Barker Family Cemetery

Here follows an excerpt from the Fairfax County Genealogical Society website:

Original Information from Volume 2 of the Gravestone Books

The wooded lot at 6628 Holford Lane in the Rolling Valley area of Springfield is the site of the Barker Family Cemetery. The burial area is down an embankment from the street. A public path into the Pohick Stream Valley Park runs along the southern edge of the site.

A survey conducted in April 1994 revealed over twenty burials, a few marked with fieldstones. One fieldstone, lying loose near the northern edge of the cemetery, bore the inscription “J. W. S., 1865.” This fieldstone could not be found when the cemetery was resurveyed in January 1995.

No Updates from Volume 6 of the Gravestone Books


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Here follows an excerpt from the West Springfield High school history webpage as published by the Fairfax County Public Schools:

Local History: The Barker Family
Farmers, Millers, and Slaveholders

Well before the creation of housing subdivisions and shopping centers, the West Springfield area, and in particular the property where West Springfield High School stands today, was owned by the Barker family. In 1741, William Barker was granted 287 acres of land along Pohick Run by Thomas, the 6th Lord Fairfax. In 1793, William sold a portion of this land to his grandson Presley Barker. Presley Barker acquired additional property in the 1830s, including the present day site of West Springfield High School. This land was formerly part of Ravensworth, a large plantation owned by the Fitzhugh family.

Ravensworth was the largest colonial land grant in Fairfax County, encompassing 24,112 acres! The property outline has been superimposed on the 1878 G.M. Hopkins Atlas of Fairfax County. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

A Home in Hidden Pond
Did you know that the Barker family home and cemetery were once located in the vicinity of Hidden Pond Nature Center? This photograph of the house is believed to have been taken around the year 1960.

The Estate of Presley Barker
In 1856, Presley Barker passed away leaving behind a widow and two children, and his estate was divided among his heirs.

This map, courtesy of the Fairfax County Circuit Court Historic Records Centers, shows parcels going to Presley Barker’s widow Charlotte, and to his children Ulam W. Barker and Willie M. Barker.

The West Springfield High School site passed to his widow Charlotte, then to their son Ulam, who further divided and sold his inheritance during the 1860s and 1880s.

Presley Barker’s Last Will and Testament and an inventory of his estate were recorded at the Fairfax County Circuit Court. These documents offer a fascinating glimpse into life on the Barker family’s farm. The first notations on the inventory are slaves. Barker held 16 enslaved individuals; 7 of whom were male, and 9 female. The oldest was Sally, age 56, and the youngest was an unnamed newborn infant of Hannah, age 29. Half of the slaves were children under the age of 12. A monetary value was assigned to each person, and four men: Charles, John, Peter and Henry were assigned a value of $1,000 each. Sally was assigned a value of $100. From the inventory we also learn that the Barkers raised livestock (horses, cows, geese, and pigs), and farmed corn, wheat and oats.