Dorothea Spotswood (Dandridge) Winston (1757 - 1831)

Born 25 Sep 1757 in Hanover County, Colony of Virginia

Ancestors

Wife of Edmund Winston — married 11 Jun 1802 in Charlotte, Virginia, United States

Descendants

Died 14 Feb 1831 at age 73 in Halifax, Virginia, United States

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Biography

This profile is part of the Dandridge Name Study.

The very first First Lady of VA. Daughter of Nathaniel West Dandridge b. 07 Sep 1729 and Dorothea Spotswood b. 1733. Cousin of Martha Dandridge Washington, wife of George Washington.

WINSON, Dorothea, wife of the late Edmund WINSTON, died in Halifax Co., Va., Feb. 15, 1831 She was formerly the wife of the celebrated Patrick HENRY.

(Note different dates 15th & 10th)

Lynchburg Virginian (Lynchburg, Va.) Died- On Feb. 10th, in Halifax Co., at her daughter's (Mrs. Sarah B. Scott), in her 74th year, Mrs. Dorothea Winston, widow of Judge Edmund Winston & of Patrick Henry. She was descended from the Dandridge family of Hanover Co.. She married Patrick Henry in 1777. issue of Mon., Feb 28,

In her obituary, DOROTHEA SPOTSWOOD DANDRIDGE HENRY WINSTON was acclaimed to be “of the ancient Dandridge family.” Yes, she was of this “ancient family,” but more than that, she lived in one of the most important eras of United States history and was “up to the task” as the expression goes!

Dorothea “Dolly” was born, 25 September 1757 (FAG lists 1755, but the Dandridge family Bible records 1757) ^[1][2][3]to Nathaniel West Dandridge (b 7 Sept 1729) and his wife, Dorothea Spotswood (b1733) in Hanover County, Virginia, and the grand-daughter of colonial Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood (c. 1676 – 6 June 1740). ^[4] Spending her early life on a thriving plantation, she had frequent contact with “movers and shakers” of the growing rebellion against English tyranny. Indeed, she and George Washington’s wife, Martha Dandridge Custis were cousins.

On 09 Oct 1777, soon after her twentieth birthday, she married Patrick Henry, whose first wife had died in 1775. After he was elected to his second term as first governor of the newly independent commonwealth of Virginia, Young Dorothea Spotswood Dandridge Henry played her role as the first FIRST LADY of the Commonwealth of Virginia with tact and grace. Also, she took over the role of mother of the children by Henry's first marriage, some of whom were almost as old as she. Dorothea appears to have been accepted and well-liked as a stepmother. She and Henry had eleven children together:

1. Sarah Butler b. 1780 who married Alexander Scott;
2. Martha Catherina b. 1781 who married Edward Henry;
3. Patrick Jr. b. 1783 who married Elvira Cabell;
4. Fayette b. 1785 who married Anne Elcan;
5. Alexander Spotswood b. 1788 who married Pauline Cabell;
6. Dorothea Spotswood b. 1788 who married George Winston;
7. Nathaniel West b. 1790 who married Virginia Woodson;
8. Richard b. 1792 d. 1793;
9. Edward Winston b. 1794 who married Jane Yuille;
10. John b. 1796 who married Elvira McClelland (both buried at this cem.); and
11. Jane Robertson Henry b. 1798 d. 1798 (buried at this cem).

Henry had already purchased Leatherwood plantation, where he grew tobacco and practiced law in what was to become Henry County. After completing his second term as governor in 1779 he and Dorothea moved there. ^[5]

Red Hill plantation

In 1794, they retired to Red Hill Plantation, comprising 520 acres (2.1 km2) in Charlotte County, which was also a functioning tobacco plantation.

After Patrick Henry's death (6 June 1799), twenty-two years after they were married, Dorothea, with 17 children (6 from Patrick's first marriage to Sarah Shelton), married Judge Edmund Winston who was Patrick Henry's executor and first cousin; they lived in "Huntingtour" in Nelson County, Virginia. She may have married the executor since Patrick Henry's will stated that if Dorothea remarried, all the land and slaves would be inherited by his surviving children.

She died 14 Feb 1831 at age 73 at “Seven Islands” in Halifax County, Virginia. Because of inclement weather, she was initially buried at “Seven Islands”; she was subsequently re-interred at “Red Hill” beside Patrick Henry, in Henry Cemetery. ^[6][7]

Parents and Siblings

Husband: Capt Nathaniel West Dandridge (1729 - 1786)

Wife: Dorothea Spotswood (1733 - 1773

1. Martha Dandridge
2. William Alexander Dandridge
3. Alexander Spotswood Dandridge
4. Dorothea Spottswood Dandridge
5. Nathaniel West Dandridge
6. Elizabeth Dandridge
7. Anna Catharina Dandridge
8. Agnes Dandridge
9. Mary Claiborne Dandridge

Marriage Date of parents: 18 Jun 1747

Marriage Place of parents: Hanover, Virginia, United States

Miscellaneous Events

Event: First met future husband at "Gold Mine".

