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FAIRFAX, Virginia in the 1840s: 1 through 4 of 4

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  1. The Alexandria Gazette Proclaims the Promise of the Mississippi Valley
    date March 30, 1841map FAIRFAX, Virginiatags Agriculture, Economy, Migration/Transportation

    The March 30 edition of The Alexandria Gazette of the year 1841 included an article that would prove to be extremely insightful regarding the future of the America South. It opened with the lined “Valley of the Mississippi , The balance of political power in this country will soon become firmly fixed west of the Alleghany Mountains. The influx of population is so rapid and the fertility of its...

  2. Samuel Whitall's Correspondence with Mr. J. A. Washington
    date June 16, 1842map FAIRFAX, Virginiatags Health/Death, Women

    Samuel Whitall was the overseer on the Mt. Vernon plantation, owned by the brother of President George Washington, Master John Augustine Washington. Mr. Whitall lived on a portion of the plantation known as Union Farm, and had daily correspondence with Master Washington about the state of the plantation. This included anything from daily proceedings, like crop production, to more serious matters,...

  3. Mr. Vermillion got between me and my freedom, so I killed him.
    date October 7, 1845map FAIRFAX, Virginiatags African-Americans, Crime/Violence, Law, Race-Relations, Slavery

    The inhumane murder of James T. Vermillion by a runaway slave sparked a manhunt in Fairfax County. The slave, owned by Mr. William Brawner of Prince William County, had not gotten very far when Mr. Vermillion caught him near his house, Pleasant Valley, in Fairfax County. Upon apprehending the runaway, Mr. Vermillion was going to take him to the magistrate for a proper conviction and return to his...

  4. Retrocession of Alexandria from Washington, D.C. to Become Part of Virginia
    date July 9, 1846map FAIRFAX, Virginiatags Slavery

    On July 9 Alexandria “retroceded,' or returned as a formal part of Virginia after being ceded from the state to create a portion of Washington, D.C. in the year 1790. Alexandria was home to a flourishing slave trade at this time, and Southern congressmen wanted to protect it in the face of growing pressure from Northern abolitionists to ban slavery in the nation's capital. Upon the city's retrocession...