From the Archives – The Hill Family—Where Is John Fitzgerald?

Col. John Fitzgerald, a founder of Saint Mary parish and aide-de-camp to Gen. George Washington, died on December 2, 1799. Speculation persists about where he and, subsequently, his wife Jane Digges Fitzgerald, are buried. Many sources have erroneously claimed he was buried in Saint Mary Cemetery, citing a commemorative plaque bearing his name placed near the Washington Street gate. But that theory is erroneous.

In 1799, the Alexandria Times reported on Fitzgerald’s elaborate funeral procession, traveling from his home at King and Lee Streets, down to the wharf, where his body was transferred to a ship to be carried down the river to Warburton Manor, home of Jane Digges’ family, for burial. The manor house is no longer standing. Several extensive scientific ground searches have failed to discover potential gravesites.

In 1923, a study by the Daughters of the American Revolution determined that the Digges family sold part of their property in 1815, but the house was still standing and remained in the family for many years. Still, researchers had no idea where the foundation of the house or the family cemetery were located.

In 1933, when the commemorative plaque was being installed at the Saint Mary parish cemetery, Father Thomas Rankin (pastor from 1930-1942) hired a historian, William B. McGroarty, to research the burial question. Consulting with Llewellyn Digges, an elderly collateral descendant (great nephew) of Jane Digges, he came up with two more intriguing possibilities, but no solid answers: 1. Chillum, Maryland. The Digges family owned another manor, Green Hill, in Chillum, near Silver Spring. The family cemetery there contained a cross marked “George Fitzgerald,” which could be a mistake and should have read “John Fitzgerald.” 2. Saint John’s Church, Forest Glen, Silver Spring, Maryland. This was Archbishop John Carroll’s home church. One of the Digges women married a Carroll and is buried there. But there is no evidence of any Fitzgerald interred here.

These various theories may be intriguing, but do not address a major question: If the Fitzgeralds initially were buried at Warburton Manor, when and why were they moved? Wherever their mortal remains are buried, may the Fitzgeralds rest in peace, their location known but to God.

— 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. An archive of the features is located here.