Dorothea Dandridge Henry

Dorothea Spotswood Henry (née Dandridge; September 25, 1757 – February 14, 1831) was the wife of Patrick Henry. Upon their marriage while he was in office, she served as the first and sixth First Lady of Virginia during Henry's terms as governor, from 1777 to 1779 and 1784 to 1786.[1]

Dorothea Dandridge Henry
1st and 6th First Lady of Virginia
In office
December 1, 1784 – December 1, 1786
Preceded byElizabeth Harrison
Succeeded byElizabeth Randolph
In office
Oct 19, 1777 – June 1, 1779
Preceded byPosition Established
Succeeded byMartha Jefferson
Personal details
Born(1757-09-25)September 25, 1757
Hanover, Virginia, British America
DiedFebruary 14, 1831(1831-02-14) (aged 73)
Halifax County, Virginia, U.S.
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1777; died 1799)​
    ​
    (m. 1802)​
    Children11 children
    12 step-children

    Early life and education

    Born in 1748, Dorothea was the daughter of daughter of Nathaniel West Dandridge and Dorothea Spotswood.[2] She was a cousin of Martha Dandridge Washington, wife of George Washington.[3]

    Dorothea had a prominent family background. Her maternal grandfather served as Lieutenant Governor and Acting Governor of the Colony of Virginia, Alexander Spottiswood.[4] Her paternal grandfather was a British Navy Commander, Captain William Dandridge. Her paternal great-grandmother, Lady Unity West, was a great-granddaughter of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, for whom Delaware Bay, the Delaware River, and the State of Delaware were named.[4]

    First lady of Virginia
    Governor's Palace
    Governor's Palace, Governor Henry's residence in Williamsburg

    Upon her marriage to the sitting governor, Patrick Henry, 20-year-old Dorothea became the inaugural First Lady of Virginia from 1777 to 1779, during the American Revolution.[5] The marriage was regarded as a wise match that helped solidify support for Henry in the Commonwealth, especially given that Dorothea belonged to an old and prominent Virginia family.[6][7]

    Mrs. Henry lived with her husband at the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia. With the support of her cousin, Martha Washington, Mrs. Henry helped raise funds and support for the Virginia militia.[8] Dorothea has been described as serving in the role of First Lady with grace and tact.[1]

    After Henry's first term as governor, they resided at the Leatherwood Plantation in Henry County, Virginia from 1779 to 1784. In 1784, Henry returned to the governor's office, and they moved to the new capitol of Richmond, Virginia.[6]

    In 1794, they retired to the Red Hill plantation and estate, comprising 520 acres in Charlotte County.[9]

    Marriages and children

    Dorothea married Patrick Henry on October 9, 1777, at the age of 20 at Fork Church.[3] They had 11 children, but only 9 lived to adulthood.[10] Combined with the 6 children from Patrick's first marriage to Sarah Shelton, they raised a total of 15 children.[9] After Patrick Henry's death in 1799, Dorothea married Judge Edmund Winston in 1802. He was a first cousin of Henry and had been an executor of his estate.[11]

    In his will, Henry gave his wife Dorothea his Red Hill estate along with 20 enslaved workers of her choosing. He also gave her permission to free one or two of them if she desired. By 1805, she had freed at least five through manumission.[12]

    Combined with Winston's 6 children with his late wife, they had 21 children in their blended family, many of whom were adults at the time of their marriage.[13]

    Death and legacy

    Dorothea died in 1831 in Halifax County, Virginia at the age of 75.[1] She was buried at Red Hill next to her husband. The Dorothea Henry Chapter of the Virginia Daughters of the American Revolution is named in her honor.[14]

    References
    1. Death Notices from Richmond Virginia Newspapers 1821-1840, (Virginia Genealogical Society, 1987)
    2. "Founders Online: Thomas Jefferson to William Wirt, 4 September 1816". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
    3. Eldridge, William Henry (1915). Henry Genealogy: The Descendants of Samuel Henry of Hadley and Amherst, Mass., 1734-1790, and Lurana (Cady) Henry, His Wife. With an Appendix Containing Brief Accounts of Other Henry Families. Press of T.R. Marvin & Son. ISBN 978-0-608-32063-2.
    4. "Descendancy for Dorothea Spotswood: Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia's Northern Neck Counties". www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
    5. Higginbotham, Don (2001). George Washington Reconsidered. University of Virginia Press. ISBN 978-0-8139-2006-1.
    6. Hill, Patrick Henry's Red. "Full Biography". Patrick Henry's Red Hill. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
    7. Various (1993-06-01). The Debate on the Constitution: Federalist and Antifederalist Speeches, Article s, and Letters During the Struggle over Ratification Vol. 2 (LOA #63). Library of America. ISBN 978-1-59853-118-3.
    8. Côté, Richard N. (2005). Strength and Honor: The Life of Dolley Madison. Corinthian Books. ISBN 978-1-929175-09-3.
    9. Hill, Patrick Henry's Red. "Patrick Henry's Family". Patrick Henry's Red Hill. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
    10. "Founders Online: To George Washington from Patrick Henry, 16 October 1795". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
    11. Hill, Patrick Henry's Red. "Henry's Will". Patrick Henry's Red Hill. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
    12. Hill, Patrick Henry's Red. "Red Hill". Patrick Henry's Red Hill. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
    13. "Some Winston families of Virginia and North Carolina". Geneanet. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
    14. "Dorothea Henry Chapter". Virginia DAR. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
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