The Friends of Freedmen's Cemetery


"Register of Free Negroes & Mulattoes," 1809 etc.

The following record is transcribed from the original now in the manuscript collection of the University of Virginia. The register was copied into the back of a contemporary town expense ledger and is among a variety of official town records made available on microfilm as "Alexandria City Papers." The order, numbers, names, and spellings are as in the original document; corrected spellings of some surnames are provided in brackets. The numerals refer to the "No. of Return" in the original; they seem to indicate a distinct household. Some returns contain several entries, indicated by ", i.e., "ditto," beneath the number. Looking at return number 80, for instance, the aparent head of household is "Domini," almost certainly the well-respected tavernkeeper Domini (or Dominick, Dominy) Barecroft (or Bearcroft, Barcroft). Beneath his name are the names of three males, at least one of which, Ephraim, is known to be the name of one of Barecroft's children.

All but the last four entries below were compiled as a list submitted September 26, 1809. Entries 119 and 120 were added June 19, 1812. The entries newly designated 121 and 122 are undated and are found a couple of pages after the rest of the register. They are likely to be substantially later records (possibly 1820s or 1830s, but certainly pre-1847).

1. Charles Campbell

2. Nancy Waid [Wade]

3. Jenny Mason

4. Samuel Williams

5. Susannah Collins

6. Lucy

7. Cassy

8. Lucy Ann

9. Judy Watkins

10. Eleanor Tates

11. Enoch Garrett

12. Crandrass [Payne]

13. Lizza

14. Pompey

15. Rose

16. Letty Cole

17. James Carter

18. Jack Colbert

19. Terry

20. Hannah

21. Toney [Tony]

22. Nelly

23. Carolina

24. Tamer Brown

25. Lucy Harris

26. Poll & Nancy

27. Hannah Hopkins

28. Letty & Mary

29. George Colson

30. Ursula Gibbs

31. George

32. John Cole

33. Violet Day

34. Pompey Primus

35. Hannah & Amy

36. George Parker

37. Hannah Cobbert

38. Robin

39. Milly

40. Charly

41. Sally & Rob[er]t Peyton

42. James

43. Peter

44. Polly

45. Kearn Hobbett [Halbert?]

46. Randall

47. Betty Handlys [Handless]

48. Harry

49. Robert Thompson

50. Lewis Lee

51. Lucy Henry

52. Mary Nicolls [Nichols]

53. Milly & daughter Eliza

54. William Gordon

55. Sam Hanson

" Mark Hanson

" Milly Hoy

" Patty

56. Peggy & child Horace

57. George

58. James

59. Quinters [Quintus or Quanders?]

60. Grace

61. Andrew

62. Charlotte Hailstock

63. Virgin

64. Anthony Williams

65. Daniel Wells 66. Lucy

67. Sarah

68. Abram

69. Nancy Thompson

70. Samuel Culbert [Colbert]

71. Moll

72. Joseph Butler

73. Lucy Watson

74. Rachael Nicolls [Nichols]

75. Hannah

76. Daniel

77. Suckey [Sukey] & children Jane, Delia & Betsey

78. Sylvia

79. Jesse Keeler

80. Domini [Barecroft?]

" Crawley

" Ephraim

" Emanuel

81. George Edee

82. Judy

83. Sarah

84. James Nutt

85. Rocky Tate

86. Polly Butler

87. Rebecca Moxley

88. George & Rose

89. Len

90. Hannah

91. Esther Gordon

92. Nelly wife of William Gordon

93. Archibald Jackson

94. London [Payne?]

95. Nancy Cole

96. Solomon Harvy

97. Ann

" Belinda

98. Venus

99. Will

100. Jenny

101. Chloe

102. Phillis

103. Orphy

" Sally

104. Nancy Fletcher

105. Violett

106. James Morrison

107. Unisa

108. Sarah Warrick [Warwick?]

109. Thomas Jackson

110. Wall Jackson

" Polly Jackson

111. Hannah

112. Hugh Harrison

113. Ann Williams

114. Joannah Weaver

" William Weaver

115. Emanuel Weaver

116. Issable [Isabel]

117. Annie & her children Renna, Urina & Sarah

118. Charity

119. Abraham Aftys [Hafty]

120. Negro Milly

[121] James Wilson, 38, black complexion, 5'7" tall, emancipated by Mary Wallace as recorded in Prince William County, Virginia

[122] Henny Hill, 38, black complexion, 5'3" tall, emancipated by Notley Young as recorded in Washington County [DC]


Freedmen's Cemetery Historical Site Marker - E 109 Freedmen's Cemetery - Federal authorities established a cemetery here for newly freed African Americans during the Civil War. In January 1864, the military governor of Alexandria confiscated for use as a burying ground an abandoned pasture from a family with Confederate sympathies. About 1,700 freed people, including infants and black Union soldiers, were interred here before the last recorded burial in January 1869. Most of the deceased had resided in what is known as Old Town and in nearby rurual settlements. Despite mid-twentieth-century construction projects, many burials remain undisturbed. A list of those interred here has also survived.

Friends of Freedmen’s Cemetery
638 North Alfred Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
E-mail: freedmen@juno.com

Freedmen's Cemetery Logo - This logo was designed by Alexandria Archaeology Assistant City Archaeologist, Dr. Steven Shephard, in 2006. The beautifully executed final drawing was made by Alexandria Archaeology volunteer, Mr. Andrew Flora, who made a few modifications. At the center of the logo is a headboard of the design seen in historic photographs of the Alexandria National Cemetery, established at the north end of Wilkes Street in 1862. These grave markers were supplied by the U.S. Army Quartermaster Department in Alexandria and records state that this department also supplied the headboards and coffins for Freedmens Cemetery. The pine boards were whitewashed and the plot number, and presumably, the name of the deceased, and possibly the date of death, were painted in black on the headboard. The number 1864 in the logo represents the year that the cemetery was established. The black silhouette of the African American woman in the center of the board is meant to represent the people, the Freedmen, who were buried at the cemetery. Civilian men, women and many children were buried here, along with African American soldiers of the United States Colored Troops. The rays radiating from the top of the headboard are meant to represent the light of freedom, as well as the souls of the Freedmen ascending into heaven and their final reward. The F and C are for Freedmen's Cemetery. The surrounding broken chain wreath symbolizes the severed bonds of slavery which resulted from the American Civil War which transformed Alexandria and the nation.

April 29th, 2007