Notes
This is a photograph of James Marshall Henry I (1867–1909), a great-grandson to Patrick Henry.
James was born in Charlotte Court House, Virginia (then known as Marysville) on August 10, 1867. He is the son of William Wirt Henry (1831–1900), a grandson to Patrick Henry, and Lucy Gray Marshall Henry (1832–1922). James married Annie Holmes on May 8, 1904, and the couple had two children: James Marshall Henry Jr. (1905–1970) and William Wirt Henry III (1908–1977).
According to family tradition, James died suddenly in a horseback riding accident at or near Red Hill. A contemporary newspaper article wrote he "had been ill for several weeks of a heart trouble at his home in Brookneal and a few days ago went to 'Red Hill' hoping the change would be beneficial."
The photograph was taken in the studios of Adam H. Plecker, a prolific photographer in Lynchburg, Virginia. Born in Rockingham County, VA, in 1840, Plecker opened a studio in Lynchburg in 1877 (at the corner of Ninth and Main) and was for many years the community's leading photographer. Today, he is best known for his collection of portraits of Confederate Army officers. In 1866, Plecker photographed Robert E. Lee astride his horse Traveller.
This photograph was donated by Samuel Parsons on September 27, 2023. Parsons is the grandson of Annie Holmes, who remarried after the death of James Henry to Robert Edward Gilliam (1876–1952). Annie and Robert's daughter, Elisabeth Levering Gilliam (1912–2007), married Edward Francis Parsons (1921–1968). The couple had two sons, one of whom was the donor.