Patrick Henry kept her in the cellar.

This is a story of revolutionary war patriot Patrick Henry’s first wife Sarah Shelton (1738-1775). This woman was confined to the cellar of her home by her husband Patrick Henry. Sarah Shelton Henry was thought to be insane and/or possessed by the devil. Today Sarah Shelton Henry would probably be diagnosed as suffering from postpartum depression and or puerperal psychosis. These are two types of illnesses that sometime affects women after the birth of a child. Sarah Shelton’s mental state of mind did began to decline after the birth of her last child. In fact, in a letter written to Patrick Henry’s sister from her mother stated “we feel Sarah is losing her mind after the birth of little Neddy. Most people of Virginia did not know what the Henry family had to endure day after day for three to four years. This dark secret could never be exposed. The dark secret of having your wife living her life in the cellar. These were very politically active years for Patrick Henry. He was trying to make a change for Virginia and also becoming the first governor.

I am a direct descendant of Sarah Shelton Henry’s brother, David Shelton (1736 - 1800) of Hanover County Virginia and Caswell county North Carolina. I discovered Sarah Henry while reviewing some notes of my mother’s cousin, Judge Houston Dale Shelton, a number of years ago. Judge Shelton had written these notes in 1943 from a family bible of my great-great-grandfather, Dr John B. Shelton (1824-1883). These notes started my journey to find out “who was Sarah Shelton Henry”. A distant ancestor that to my knowledge, has never been recognized as much more than the “insane wife” of Patrick Henry. I now reside in the Atlanta Georgia area not far from the Georgia mountains. Where one can truly see nature at its best.