Introduction John Singleton Mosby rose from private to colonel in command of the 44th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry in the Civil War. The unit became known as Mosby’s Raiders and he as the renowned Gray Ghost, for their quick-strike guerrilla tactics, … Continue reading →
Home to the Fairfax County courthouse, Providence was known as Fairfax Court House throughout much of the 19th century and particularly during the Civil War. Providence evolved to become today’s City of Fairfax and is its Old Town center. Historic … Continue reading →
Existing pages recently updated with new information: William Marbury Fitzhugh – details of his return from Kentucky and a federal job Orange and Alexandria Railroad – added Ravensworth Station, a private depot serving the Ravensworth plantation (from research prompted by … Continue reading →
President Thomas Jefferson’s visit to Ravensworth on April 1-2, 1804 was arranged in three letters between President Jefferson and Nicholas Fitzhugh. Fitzhugh’s letter enclosed a map outlining a route leading into and part way through Ravensworth. An interpretation of that … Continue reading →
Role in Ravensworth: leaseholder in Parcel 1.1 (Payne’s several appointments to public office and voting record are compelling evidence that he had written leases rather than a mere tenant agreement, as having legal title to land was a qualification for … Continue reading →
From May 1807 and until his death in 1861, William Gooding, Jr. maintained a license from the Fairfax County Court to operate an ordinary – a place of hospitality and lodging. The tavern was in his house on land owned … Continue reading →
The Orange and Alexandria Railroad was one of the earlier American railroads. The first section was completed between 1850 and 1854 connecting Alexandria through Orange to Gordonsville, Virginia. Building the line required right of way through several miles of Ravensworth … Continue reading →
Role in Ravensworth: being deceased, Parcel 1.1.4.5 inherited by his son (The information presented here has been pieced together primarily from court cases. It establishes a tie between the Fitzhugh family and an important figure in America’s history – William … Continue reading →
Role in Ravensworth: leaseholder in Parcel 1.1 – 205 acres The information presented here was developed primarily from research generously shared by Mari Gussin, a Hollis family descendant. John Hollis married Esther Canterbury whose parents, Samuel and Mary (Simpson) Canterbury, … Continue reading →
Six Fitzhugh Family biographical sketches have been added for fourth and fifth generation inheritors of Ravensworth land. The time period was the transition into the 19th century, when the new American government under the new constitution was building and moving … Continue reading →