Notes
This envelope belongs to a collection of correspondence primarily from Lucy Gray Henry Harrison (1857–1944) to Stanislaus “Stan” Vincent Henkels (1854–1926) concerning a proposed sale of Patrick Henry family heirlooms in 1910. Mrs. Harrison was Patrick Henry's great-granddaughter and the last Henry descendant to own and live at Red Hill. She grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and moved to Duluth, Minnesota, after marrying real estate millionaire Matthew Bland Harrison (1853–1892) in 1886. In 1905, she inherited Red Hill and moved onto the property, where she lived along with her sister, Elizabeth Watkins Henry Lyons (1855–1920), and her assistant, Elizabeth H. Kerper (1890–1964).
Mrs. Harrison inherited many of the family heirlooms that had belonged to Patrick Henry and many of his papers. In 1910, on the advice of Philadelphia neurologist and writer Dr. Weir Mitchell (1829–1914), she contacted Stan V. Henkels about a possible private sale or public auction of some of these pieces. Mr. Henkels was an antique dealer in Philadelphia well-known for his auctions and private sales to collectors. The correspondence from Mrs. Harrison to Mr. Henkels details their business negotiations from May 1910 leading up to the sale of the items in Philadelphia on December 20, 1910. It also includes letters concerning a settling of accounts between them up through February 1911.
From 1908 to 1913, Mr. Henkels was the contracted auctioneer for the Philadelphia auction house Samuel T. Freeman & Co. Founded in 1805 by Tristram Bampfylde Freeman, this auction house was managed by the Freeman family for six generations. In 2023, it merged with Hindman Auctions to become Freeman’s | Hindman. The sale of Mrs. Harrison’s Henry family heirlooms took place at the book auction rooms of Samuel T. Freeman & Co. on Chestnut St. in Philadelphia.
The handwritten note on the envelope about Patrick Henry’s portrait refers to Mrs. Harrison’s defense of the Sully portrait’s provenance in her July 20 letter to Mr. Henkels (04.13.11). In response to some doubt that Mr. Henkels had about the portrait’s history, Mrs. Harrison enclosed with her letter a copied excerpt from the 1891 biography, “Patrick Henry: Life, Correspondence and Speeches,” written by William Wirt Henry (1831–1900). The excerpt describes the origins of the Sully portrait and its provenance.
The Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation purchased this envelope from an online seller in May 2004 as part of the collection of correspondence.