Annie Henry Christian

Annie Henry Christian (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. She was home-schooled by her parents, and was an articulate writer.

They settled near present-day Louisville on Beargrass Creek in August of that year. William operated a saltworks near present-day Shepherdsville, where some of his enslaved people worked. The saltworks, located in Saltsburg or Bullitt's Lick,

In the spring and summer of 1785, there were numerous raids by Native Americans who resisted settlement by Anglo-Americans. There were attacks on travelers and settlers and horses were stolen, but it was difficult to mobilize and coordinate local militias to fight against the Native American tribes. Since Kentucky was not yet its own state, a military expedition required approval from the capital of Virginia.

In February 1786, their daughter Priscilla married Alexander Scott Bullitt, who came to the Louisville area ca. 1783.

Christian moved to the Danville, Kentucky area after her husband's death. She first stayed with Rosanna Christian Wallace and Caleb Wallace. Rosanna was William's sister. Then, she settled with her five youngest children at Cove Spring in the fall of 1786. In September 1787, she rented a plantation. She managed the family's finances to protect her children's inheritance. William Marshall Bullitt, a descendant of Priscilla Christian and Alexander Scott Bullitt, also collected Christian's letters. The collection included wills, estate records, and business records and receipts of land purchases and other financial transactions.

The Virginia Historical Society has also archived her letters. They are held in the collection of Hugh Blair Grigsby, president of the Virginia Historical Society and a collector in the 19th century. For Grigsby, the letters were particularly important because of who she wrote to, like Patrick Henry and Caleb Wallace.