Penelope Barker--the Real Spitfire
“Our properties within our own territories [should not] be taxed or regulated by any power on earth but our own.” —
Thomas Jefferson, 1774 A well-to-do socialite of the Edenton, NC community, she was not blind to the abuses of the crown. In fact, having been widowed twice in her life, she was acutely aware of the cost of doing business with his Royal Highness King George. The richest woman in North Carolina, Penelope was adept at managing her household affairs and the busine