Note by Dolley Madison

Letter

Patrick Henry's Red Hill

Name/Title

Note by Dolley Madison

Entry/Object ID

2025.9.2

Description

Ink on woven paper. A small provenance note adhered to the bottom of a larger letter. Signed by Dolley Payne Madison and dated November 19, 1834. Main letter (2025.9.1) is from Sarah Winston Henry to Lucy Winston Coles, written on April 4, 1780, from Hanover County, Virginia. Signed by Sarah Henry. Both documents are adhered to a larger paper backing.

Letter Details

Letter Date

11/19/1834

Time Period

19th Century

Primary Language

English

Transcription

This letter is from Patrick Henry's Mother to her sister, my Grandmother Lucy Coles—of Coles Hill— D P Madison 19th. Novr. 1834

Language

English

Dimensions

Width

1-1/2 in

Length

6 in

Provenance

Notes

This note accompanies a letter (2025.9.1) written by Sarah Winston Henry (1710–1784), mother of Patrick Henry, to her sister, Lucy Winston Coles (1703–1791). The letter was later passed to Dolley Payne Madison, a granddaughter of Lucy Coles and the wife of President James Madison (1751–1836). In November 1834, Dolley Madison wrote this note confirming the identities of the letter's sender and recipient. It was likely written from the Madisons' Montpelier plantation in Orange County, Virginia. Lowell and Judy Kreeger donated this note and its accompanying letter (2025.9.1) to the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation on August 20, 2025.