Lexington was the Fairfax County home of George Mason V and Elizabeth “Betsey” Mary Ann Barnes Hooe Mason. The household inventory and will records provide a significant, though enslaver-created, source for researching people held there in the 1790s.

LocationFairfax County, Virginia
EstablishedLand received in 1774
Associated surnameMason
Related siteGunston Hall

Historical outline

George Mason V received part of the roughly 5,500-acre Gunston Hall tract in 1774. Gunston Hall's research archive states that Lexington's mansion was probably built after Mason returned from Europe in 1783. At his death in 1796, the operation included Lexington and four quarters: Dogue's Neck, Pohick, Occoquan and Hallowing Point.

The 1796 will and 1797 inventory are central sources for reconstructing this community. The inventory counted about 115 enslaved people across the five locations, with approximately 40 recorded at Lexington itself.

People named in the records

Names associated with Lexington in the restored source trail include Sarah, Phillis, George, Betty, Cooke, Charles, Jerry, Jacob and Lewis. The estate inventory records additional first names and valuations. These documents reflect the language and priorities of an enslaver's estate; they should be read alongside later records that may preserve surnames, family relationships and self-reported identities.

Research caution: a repeated first name can refer to different people, and an inventory location may reflect where someone was counted rather than a permanent residence. Match names with ages, family groups, occupations and subsequent records.

Research path

  1. Compare the 1796 will with the full 1797 estate inventory and its location headings.
  2. Trace transfers to George Mason V's heirs through Fairfax County probate and deed records.
  3. Search tax lists, church registers, manumission records and post-emancipation censuses for name and family continuity.

Sources and further reading

Page restored and source-checked 23 August 2026.