Nail from Studley Plantation (1730/1800) by Unknown blacksmithPatrick Henry's Red Hill
Humble beginnings
On May 29, 1736, Patrick Henry was born at Studley plantation in Hanover County, Virginia, to John and Sarah Winston Syme Henry. Studley was a 600-acre tobacco plantation seated along Totopotomoy Creek, built for Colonel John Syme in 1720.
The plantation served as Patrick Henry’s boyhood home until taken over by his 23-year-old stepbrother, John Syme Jr. when Henry was age 14.
Studley Plat Map (1796-09-27) by Mutual Assurance Society against Fire on BuildingsOriginal Source: Library of Virginia
While at Studley, Henry's childhood friends noted his affinity for the violin, hunting, and fishing. He received his education at a nearby school, eventually taught by his college-educated father through his adolescent years where he received lessons in Greek and Latin.
By the time Patrick Henry reached adulthood, he had not yet found his profession. Three years prior he began working under a local merchant as a clerk, then opened a failed store with his brother William.
Rural Plains (1947) by Bernard DrellPatrick Henry's Red Hill
The young couple
One of Patrick Henry’s childhood friends is believed to have been Sarah Shelton, the daughter of John Shelton and Eleanor Parks. An influential family, the Sheltons owned Rural Plains, a 4,000-acre plantation several miles from Studley.
In the autumn of 1754 at age 18, according to tradition, Patrick Henry married Sarah Shelton in the front parlor at Rural Plains.
Smoking tobacco was popular well into the 18th century, and boxes such as this one served to store and keep dried tobacco fresh, as well as protect it from being crushed. The decorations on the outside alluded to the character of its owner, and this being a simple one would have reflected Patrick Henry and his rather simple lifestyle.
Through Sarah’s dowry, Patrick Henry inherited a 300-acre cut of land from his father-in-law and around 12 enslaved persons to work the farm known as Piney Slash. Despite growing up on a plantation, Henry’s attempts at farming tobacco were unsuccessful due to the exhausted soil. His luck worsened when a fire destroyed the house in 1757, taking with it the couple’s possessions.
Pine Slash (1930/1943) by Evan James ArcherOriginal Source: Library of Virginia
The aftermath
Following the fire, the Henrys moved into a small overseer's cabin on the Piney Slash property, where they stayed for around six months, according to tradition.
Hanover Courthouse (1900/1920) by UnknownPatrick Henry's Red Hill
Continued struggles
After another unsuccessful attempt at storekeeping, Henry began working at a tavern across the street from the county courthouse. It was here that, while tending to the judges and lawyers, Henry began the practice of law.
The profession of law
Having prepared for the bar for less than a year, the board of examiners vastly underestimated Patrick Henry’s abilities. Henry obtained his license in April 1760, coinciding with the first year of the rule of King George III.
Out of obscurity, into the courtroom
In the 1760s, tobacco was the backing of Virginia's currency. Due to recent failures in harvesting, the General Assembly passed the Two Penny Acts of 1755 and 1758 to provide temporary relief. The second act, however, sparked anger. Both acts declared clerical salaries, paid in tobacco, to be two pence per pound when tobacco was selling at six pence. Because the clergy was encouraged to sue for backpay after a royal veto in 1759, what resulted were several legal suits from Anglican clerics.
Virginia Essay (1953-11) by Peter StackpoleLIFE Photo Collection
The Parsons' Cause
Patrick Henry defended a Hanover County parish against the Rev. James Maury, a Virginia Anglican cleric. On December 1, 1763, in a trial for damages following the ruling of the Two Penny Act as “no law,” Henry argued the vetoing of the act bordered tyranny from Britain.
Henry was met with accusations of treason, and although Maury won, he was, at the behest of Henry, only awarded one penny in damages. This case, known as the Parsons’ Cause, and Patrick Henry’s revolutionary ideals reverberated throughout Virginia.
“A king, by disallowing acts of this salutary nature, from being the father of his people degenerated into a tyrant and forfeits all rights to his subjects’ obedience.” – Patrick Henry, 1763.
Written and designed by Kelsey Limpert and Cody Youngblood
