Halley Family Cemetery

James Halley Sr was granted over 900 acres of land in 1742 from the 6th Lord Fairfax.  James Halley Sr  was born in 1707. He married Elizabeth Simpson about 1732.   The property encompassed most of the area that includes the Fairfax Villa neighborhood and the Fairfax Villa Park. 

James and Elizabeth named their property Pleasant Green. The actual location of this home is not known. The cemetery is the only remaining vestige of the family. The cemetery dates from the late-1700s, it is surrounded by a native stone wall and was once planted with periwinkle and boxwoods. Several boxwoods remain today and are over 200 years old.

James and Elizabeth had 12 children of which 10 survived. Many of the children moved to Kentucky, but several others remained in Fairfax. Several of the Halley sons participated in the Revolutionary War, including James Jr. Their last name was often misspelled as Haley, Hawley or Holley.  

At this time, it is not known how many graves are in the cemetery or who might be buried there. There is also no knowledge about the site of the family home. 

The land was sold to Newman Burke in 1845 and it is believed that no one else was buried in the cemetery after that date.  

The cemetery was overgrown with brush and was cleaned periodically by various Boy Scout and Girl Scout initiatives.  Since 2020, through a joint effort between Fairfax Villa residents and the DAR, the cemetery property has been cleared and maintained. The DAR is responsible for James Haley's headstone and the steps and gate installation.