Philip Richard Fendall, Sr., later the builder of Alexandria’s Lee-Fendall House, first entered the stage of American history in Paris during the 1778 Treaty of Alliance with France. On February 6, that treaty reshaped the Revolution by securing vital French military and financial support—aid that would prove decisive at Yorktown in 1781. Negotiations were led by Benjamin Franklin (Deputy to the General Congress from Pennsylvania and President of the Convention of the same state), Silas Deane (heretofore Deputy from Connecticut), and Arthur Lee (Counsellor at Law). Fendall, Lee’s cousin, served as secretary to the negotiations—a role noted in John Adams’ diary.
Years later, Fendall would settle in Alexandria and build the Lee‑Fendall House in 1785, a home that would go on to connect both local heritage and national history.
When Fendall died in 1805, he was buried on his 15‑acre farm near what is now Slaters Lane and Route 1 in Alexandria. In the mid‑20th century, Fendall and two of his wives were disinterred and reburied at Ivy Hill Cemetery—a discovery detailed in a fascinating Gravestone Stories article: Unraveling the Mystery: The Burial Place of Philip Richard Fendall Revealed
A fun aside: For modern audiences, the drama of Franklin’s French diplomacy—as seen in the 2024 Apple TV+ miniseries Franklin, starring Michael Douglas—brings this pivotal Treaty to life in a vivid, dramatic way.