Pedro
Lived at Scotchtown, 1771-1778. His birth and death dates are unknown.
Pedro was enslaved by Patrick Henry from c.1754 to 1786. He lived with the Henry family at Scotchtown, and it is suspected that he served as a coachman and trusted servant for the family.
In October 1786 Pedro was given to Philip Aylett upon his marriage to Elizabeth (Betsey) Henry, Patrick Henry’s daughter. The Ayletts moved Pedro to their King William County plantation, about a hundred miles away from his family members still enslaved at Henry’s Prince Edward county plantation. Sometime before April 9, 1788, Pedro self-emancipated and ran away from the Aylett plantation.
Phillip Aylett placed a runaway ad for Pedro in Richmond’s Virginia Independent Chronicle newspaper, which included a detailed description of Pedro’s physical characteristics and attire. What is missing from this ad is a description of Pedro’s personality and humanity. But if we read between the lines, we can assert that Pedro cared deeply about his family, and was distraught at being separated from them. In 2024, Preservation Virginia commissioned artist Sylvio Lynch III to use this description to create a portrait of Pedro.
