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Line 35: ==Early life and struggles (1736–1759)== Henry was born at [[Birthplace of Patrick Henry|Studley]], the family farm, in [[Hanover County, Virginia|Hanover County]] in the [[Colony of Virginia]], on May 29, 1736.<ref name=a>Thad Tate, "Henry, Patrick", ''[[American National Biography Online]]'', February 2000.</ref> His father was John Henry, an immigrant from [[Aberdeenshire]], Scotland, who had attended [[King's College, Aberdeen|King's College]], before emigrating to the [[Colony of Virginia]] in the 1720s.{{sfn|Meade|pp=13–18}} Settling in Hanover County Henry attended a local school until about the age of 10. There was then no academy in Hanover County, and he was tutored at home by his father.{{sfn|Kidd|p=9}} The young Henry engaged in the typical recreations of the times, such as music and dancing, and was particularly fond of hunting.{{sfn|Kidd|p=12}} Since the family's lands and slaves would for the most part pass to his older half-brother John Syme Jr., Henry needed to make his own way in the world.{{sfn|Mayer|p=32}} At the age of 15, Henry became a clerk for a local merchant, and a year later opened a store with his older brother William. The store was not successful.<ref name = "a" /> | |||