Henrietta Marie Bethune Colden (1745–1800) was a Scottish salon holder from

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

Early life

Henrietta Marie Bethune was born in Scotland in 1745 and lived in the Isle of Man before she and her husband emigrated to

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Personal life

She married Richard Nicholls Colden (1845–1777) in the Isle of Man while he was with his regiment there. Colden served for the 42nd Royal Highlanders and died in 1777. Richard was the eldest son of Elizabeth (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Nicholls) Colden and

Alexander Colden Alexander Colden (August 13, 1716 – December 12, 1774) was an American merchant and public official in Colonial New York who was the son of Cadwallader Colden. Early life Colden was born on August 13, 1716, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in wha ...

, a politician, and a grandson of

Cadwallader Colden Cadwallader Colden (7 February 1688 – 28 September 1776) was an Irish-born physician, scientist and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New York from 1760 to 1762 and again from 1763 to 1765. Early life Colden was born on 7 F ...

, a colonial governor of the

Province of New York The Province of New York was a British proprietary colony and later a royal colony on the northeast coast of North America from 1664 to 1783. It extended from Long Island on the Atlantic, up the Hudson River and Mohawk River valleys to ...

. Together, they were the parents of two sons before his death: * Cadwallader R. Colden, who became the editor of the U.S. Sporting Magazine, published in New York, in 1835–6. * Alexander Colden. After Colden's death, she returned to Scotland with her sons where they were educated at a school near

Lancaster, England Lancaster (, ) is a city in Lancashire, England, and the main cultural hub, economic and commercial centre of City of Lancaster district. The city is on the River Lune, directly inland from Morecambe Bay. Lancaster is the county town, altho ...

before returning to the United States after the Revolutionary War. In 1798, Henrietta sold a farm at

New Lots East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are roughly the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough line to the north; ...

Kings County, New York Kings or King's may refer to: *Kings: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations. *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'', an 11th-century epic Persia ...

Sir James Hall Sir James Hall of Dunglass, 4th Baronet FRS FRSE (17 January 1761 – 23 June 1832) was a Scottish geologist and geophysicist. He was a Member of Parliament for St. Michael's borough ( Mitchell, Cornwall) 1807–1812. Education Hall was born a ...

of Dunglass in Scotland.

Literary interests

Colden was known for her different literary interests. On March 14, 1783, she wrote a letter to

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

, complaining about the British Government after her husband had died from a fever in 1777. On July 16, 1792, she wrote a letter to

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806) was an American military officer, politician, bookseller, and a Founding Father of the United States. Knox, born in Boston, became a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionar ...

, the first

United States Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Sec ...

, to Kean respecting payment to the Ohio Company.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colden, Henrietta Marie Manx people 1745 births Manx salon-holders Year of death missing