Gravestone Stories · Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria History Research & Resources
Original research, interactive maps, and interpretive materials developed by public historian David Heiby — the most comprehensive digital archive of Alexandria’s historic burial grounds ever assembled.
Find What You’re Looking For
This page is a gateway to more than a decade of original research. Choose the path that best describes why you’re here.
I’m Researching a Family Member
Looking for burial records, biographical details, or documentation of an ancestor connected to Alexandria’s cemeteries.
I’m Planning a Visit to Alexandria
Looking for tour information, self-guided walking materials, or directions to Alexandria’s historic cemeteries.
I’m Exploring Revolutionary War Connections
Looking for documented patriots, Washington’s inner circle, or Alexandria’s role in the founding of the nation.
I’m Conducting Scholarly Research
Looking for primary-source documentation, downloadable maps, cemetery surveys, or scholarly publications.
This research contributes to Alexandria’s America 250 commemoration, connecting visitors and scholars to the city’s Revolutionary foundations through the individuals who made independence possible.
Alexandria’s 162 Revolutionary War Patriots
The most comprehensive registry of Revolutionary War burials in Alexandria ever assembled — nearly three times the previously accepted count from the 2001 JLARC report, which omitted the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex entirely.
Alexandria’s 162 Revolutionary War Patriots — Verified Burial Registry
162 documented patriots across 13 historic burial grounds — including Washington’s pallbearers, the first man to address him as “Mr. President,” two Boston Tea Party participants, and scores of soldiers, merchants, and civic leaders who built the young republic. Includes a fully searchable database, cemetery-by-cemetery breakdown, and profiles of the most historically significant figures.
View the Complete Registry of Alexandria’s 162 Revolutionary War Patriots →George Washington’s Funeral: The Mourners Buried in Alexandria
A documented account of the pallbearers, mourners, and inner-circle figures who attended Washington’s December 1799 funeral procession — and where they rest today in Alexandria’s historic cemeteries. Original research drawn from primary sources unavailable in any guidebook.
Read the Research →Alexandria’s Notable Burials — 400+ Documented Lives Across 16 Cemeteries
The complete biographical hub for Alexandria’s historic burial grounds — more than 400 documented individuals spanning Revolutionary War patriots, Civil War soldiers, Cold War figures, and the extraordinary lives that shaped American history. Organized by cemetery, with profiles drawn from a decade of original archival research.
Explore the Biographical Archive →Alexandria History Timeline
More than 130 documented entries tracing Alexandria’s story from the founding of Jamestown in 1607 to the present — the essential backdrop for understanding who is buried here, why it matters, and how the city’s history connects to the national story.
Colonial & Revolutionary Alexandria
From the founding of Jamestown in 1607 through Alexandria’s own 1749 establishment, the Revolution, and the early republic — the decades that produced the patriots buried across Alexandria’s oldest cemeteries.
Antebellum, Civil War & Reconstruction
Alexandria’s transformation from slaveholding port city to Union-occupied hospital town — and the soldiers, civilians, and figures from both sides buried in its cemeteries.
Gilded Age Through the 20th Century
Cold War spies, NASA pioneers, Victorian civic leaders, and the forgotten figures of Alexandria’s modern chapters — all documented in a living timeline that extends to the present day.
Interactive Cemetery Maps
Five georeferenced maps placing Alexandria’s buried history against its living landscape — from biography pins across the Wilkes Street Complex to African American heritage sites, fallen firefighters, Lee-Fendall House connections, and all 37 of Alexandria’s documented historic burial grounds.
Interactive Biography Map
50+ extraordinary lives pinned across Alexandria’s historic cemeteries — each marker links directly to a full documented biography.
Alexandria’s African American Heritage
An interactive journey through Alexandria’s African American history as preserved in its historic burial grounds — from the enslaved Alexandrians of the antebellum era to the U.S. Colored Troops of the Civil War and beyond.
Fallen Firefighters of Alexandria
An interactive map documenting Alexandria’s firefighters who died in the line of duty — including the city’s first volunteer firefighter killed on duty in 1852, identified through original Gravestone Stories research.
Lee-Fendall House Cemetery Connections
An interactive map tracing the cemetery connections of individuals linked to the Lee-Fendall House across Alexandria’s burial grounds. A dual-purpose resource for docents and visitors.
Interactive Cemetery Map: All 37 Burial Grounds
Every documented historic cemetery in Alexandria plotted on a single interactive map — all 37 burial grounds, from the 13 cemeteries of the Wilkes Street Complex to the family cemeteries of Fairfax County.
Scholarly Resources & Reference Materials
Original scholarship, historical context, symbolism guides, self-guided brochures, downloadable maps, and cemetery directories — the full research infrastructure behind Alexandria’s most comprehensive public history project.
Historic Background
Symbolism & Traditions
Brochures & Self-Guided Tours
Downloadable Maps
Key Cemetery Guides
The Stories Don’t End on the Page
Gravestone Stories is dedicated to documenting, interpreting, and sharing the stories of those laid to rest in Alexandria’s historic cemeteries. These resources are continually updated as new research, mapping, and archival discoveries emerge. The best way to experience them is to walk the ground in person.
Only in Alexandria · Only at Wilkes Street
Page last updated: March 2026