Notes
This mourning bracelet was commissioned from an unknown jewelry maker in memory of William Henry, brother of Patrick Henry, who died on January 2, 1785. It was worn by family members during the period of mourning.
Patrick Henry passed this bracelet on to his sister Jane Henry Meredith who lived with her husband Colonel Samuel Meredith II at Winton, Amherst County, Virginia. Jane Henry Meredith gave the bracelet to her son Major Samuel Meredith III who lived in Kentucky near what is now Lexington. Major Meredith named his Kentucky home Winton after his father's home in Virginia.
The bracelet was passed down to the daughter of Major Meredith and his wife Elizabeth, Letitia Meredith Dallam. Her oldest daughter Frances Dallam inherited it after marrying the eminent scientist and educator Dr. Robert Peter. Her son Hugh Peter inherited the bracelet and in turn passed it on to his daughter Catherine Peter.
Catherine Peter married Howard Evans in 1917. Howard Evans inherited the bracelet from his wife in 1964, Catherine Peter Evans dying without issue. All of the owners of the mourning bracelet excepting Patrick and Dorothea Henry, and Jane Henry Meredith lived their lives out at the Winton estate near Lexington, Kentucky.
James Howard Evans sold Winton on March 19, 1968. From March 26 to 28, 1968, he held a public auction selling his Patrick Henry mementos, including this mourning bracelet. Robert and Dianne Poindexter from Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe in Cynthiana, Kentucky purchased it at this sale along with several other items. The Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation purchased the mourning bracelet from the Poindexters on October 1, 1968.