Patrick Henry's Scotchtown

African American History at Scotchtown

We value Scotchtown’s African American community’s history and would love for you to be a part of the process of gathering more information about the Black presence at Scotchtown. If you are a descendant of Scotchtown or a member of the community and would like to share your family’s history or your knowledge of the African American history at Scotchtown, please contact us at scotchtown@preservationvirginia.org or call 804.227.3500

When Patrick Henry married Sarah Shelton, they received eight enslaved African Americans as a dowry gift. By 1768, there were ten enslaved people as part of the Henry household: Dinah, Beck, Jenny, Ben, Dick, Ben, Isaac, Pedro, Will and Tom. While records are not clear as to their specific duties, a letter from Patrick to his daughter, Patsy does refer to Ben as “serving at table.” We also know that Patrick paid the highest amount of tax for Dinah, which could indicate that she held a more skilled position, perhaps as cook, or a lady’s maid. Later records from Redhill, Patrick’s retirement home, suggest that Pedro was working as a groom.

Thus far, historians and researchers at Scotchtown have found only a few inventories, tax records and family letters that reveal some of the stories of the hundreds of people who were enslaved by the people who owned Scotchtown over the centuries. We have just begun to study the history of the Black presence here. Our goal is to build strong relationships with the descendants of this place, collect oral histories, and present the individual stories that truly highlight the African American experience at Scotchtown from 1720 to 1958.

For more in-depth information, and primary source material please send us an email at scotchtown@preservationvirginia.org