In May 1758 William Payne, Sr. leased from Henry Fitzhugh (Colonel) “six acres more or less” on Accotink Run for a mill. The 99-year lease required “the yearly rent of one peppercorn on every feast of the Nativity of our … Continue reading →
Several pages posted since the last progress report present information not generally available elsewhere. These include profiles of Richard Henry Fitzhugh and his son William Marbury Fitzhugh – and their connection to William Marbury of the landmark Marbury v. Madison … Continue reading →
Role in Ravensworth – owner parcels 1.1.3.3, 1.1.3.5, 1.1.6.6 and 1.1.6.8.1 William Gooding, Jr. was born in Fairfax county into a family of six brothers and one sister. The son of William Gooding, his mother is unknown. In 1782 his … 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 Gooding family is notable both for the large share of Ravensworth it acquired and for its role in local history during the first half of the 19th century. A little bit is known about several family members. These glimpses … Continue reading →
William Gooding, Jr. claimed he had never “…seen a railroad, though living within sound of the whistle ten years.”1 Yet a railroad right of way ran through his property near his house and tavern on Little River Turnpike. That railroad … 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 →
The 2nd Partition divided two 11,000+-acre parcels into 19 new parcels. Four of these are examined in detail: how the land was used, the chain of ownership and the parcel’s eventual division into additional smaller units. Work continues to present … Continue reading →
Chain of Ownership and Division Mordecai Fitzhugh inherited this parcel following the death of his father, Henry Fitzhugh (Colonel), in 1783. In July 1798, he and his brother Giles Fitzhugh sold/exchanged their Ravensworth lands with Giles receiving this parcel. It … Continue reading →
Richard Lane received a license “to keep an Ordinary at his house” in April 1800. Lane’s location was marked on the “Alexandria Road” on the 1792 survey plat that divided Parcel 1.1. The location appears to have been about the … Continue reading →