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.
Frederick Malling Pedersen (1869–1947) was a professor of mathematics at City College of New York and a collector of Japanese arms and armor.
Benjamin Smith Lyman (1835–1920) was a noted American geologist and mining engineer who consulted in the U.S. and internationally. He is well-known for his work in Japan in the 1870s when he was hired by the Meiji government to survey Hokkaido and teach new techniques to Japanese geologists. His travels inspired his appreciation and interest in Japanese culture, which he brought back to the U.S., publishing the two works on Japanese swords mentioned in Mr. Pedersen’s letter. Lyman shared this interest in Japanese weaponry with Edward Gilbertson (1813–1904), a retired English banker and collector who published works on Japanese culture and art. Lyman moved from Massachusetts to Philadelphia in 1887, when he became Assistant Geologist of Pennsylvania. In 1888, he became a member of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia, through which he may have become acquainted with Charles Hamilton, also a member.
The Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation purchased this letter from an online seller in May 2004 as part of the collection of correspondence.