Notes
Tobacco boxes gained popularity in the 17th century along with smoking tobacco. These small containers were often made of less expensive metals like brass, copper, and tin, and came in a variety of shapes and styles, though many were oval- or rectangle-shaped. More decorative examples feature etched or painted images on the outside.
According to Patrick Henry's great-grandson, Edward Fontaine (1814-1884), Henry was averse to tobacco smoke in his later years. Fontaine writes in his manuscript (1872) on the correcting of biographical mistakes, "In his old age the condition of his nervous system made the scent of tobacco pipe very disagreeable to him. The old colored servants were compelled to hide their pipes, and rid themselves of the scent of tobacco before they ventured to approach him. He detected instantly the fumes of one hid anywhere in the vicinity of his house."
This copper tobacco box was donated to the PHMF by Margaret Henry Ottarson (1911-1981), a great-great-granddaughter of Patrick Henry, on December 5, 1957. Mrs. Ottarson claimed that this box belonged to Patrick Henry, but did not provide any documentation.