Notes
This bronze grave marker was produced for the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) by M. D. Jones & Company in Boston, MA.
M. D. Jones & Co. was an iron and copper foundry specializing in decorative cast ironwork such as fountains, urns, chairs, and weathervanes. The company had created specialized grave markers since the end of the Civil War for deceased members of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, Union Navy, and the Marines who served in the Civil War.
This marker was designed for the SAR and patented on February 19, 1895. It consists of a Maltese cross surrounded by a garland, with a relief of a nameless soldier in a center circle surrounded by thirteen stars. The Maltese cross used in the SAR marker draws its inspiration from the cross used by the Order of St. Louis of France. The wreath symbolizes the laurel wreaths presented to worthy individuals by the Roman Republic. The thirteen stars represent the thirteen original colonies.
It is not known what state society or local chapter placed this marker at the head of the grave of Patrick Henry. It appears in the earliest known photograph (95.19.1) of the Henry family cemetery taken in or before 1907 during the residency of Lucy Gray Henry Harrison (1857–1944). At this time, it is assumed the marker was placed either by Lucy or by her father, William Wirt Henry (1831–1900), who was the founding president of the Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution from 1890 to 1897.
The marker was accessioned into the collection in April 2023 to ensure its continued preservation as a historical artifact.