Organization

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.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged chronologically.

Index Terms

    Persons:

  • Henry, Patrick, 1736- 1799.
  • Henry, Sarah, 1784.
  • Lee, Richard Henry, 1732- 1794.
  • Wirt, William, 1772- 1834.
  • Wythe, George, 1726-1806.

    • Subjects:

  • 1778- 1927.

Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

  • George Wythe.
  • Henry, Patrick, 1736- 1799.
  • Henry, Sarah, 1784.
  • Lee, Richard Henry, 1732- 1794.
  • Patrick Henry,
  • Richard Henry Lee,
  • William Wirt,
  • Wirt, William, 1772- 1834.
  • Wythe, George, 1726-1806.
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Contents List

Portrait engravings and prints.
13 items.
Series 1: Portrait Engravings and Prints
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Letters to and from Patrick Henry, 1778-1792.
Series 2: Letters to and from Patrick Henry
  • P[atrick] Henry, W[illia]msburg, [Virginia], to R[ichard] H[enry] Lee, n.p., 28 May 1778.
    2 pages. ALS.
  • Francis Watkins to Patrick Henry, 15 April 1790.
    3 pages. ALS.
  • Col. Will[ia]m Fleming, Botetourt [County, Virginia], to Patrick Henry, Prince Edward [County, Virginia], 23[?] October 1790.
    2 pages. ALS.
  • Will[ia]m Fleming, Botetourt [County, Virginia], to Col. Patrick Henry, Prince Edward [County, Virginia], 18 June 1791.
    1 page. ALS.
  • P[atrick] Henry, P[rince] Edward [County, Virginia], to [?], 19 August 1792.
    1 page. ALS.

    With a note included from T.S. Meade.

  • Jo[h]n Fontaine to Patrick Henry, n.d.
    2 pages. ALS.
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Photostatic copies of papers in the Library of Congress relating to Patrick Henry.
61 pages. 6 items.
Series 3: Photostatic Copies of Papers
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A letter regarding the Fontaine Ms. in the Cornell University Library, 19 January 1923.
1 page. TLS.
Material on Sarah Henry, Patrick Henry's mother.
Series 4: Material on Sarah Henry, Patrick Henry's Mother
  • "Patrick Henry's Mother," by Jean Cabell O'Neill. In the Journal of American History.
    13 pages. PV.
  • Notes on Sarah Henry, mother of Patrick Henry,
    3 items. 8 pages. ALS. 2 ph.

    With photographs of her tombstone and of the house in which she died.

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