by Sheila Phelps Inderbitzen (Author)

Preservation Virginia says Sarah Shelton Henry lived the last few years of her life in the cellar of her home. Sarah Henry showed strong signs of severe postpartum depression and psychosis. Patrick Henry's private doctor not only found Sarah Henry living in the cellar but also found her wearing what we know today as a medical straitjacket. Mr. Henry's doctor wanted to send Sarah Henry to the new hospital in Williamsburg but Patrick Henry did not think that was the best place for his loving wife. Sarah Henry died in the cellar in 1775.