Annie Henry Christian

Annie Christian Henry (1738–May 4, 1790) was a colonial pioneer who documented the journey with her husband William Christian and their children westward to Kentucky. Her brother was Patrick Henry, the governor of Virginia. Her sister, Elizabeth Henry Campbell Russell, was a Methodist lay leader. Her letters to family, friends, and business associates provide insight into westward movement of the 18th century America and life in the wilderness. Like Martha Washington and Catharine Flood McCall, she was a rare business woman, whose success was based upon slave labor. They had feme sole status of widows or single women who were able to operate businesses, manage finances, and enter into contracts. Early life Annie Henry, the daughter of Sarah Winston Syme Henry and John Henry, was born in Hanover County, Virginia in 1738. John, Sarah's second husband, was an immigrant from Scotland. Of their eleven children, nine survived into adulthood. Patrick Henry, the governor of Virginia, was her brother. Elizabeth Henry Campbell Russell, a Methodist lay leader, was her sister. She was home-schooled by her parents, and was an articulate writer. Annie was close to her brother Patrick, who introduced her to his friend William Christian. William studied law under Patrick. Marriage Annie Henry married William Christian in early 1768, becoming Annie Henry Christian. William was from a wealthy Irish family. He served in the French and Indian War, was a landholder, and a politician who held public offices. The Christians lived in the Roanoke River Valley in what was Botetourt County in 1770. They lived near her sister-in-law Anne Christian Fleming, who became a life-long friend and correspondent. In 1770, they moved 35 miles to the southwest to Mahanaim in Dunkard's Bottom. The Christians had one son and five daughters born between 1770 and 1785: Sarah (Sally), Priscilla (Prissie), Anne, John (Johnnie), Dorothea (Dolly), and Elizabeth (Betsy).