Bradley Baptist Cemetery
Narrative
When this cemetery was established it was likely called the German Baptist Bretheran Church Cemetery. In the late 1940s the parcels were sold according to the book, A Past to Preserve. The church might have taken the name of Bradley Baptist Church. Today, the sign out front reads "Country Baptist Church".
Thomas (Feb. 25 1820 - July 2 1903) and Martha (Oct. 22 1821 - Sept. 17 1900) Jones donated land for the "house of worship" in 1899. According to the deed, the structure had to be built within two years or the property reverted back to Thomas and Martha Jones ownership. In 1905, trustees of the church were able to secure additional land for a burial ground from the Thomas Jones Estate. The deed was not delivered to and admitted to record at the Courthouse until 1913. Thomas and Martha Jones are buried at the Linton Hall Benedictine Monastery Cemetery.
The meeting house on the 1937 image. The Bradley School House is just across the street.
Even though the church wasn't built until 1901, and the additional land obtained for a burial ground in 1905, there are at least three burials before 1905, and one, Mary Lockhart Brill prior to 1899. She died June 1, 1895 and is the only burial before 1904 and the only Brill buried here. The newspaper entry mentioning her death explains why. "Mrs. Brill died at the home of her son-in-law, Mr. L[inden]. P. Maphis, near Bradley School House, on Saturday last aged about 75 years".
The Bradley Meeting House taken about 1982
Linden Maphis and his wife, daughter of Mary Lockhart Brill, Mary Lindsay Francis Maphis are living in the area on a 77 acre farm they purchased about 1888 from William Lipscomb.
Linden and Mary Lindsay Francis Maphis are also buried here, in 1938 and 1939. Mary Lockhart Brill's grave marker is modern and was not put in place around her time death, but much later.
The book, A Past to Preserve states this of the structure.
"Resting on a red, sandstone foundation, this small, one-story, frame-built church is covered with weatherboards. Stylistic features include plain box trim, gabled returns, a box cornice, and double cornerboards. In 1899 Thomas and Martha Jones donated this parcel of land to the trustees of the Church of the Brethren, also known as the German Baptist Brethren Church. Bradley Meeting Hall was completed in 1901, and meetings were held there for many years. Even after the property was sold in 1946, it has continued to be used for religious purposes."
In many of the deeds related to property in the area mention the Bradley School House. This was a common structure everyone in the area knew of. Thomas and Martha Jones donated 1 acre of land for the school in 1871 according to the book A Past to Preserve.
The Bradley School House from A Past to Preserve.
It says: "In 1871, Thomas and Martha Jones donated one acre of land to the Trustees of the School District of Manassas for the site of a public free school for whites. Since the Virginia Public School System was not established until 1869, Bradley was certainly one of the first public schools to be built in Virginia. The small, frame, one-story weatherboard structure is built in the style of atypical one-room schoolhouse. There is a one-story, shed-roofed, open porch spanning the front or south facade. This is one of the few remaining one-room schools in the county."
According to Ron Turner, the Bradley School House was built in 1872 and is one of the few remaining one room school houses in the county. Miss Sarah E. Johnson was the first teacher and taught there 41 years from 1872 to 1913. The school closed in 1930 and was sold in 1936.
Thomas and Martha Jones owned a lot of land in the area. One deed mentions owning property next to the Fostern House which is next to Moor Green. They gave one of their sons a 104 acre farm and the other received a 25 area parcel in the area.
Survey Details
| Classification: | Religious |
| Status: | In use |
| Condition: | Good |
| Approx. Size: | 100 x 140 feet |
| Approximate Number of Burials: | 70+ |
| Earliest Burial Date: | 1895 |
| Markers: | Headstones, fieldstones, unmarked |
| Surnames Listed on Markers: |
Surveyed by: Ron Turner on Aug. 23, 1994. |
| Comments: | None |
| Surveyed By: | Ron Turner on Aug. 23, 1994 |
| Latitude / Longitude: | 38.70686, -77.47297 |
Site Visits
| Visited by: | Date: | Comments: |
|---|---|---|
| Ron Turner | Aug. 23, 1994 | None |
| David Cuff | Oct. 2022 | Cemetery is in good condition and is maintained. |
Images
Images taken October 2022
