Role in Ravensworth – owner Parcel 1.1
Henry was the second surviving child and oldest son of Henry (Captain) and Susanna (Cooke) Fitzhugh.
In 1746, he married Sarah Battaile (1731-1782), daughter of John and Sarah (Taliaferro) Battaile of Caroline County. Together they had 14 children:1
- Sarah Fitzhugh (1748-1793), married Theoderick Bland of Ireland
- Henry Fitzhugh (1750-1777)
- John Fitzhugh (1751-1852), never married
- William Fitzhugh (1754-1817)
- George Fitzhugh (1756-1823)
- Susannah Fitzhugh (1757-?), married Townshend Dade of King George County
- Mary Fitzhugh (1760-1815), married Dr. (Unknown) Stuart of King George County
- Thomas Fitzhugh (1762-1843), never married; left to his brother Giles a 484-acre farm near Warrenton, VA, 10 acres of which is preserved as the Weston Farm Museum
- Nicholas Fitzhugh (1764-1814)
- Richard Fitzhugh (about 1765-1821)
- Mordecai Cooke Fitzhugh (1767-1858)
- Battaile Fitzhugh (1771-1836)
- Giles Fitzhugh (1773-1868)
- Talliaferro Fitzhugh (1774, died in infancy)
Henry’s military rank of Colonel denotes his position in the Stafford County militia. Appending “Colonel” to his name helps distinguish him from others named Henry in the Fitzhugh family.
As the oldest son, Henry inherited extensive properties when his father died in 1753, including the 11,000-acre north half of Ravensworth (Parcel 1.1) and the family seat, Bedford Plantation. From Bedford he managed his extensive holdings, including leasing to tenants on Ravensworth.
At his death in 1783, Henry’’s will divided his half-share of Ravensworth among his five youngest sons: Nicholas, Richard, Mordecai, Battaile and Giles.
- The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol 7 (1900) (Virginia Historical Society), p. 425 (Google Books); Maddy McCoy, “Genealogical Research for Fairfax County, Virginia Slavery Inventory Database,” Slavery Inventory Database, LLC, http://www.slaveryinventorydatabase.com/, (Unpublished manuscript, 2009). ↩