Falls Church, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Henry Fairfax

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, September 28, 2014

1. Henry Fairfax Marker

Inscription. In Memory of
Henry Fairfax
An upright magistrate
A sincere Christian
Died in command of
The Fairfax Volunteers
at Saltillo Mexico 1847
But for his munificence
This church might still
have been a ruin.

Erected by the Virginia
Chapter of the National
Society of the Daughters
of Founders and Patriots
of America 1917

Erected 1917 by The Virginia Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • War, Mexican-American. A significant historical year for this entry is 1847.

Location. 38° 52.851′ N, 77° 10.295′ W. Marker is in Falls Church, Virginia. Memorial can be reached from Fairfax Street. This marker is in the yard of The Falls Church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 115 Fairfax Street, Falls Church VA 22046, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. James Wren (a few steps from this marker); To the Glory of God and in Honor of George Washington (a few steps from this marker); New York Memorial Stone at Falls Church (a few steps from this marker); Confederate Soldiers (within shouting distance of

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this marker); Enslaved People (within shouting distance of this marker); Union Soldiers (within shouting distance of this marker); The Falls Church (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named The Falls Church (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Falls Church.

More about this marker. This marker repeats the wording of an inscription on the wall of the Falls Church that was observed by Harper's Weekly in 1861.

Regarding Henry Fairfax. Henry Fairfax was the second son of Thomas, the 9th Lord Fairfax. He contributed to the restoration of the Falls Church in the 1830s. In March 1847, during the Mexican War, he organized and led a company of Falls Church volunteers who joined the Virginia Regiment of Volunteers in Mexico in May 1847. Captain Fairfax died of disease on August 16, 1847 at Saltillo. General Caleb Cushing issued an order the following day saying that “if opportunity in the field had offered, {Fairfax} would have done signal honor to his eminent ancestry, to the Service, and to his country.” Captain

Henry Fairfax Marker (reverse) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, September 28, 2014

2. Henry Fairfax Marker (reverse)

Fairfax’s remains were buried in the graveyard at Falls Church on August 3, 1848.

Also see . . . Fall's Church, Virginia, the Advanced Post of Our Army on the Potomac. NYS Library website entry:
The August 3, 1861 Harper's Weekly article that mentions the predecessor of this monument. (Submitted on October 3, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, September 28, 2014

3. Henry Fairfax Marker

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, September 28, 2014

4. Henry Fairfax Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 26, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 932 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 3, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.