Lake Ridge in Prince William County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The Chinn Family

Photographed by Phyllis Prats, February 11, 2007

1. The Chinn Family Marker

Inscription. Near this site lived six generations of the Chinn family, one of Prince William County’s early African-American families. The family traces its heritage to Nancy, a slave born in 1794 on the William Roe farm in Fauquier County. William Roe’s nephew, Henry Fielder Roe, who owned land near present-day Lake Ridge, eventually became the owner of Nancy and her children through inheritance. One of Nancy’s daughters, Mary Jane, married Thomas Chinn, another slave, and they had eight sons. After Emancipation, the Chinns bought several hundred acres of land along Telegraph and Davis Ford Roads (now Minnieville Road). They built homes in the area known as Agnewville, or sometimes known as Chinntown. The family has a long history of service to the County. John Chinn owned a general store, and Robert and William Chinn donated land on which Mt. Olive Baptist Church stands. Several Chinns are buried in that church’s cemetery.

Erected by Prince William County Historical Commission. (Marker Number 28.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites

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• Industry & Commerce • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Virginia, Prince William County Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1794.

Location. 38° 40.607′ N, 77° 16.612′ W. Marker is in Lake Ridge, Virginia, in Prince William County. It is at the intersection of Minnieville Road (Local Route 640) and Old Bridge Road (Local Route 641), on the right when traveling north on Minnieville Road. It is at the end of the bus stops of the park-and-ride lot across from Tackett's Mill Shopping Center. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Woodbridge VA 22192, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area,

in Northern Virginia,

and in the Piedmont.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 12, 2009

2. The Chinn Family Marker

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: James John McCoart (approx. ¼ mile away); Mary Williams (approx. ¼ mile away); Donna Randall "Randi" Reid (approx. ¼ mile away); K. Jack Kooyoomian, Ph.D. (approx. ¼ mile away); Lillie Gallman Jessie (approx. ¼ mile away); Deloris Hampton (approx. ¼ mile away); Washington’s First Journey to the Frontier (approx. ¼ mile away); Trevor Blake (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lake Ridge.

Additional keywords. Tacketts Mill