“From the Archives” — First Baptism at Saint Mary

According to old parish records, Ann Hull was the first person baptized at Saint Mary Church. The daughter of John and Ann Hull, Baby Ann was born on June 12, 1797. She was baptized on September 12, 1798.  Ann’s godparents are listed as Edward Burke and Mrs. Foley, wife of Dennis Foley. Mr. Foley was the watchman for Saint Mary’s cemetery and chapel, both then located at the southeast corner of South Washington and Church Streets, the site of the current parish cemetery.

According to “The History of Alexandria: Discovering the Decades” (please see www.alexandria.gov/historic-alexandria), the population of the City of Alexandria grew very quickly – by about 2,000 individuals or 41 percent — between 1790 and 1798. Little Ann Hull was part of that population boom!     — Kitty Guy, Parish Historian

 

In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series in 2022. An archive of the features is located here.