The Haley (also spelled Halley, pronounced Holly) Family Cemetery is located in the Fairfax Villa subdivision off of Ox Road (Route 123). The Haleys’ ancestors immigrated from England.
Earlier surveys record that the cemetery had two markers:. one for James Haley Sgt 1st Va REGT. (Virginia Infantry) and a partial marker for —— daughter, of _____ & Elizabeth. The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) placed a military style memorial for James there in 1937 as recorded in the Fairfax Herald of September 24, 1937 on page 1.
Family members describe the possibility of many family members being buried there. Brian Conley’s survey report noted 12 grave depressions in the cemetery. In November 2010, the surveyor could not gain access inside the cemetery. The stone wall and the surrounding area of the cemetery were thick with brush, fallen trees and thorns. Pictures were taken from outside of the cemetery.
Tracing Haley Family Members Service in the Revolutionary War
According to Virginia Revolutionary Pension Applications Volume Fifty by Dorman, teenager Henry Simpson Haley enlisted as a volunteer in the the latter part of 1780 and served under Marquis de Lafayette in the neighborhood of Williamsburg and Richmond.
According to family research, when Henry Simpson Haley’s brother, James Haley married Elizabeth Simpson, James had a log home and operated a small farm of 120 acres. They had twelve children; one was named James. By the time of James’ (the father) death in 1792, he owned several plantations and many slaves.
The Alexandria Gazette’s 1822 obituary for James Haley stated he died August 25, aged 91 and described him as an “old disciple and a useful and respected member of the Baptist Church at Backlick.” One of James and Elizabeth’s sons, James, according to DAR Genealogical Research databases, was born in 1732 and served as a sergeant in the Fairfax County Virginia Infantry. Surveyors believe that this James Haley was the Revolutionary soldier identified and recognized by the DAR in 1937.
Mistaken Identity-Mistaken War
In 1967, a Fairfax County high school student completed research on the background of the grave marker for James Haley. He researched the wars of 1812 through the Civil War and did not find conclusively “THE” James Haley of the Haley cemetery. According to his research, a James H. Halley or Holley served with Co. E. – 27th Va. Infantry and 6th Va Infantry, enlisting at Lewinsville. He was discharged as a sergeant.
A Girl Scout troop of Fairfax City cleaned the cemetery in 1971 and received recognition in the Virginia Sentinel; the headline read “Scouts uncover Rebels’ graves”.
Searching Civil War records has not produced any James Haley or James Halley or a First Virginia Regiment in the Civil War. (See link below for history of the First Virginia Regiment.) Current research indicates that a Richard Thomas Halley did serve in the Confederacy. Richard, son of Henry S. Halley, served as a private with Co A., 49th Va. Inf. and was killed in 1862 at the battle of Seven Pines, Virginia.
Some of this confusion is understandable because there were at least three generations of James Haleys (Halleys).
Rumors of Gold !!
At the beginning of the Civil War, Henry H. Halley (grandfather of Richard Thomas) was known to have hidden $900 in gold on his land. He owned 1030 acres. The following generation indicated that the hidden gold was to be shared by Henry’s children. No information was given as to whether the children knew the location of the gold or whether they ever retrieved it.
Photos of Haley Family Cemetery
County Survey Record
More information about the history of the First Virginia Regiment
