Name/Title
Page from Patrick Henry Account BookEntry/Object ID
07.25Description
One page from Patrick Henry's account book detailing expenses incurred on behalf of the estate of Mrs. Anne Christian, Henry's deceased sister. The accounts are written on a page of legal size with five lined columns. They are in the hand of Patrick Henry in dark ink which has faded to a brown color. The front of the page is titled "Mrs. Anne Christian of Kentucky." It describes expenses going out of Henry's account. The far left column records dates of transactions and has dates from early 1790 through July 1791. The middle column records descriptions of each expense, most of which relate to the needs of Anne Christian's children. Each description starts with "To." The three columns on the right record the price of each transaction in pounds. The values are tallied and totaled in the bottom right corner of the page: "269.18. 4 1/2."
The name "Patrick Henry" has been written in pencil in another hand below the accounts at the bottom of the first page. Taped below the account page is a typed statement describing it: "Henry (Patrick). Leaf from the Account of Patrick Henry, written entirely in his Autograph. 2pp. folio, The itemized bill of Mrs. Anne Christian of Kentuchey, with various dates and prices." The page has several dark stains and smears but is clear and legible.
The back of the page has a record of money coming into Henry's account. The writing at the top has been marked out. The accounts are titled "contra" and all begin with "By," describing accounts coming in. The accounts pick up about halfway down the page and continue for nine entries dated between 1790 and 1791. These accounts are not tallied. The writing from the obverse side of the page is visible.
29 Mrs. Anne Christian of Kentucky
1790 To Amount of sundry brot. From page 25 £166. 10 8
Feby 25 To sundry goods delivd. ? Daughter Betsey) ---- 7. 10. 6 L
1790 from Martin Smith's thou-----------
Jany 30 To Do. delivd. Do. from Mr. Smiths----- 4. 5. 6
To 1 pr. shoes for betsey 6/--| Do. for Charles 6/-- ---12 --
To I Do. for Dolly. 4/6. 1 Do. for Johnny 6/-... --- 10 - 6
To 2./ ydrs. Linen @ 3/6 8/9. 3 "___" osn. 5/6 ----- ---14. 3
April 30 To Cash paid to Keron for z. 3 Bill in favor)---
Of John Taylor "___"of"A_ g_a"--------- --- 66. 0. 0
4 Dollar
June 7th To Cash paid Mr. Morris for teaching the children 01. 4 --
To Cash delivered Mr. Wood to buy Linen for Sally 21. 8 --
To 5 yds Virga. Cloth for yound our clothes-. -- 15 --
To 1 pair shoes for each of the 4 girls
from M. Smiths ----------------} 1 -8 6
To 6 yds ornad. @ 1/4 ----- -- 8---
22 To 9 yds white Linen from T Wahons @ 3/6 --11 11 6
July 1 To 47 yds Cloth Duran. @ 2/10 ---- -- 12 -9
To 4 yds Linen @ 2/5. “__ ___ ____” 1/ --- -- 10 4
5 To Cash delivered Sarah & Elizabeth yr Daughters
when going from P. Edward to Amherst & Botetourt 3---0 -
to pay their expenses & purchase necessarys
10 Dollars ---- ----------- -----------
Oct.} To 7 yds german Oyn. @ ¼ -----------
For Sarah To 3 yds virginia Cloth @ 2/6 ---
& Charles To 3 yds red coarse cloth @ 3/6 -------- 10 6
To 9 yds ^ fine Sheeting- for John ny' Shirt @ 3/9.- --7 6
Dec. 22 To Cash for Sally, Betsey, & Annies traveling
Expenses from Botetourt to P. Edward------- ) -- 1 10 --
To 2 yds virga. Cloth 5/- 6 yds Donlaps for Johnny 15/- 1 -- --
To 3 yds Coating for a____ is for Do-- @8/-- 1 4 --
To I Hat for Do. 6/8 making clothes & shirts for Do. 20/ 1. 6. 8
To shoe & ___b__h_ler for Do. 4/ 1 Pr. shoes for Do. 5/-- -9 --
To 4 yds blue plain 10/8 shoes & Stockings for}
Two Servants-12/6 - 1_2_6
1791 To 4 yds Irish Linen @ 2/6 2 Blacksmith 2/- 12 --
Jan 5 To I par. Shoes for Annie & Dolly each one- 10-
To 1 pr. Slippers for Sally --6 8
To 1 pr. Leather shoes for Betsey 6/ 1p. calico for Sally 7/6 13 6
To 1 ib. pins 5/. Needles 1/- 3 yds _us ian 10/- for Jn. --- 16---
To making _us ian for Jn. 3/1 2 Leather bl [numbers crossed out] --- 5 ---
July 10 To 1 pr. Calico shoes for Sally - - 6 8______
£ 269. 18.4 ½
[Reverse]
Contra
By _orhs _ all and
Contra __.
