Did I say wives? Yes. But not at the same time.

At 18 years of age, Patrick married Sarah Shelton in 1754. This was 4 or 5 years earlier than was the custom of the time. He nicknamed her “Sallie.” She was 2 years younger than Patrick. They had kind of grown up together in the same small community. Sallie was a pretty young thing with a beautiful complexion and dark brown eyes.

In talking both sets of parents into consenting to the marriage, Patrick admitted with some embarrassment, that “the passion had raced ahead of the parson!”

Patrick became a successful lawyer and the family moved to Scotchtown to raise their family. Sallie bore six children. After the 6th, she became impaired and Patrick had to have a special room made for her comfort, and hire a nurse to attend to her illness. She never recovered and passed away in 1775, just 5 weeks prior to Henry’s immortal “Give Me Liberty” speech in Richmond.

Two years later, in 1778, Patrick married Dorothea Dandridge, the granddaughter of a previous Royal Governor. He called her “Dolly.” She bore him eleven more children. Patrick’s sister once explained that “the cradle began to rock in his household when Patrick was eighteen, and it was still rocking when he died at 63!”

Patrick Henry served as Virginia’s first State Governor, and served six different terms. The people of Virginian loved him. He retired to his farm at Red Hill, and passed away before he could serve his 6th term.

A note was found with his Last Will and Testament which said: “Practice Virtue thyself, and encourage it in others.”