| The marriage of Patrick Henry and Sarah
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| | plantation. For her own protection, she
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| Shelton in 1754 certainly got off to a
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| | was confined to a large cellar room
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| good start. Her parents provided them
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| | which, no doubt, worsened her condition
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| both with a fine dowry including a
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| | although her family ensured that it was
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| 600-acre tobacco farm in Virginia called
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| | as comfortable as possible.
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| Pine Slash, a house, and six slaves.
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| | Sarah eventually died in 1775 without
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| Patrick's early attempt at becoming a
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| | ever having recovered her sanity and she
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| gentleman farmer ended due to a
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| | was buried in an unmarked grave on the
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| disastrous drought in Virginia and a fire
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| | plantation. Her death hit her husband
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| in 1757 that destroyed their house.
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| | hard and when he made his famous "Give me
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| Patrick sold the slaves and used the
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| | liberty or give me death" one month
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| profits to open a store which also
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| | later, it was likely that the memory of
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| failed. Despite these setbacks, his
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| | his dead wife made it especially
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| self-taught law skills and talent for
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| | poignant. He would later remarry and his
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| oratory earned him public attention and
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| | stature as a politician would ensure him
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| launched him on a political career.
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| | a permanent place in U.S. history but
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| Patrick later purchased a new plantation
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| | there is little to mark Sarah's life
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| and all seemed to be well, except...
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| | except as a footnote in her husband's
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| By 1771 and after the birth of her sixth
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| | biography.
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| child, Sarah's mental health had
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| | For generations after Sarah's death,
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| deteriorated rapidly. Diagnosis on the
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| | families with mentally ill members would
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| basis of historical accounts is always a
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| | be forced to make the same harsh choices
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| tricky business and the exact nature of
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| | that her family did. Spontaneous
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| her illness is open to debate
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| | recovery from mental illness rarely
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| (post-partum depression is one
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| | occurred, especially in the cramped,
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| possibility) What is not in debate is
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| | underserved hospital settings that most
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| that Sarah was no longer able to care for
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| | mental patients were forced to endure.
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| herself or her children. For families
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| | It wasn't until the late twentieth
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| with mentally ill members, there were few
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| | century that effective treatment would
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| options in those days. While the colony
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| | make hospitals into something more than a
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| of Virginia had a lunatic asylum in
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| | place to warehouse those considered too
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| operation, the standard of care for
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| | insane to be accommodated in society.
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| inmates left much to be desired.
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| | While the stigma of mental illness
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| Treatment was nonexistent and it was
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| | continues and downsizing of psychiatric
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| primarily a place where the mentally ill
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| | services means that too many of the
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| could be held against their will (and out
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| | mentally ill are wandering the
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| of sight). Placing Sarah in such an
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| | streets,we've hopefully moved somewhat
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| institution was not an option for Sarah's
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| | beyond the era of madwomen locked in
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| family and she would spend the rest of
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| | cellars. At least, in this part of the
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| her life being cared for on the family
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| | world.
|