Event: Romantically involved with John Paul [Jones]; her father ended it.

Event: Per court clerk, marriage date is 8 Oct 1777.

Event: Buried at "Red Hill" with her first husband, Patrick Henry.

From Findagrave.com

Dorothea Dandridge Henry

Birth: 1755 Hanover County, Virginia; Death: 14 Feb 1831 (aged 75–76) Halifax County, Virginia, USA; Burial: Henry Cemetery, Aspen, Charlotte County, Virginia, USA. Memorial #: 8320.

Bio: Wife of Patrick Henry, orator & US Patriot.∼The very first First Lady of VA. Daughter of Nathaniel West Dandridge b. 07 Sep 1729 and Dorothea Spotswood b. 1733. Cousin of Martha Dandridge Washington, wife of George Washington. She married on 09 Oct 1777, Patrick Henry (buried at this cem.); they had 11 children: Sarah Butler b. 1780 who married Alexander Scott; Martha Catherina b. 1781 who married Edward Henry; Patrick Jr. b. 1783 who married Elvira Cabell; Fayette b. 1785 who married Anne Elcan; Alexander Spotswood b. 1788 who married Pauline Cabell; Dorothea Spotswood b. 1788 who married George Winston; Nathaniel West b. 1790 who married Virginia Woodson; Richard b. 1792 d. 1793; Edward Winston b. 1794 who married Jane Yuille; John b. 1796 who married Elvira McClelland (both buried at this cem.); and Jane Robertson Henry b. 1798 d. 1798 (buried at this cem).The family's last home was called "Red Hill" Plantation in Charlotte Co., VA. After Patrick Henry's death, Dorothea. with 17 children (6 from Patrick's first marriage to Sarah Shelton), married Judge Edmund Winston who was Patrick Henry's executor and first cousin; they lived in "Huntingtour" (Huntington?) in Nelson Co., VA.

Family Members: Spouse: Patrick Henry (1736-1799); Children: Dorothea Spotswood Henry Winston (1778-1854), Patrick Henry (1783-1804), Fayette Henry (1785-1812), Alexander Spotswood Henry (1788-1854), Nathaniel Henry (1790-1851), John Henry (1796-1868), Jane Robertson Henry (1798-1798).^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.redhill.org/patrick-henry/patrick-henrys-family/
2. ↑ https://mailchi.mp/redhill/december-2023-e-newsletter?e=fb023ddddc
3. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8320/dorothea-spotswood-henry
4. ↑ They had been married on 18 June 1747 in Hanover County, Virginia. https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/guides/marriage-records/search.asp
5. ↑ Dorothea Dandridge, in Rootsweb, per Anne D. Babin (Mrs. Alan Babin) DAR Nat'l #488252, 30 Jan 1999
6. ↑ Find A Grave.com, Record added 27 Jan 2000. Find A Grave: Memorial #8320 Dorothea Dandridge Henry: Memorial ID: 8320
7. ↑ Memorial8320
8. ↑ Maintained by Find A Grave (8), “Dorothea Dandridge Henry,” Findagrave.com. Record added 26 Jan 2000. URL: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8320/dorothea-henry. Accessed 11 August 2019.

Death Notices from Richmond Virginia Newspapers 1821-1840 (Virginia Genealogical Society, 1987;).

George A. Martin & Frank J. Metcalf; Indexed by Margaret Elliott Higgins, Marriage & Death Notices From The National Intelligencer 1800-1850 (Published Washington, DC; National Genealogical Society; 1976; NGS Special Publication No. 41), issue of (March 2, 1831).

See also:

• Anon., “Dorothea Dandridge Henry”, Find A Grave.com, Record added 27 Jan 2000. URL: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8320

• Anon. “Leatherwood Plantation.” Wikipedia.org URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leatherwood_Plantation

• Anon. “Patrick Henry,” Wikipedia.org. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Henry

• Eldridge, William Henry. Henry Genealogy: The descendants of Samuel Henry of Hadley and Amherst, Mass., 1734-1790, and Lurania (Cady) Henry, his wife; published online by Google Books, 2009; original publisher: Press of T.R. Marvin & Son, 1915. Source S120: Type: Book

• Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com.

• Maintained by Find A Grave (8), “Dorothea Dandridge Henry,” Findagrave.com. Record added 26 Jan 2000. URL: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8320/dorothea-henry. Accessed 11 August 2019.

Acknowledgments

• Arik Russell, Vicki Norman, Dandridge-39 was created on 18 March 2011 through the import of knox17032011.ged, indygrandma.ged on 02 January 2011.

• Dandridge-9] was created through the import of Morris_gedcom.ged on 11 June 2010; adopted by Bairfield-1 23:22, 12 February 2014 (EST)