Where’s Patrick Henry’s Wife? Check the Cellar

Patrick Henry was an 18^th Century American statesman, patriot, orator and a revolutionary. His strong stand against England’s King George III caused him to be accused of treason on both sides of the water.

Near the end of his 21-year marriage to Sarah (Sally) Shelton, he became his wife’s secret guardian and caretaker. Sally, the name she preferred, suffered from an unexplained dementia that took away her physical and mental abilities during the last three years of her life. She didn’t recognize Henry or any of their six children as the disease progressed. The dementia made her violent and a danger to everyone. Henry feared she would harm him and their children.

Henry kept Sally in a furnished apartment in the basement of their home. No one besides Henry and a slave caretaker knew she lived in the converted cellar.  Her erratic behavior during the early stages of the disease made Henry’s cover story that she died believable.

Some scholars speculate that Henry locked his wife away to spare her the physical abuse of a mental institution. In the 1700's, mental patients were routinely beaten and otherwise harmed by staff members of so-called sanitarians. Historians also suggest Henry was ashamed of Sally and kept her isolated because he wanted to avoid the stigma of mental illness in the family.     

Henry’s wife died in 1775. Sally was only 37 years old. She likely starved herself to death. The disease devastated all her mental functions, and she stopped eating.

Only a few weeks later, Patrick Henry made an historical speech when he addressed the Second Continental Congress on March 23, 1775.  He spoke against the Stamp Tax enacted by the English King. In effect, the tax affected every document used in what England called The Colonies. The tax was designed to provide funds for England to use in defending parts of America.  

Many of his contemporaries accused him of treason, because he suggested rebellion against the British presence in America. It seems contrary to our impression of the patriots who founded our country to call Henry a traitor. We need to remember that many of the men who became the signers of the Declaration of Independence still considered themselves Englishmen.

During that stirring speech, Henry spoke the well- known phrase—Give me liberty or give me death.

Actually, there has been some doubt whether he said it. Henry’s speech against England was so compelling that the Secretary of the House stopped taking notes and sat overwhelmed by the orator’s words. No written document gives us a copy of his rousing speech. However, the famous seven words were repeated often by many people who heard them. It’s likely that Henry did say them. He must have memorized outlines and key words for his speeches. He never used written copies or notes.  

Patrick Henry used his speaking skills often during his career as a lawyer and three-time governor of Virginia. Accounts from that time describe the effective way Henry used his voice. Historical documents quote people who comment on the enjoyment of listening to him speak. His oratory skills earned him the nickname The Trumpet.

Henry married his second wife, Dorothea Dandridge, in 1777. They had eleven children, making his total number of offspring 17. Patrick Henry died in 1799 at 63 years old.

Thanks for reading this blog. Come back to this space later this month to read how the National Anthem music and words came together. The music comes from a 1777 tune composed by an Englishman.

Visit my web site at www.joevlatino.com where you will find a writing sample and my book of short stories, “The Device”. The book is available as an e-book from Amazon.