Notes
This letter belongs to a collection of correspondence primarily from Lucy Gray Henry Harrison (1857–1944) to Stanislaus “Stan” Vincent Henkels (1854–1926) concerning a 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.
Mrs. Harrison inherited many of the family heirlooms that had belonged to Patrick Henry and many of his papers. In 1910, 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 public auction of Mrs. Harrison’s Henry papers and relics took place on December 20, 1910, at the book auction rooms of Samuel T. Freeman & Co. in Philadelphia.
A private collector from Philadelphia, Charles Lacey Hamilton (1847–1930), bought many of the items at the auction, including Thomas Sully’s (1783–1872) portrait of Henry, the silver caster set (96.1.1-6), Henry’s draft of the Stamp Act Resolves, the first draft of a 1795 letter (76.5.7) from Henry to George Washington (1732–1799), and a pair of Henry’s shoe buckles. Mr. Hamilton worked in Pennsylvania’s paper manufacturing industry, serving as president of his father’s company, W. C. Hamilton and Sons. Two letters in this collection of correspondence are addressed to him from his associates and are unrelated to the auction and the Patrick Henry items.
Mr. Hamilton was a member of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia, a nonprofit organization founded in 1857 to promote the research and collection of coins, medals, and antiques. Meetings were held six times yearly for members to share papers and exhibit artifacts. At the society’s April 1911 meeting, Mr. Hamilton exhibited the Henry relics and papers he’d purchased at the December 1910 auction. At the time of this letter’s writing in 1913, Charles Joseph Cohen (1847–1927) was Vice President of the society and served on the Committee of Publications. Mr. Cohen worked in envelope manufacturing and was involved in many historical and religious organizations.
The Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation purchased this letter from an online seller in May 2004 as part of the collection of correspondence.