1790 By 8 Ib. Butter ---- @ 9 d ------ --- 6 ---
By 20 Ib. Do. ---@ ----- --- 15 ---
Jube 5 By 35 lb. Butter----@ --- 9 d-- 1 6 3
By 44 lb. Butter----@ ---9d.- -- 1 13 --
By 14 lb. Butter ----@ ----9d. ----10 6
By 26./ Ib Butter ----@----9d. -- 1 -- --
By 60 Ib. Butter ----@---9d. 2 -5 ---
By 3 Bushels Wheat -----@ --- 5/ --- 15 -
791 Jan 3 By gold 3.1-9-- Silver 7/6 ------ 3. 9. 3Collection
Patrick & Dorothea Henry CollectionMade/Created
Date made
1790 - 1791Time Period
18th CenturyDimensions
Width
13-3/4 inLength
7-3/4 inProvenance
Notes
This document is a page torn from the account book of Patrick Henry. It was started in 1790 and contains entries up through 1791. The top of the page is titled "Mrs. Anne Christian" and the accounts record transactions mainly relating to the needs of Mrs. Christian's children Sally, Betsey, Annie, Dolly and Johnny.
Anne Henry Christian was Patrick Henry's sister. He was close friends with both her and her husband Colonel William Christian. After the death of William Christian in 1786, Anne Christian brought her children from their home in the Kentucky back-country to Virginia. She lived in Virginia near Patrick Henry until her death during the winter of 1790-1791 after a trip to the West Indies for her health. Patrick Henry became the executor of her estate and the legal guardian of her son Johnny. Her daughters came under the guardianship of Mrs. Christian's brother-in-law Judge Caleb Wallace. The girls returned west to the care of Judge Wallace in 1792. Their married sister Mrs. Priscilla Christian Bullitt also lived in Kentucky near Caleb Wallace.
This account page records expenses incurred by Patrick Henry on behalf of his orphaned nephew and nieces. They were most probably all living with him or at least financially dependent on him until Caleb Wallace was able to take over the guardianship of the Christian girls in 1792. As temporary guardian and executor of the Christian estate, Henry would have kept detailed accounts of the expenses relating to these children. Other pages in Henry's account book also relate to the Christian children and their estate. See the attached media files for transcriptions of these account pages.
This page was torn from Patrick Henry's account book at an unknown time. In the 1920's Spencer Guy Thorpe bought this page from an unknown seller. Spencer Guy Thorpe was the third great-grandson of Patrick Henry and Sarah Shelton through their daughter Anne Henry Roane. The page passed down to Dr. Maner Thorpe, the grandson of Spencer Guy Thorpe. Dr. Maner Thorpe tried to return the page to the original account book of Patrick Henry held by the Library of Virginia. These negotiations were never completed.
Dr. Thorpe was already a member of the Patrick Henry Descendants' Branch of the PHMF. Through this association he was acquainted with Edith Poindexter, former curator at Red Hill. In September, 2007 Dr. Thorpe donated this page to the PHMF in honor of Edith Poindexter whom he described as "the voice of Red Hill."