Search results
James Parks (1843-1929) The first graves at Arlington National Cemetery were dug by James Parks, who was born enslaved on the Custis-Lee plantation in 1843 and spent his entire life living and working on the Arlington property. He formally gained his freedom in 1862, under the terms of the will of his former owner, George Washington Parke Custis.
Aug 21, 2016 · James Parks, an interesting, respectful, kindly old Negro: Born a slave at Arlington House Estate about 1843. Died Arlington County, Virginia, August 21, 1929. He belonged to George Washington Parke Custis, proprietor of Arlington Estate from 1781 to 1857. "Uncle Jim" lived and worked at Arlington practically the whole of his long and useful life.
James Parks (March 19, 1843 – August 21, 1929) was a freed slave who is prominently buried in Arlington National Cemetery and is the only person buried there who was born on the grounds. He was born a slave but was later freed by his owner and continued to work at the cemetery as a grave digger. He helped historians locate some of the ...
- August 21, 1929 (aged 85–86), Arlington, Virginia US
- 1843, Arlington, Virginia, US
- Uncle Jim
- Arlington National Cemetery
People also ask
Who buried the first grave in Arlington National Cemetery?
Where is James Parks buried?
How to explore Arlington National Cemetery?
Where can I Park at Arlington National Cemetery?
Mar 3, 2024 · James Parks. March 3, 2024 by Michael Robert Patterson. Arlington House was home not only to the Custis-Lee family, but to the sixty-three slaves who lived and worked there as well. One of those slaves was Jim Parks, known as “Uncle Jim” later on in his life. Without him, the story of Arlington would be incomplete.
Aug 30, 2023 · The grave marker of James Parks is seen in Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, April 13, 2010, in Arlington, Va. (Kevin Wolf/AP Photo) The father of 22 children, five of whom served in World ...
Jun 7, 2022 · In 1864, two hundred acres of the Arlington estate were set aside as a cemetery for the Civil War dead. James Parks stopped building forts and began digging graves. In 1929, he showed the Sunday Star reporter where "coffins had been piled in long rows like cordwood." He eventually prepared the grave of Quartermaster general Montgomery Meigs ...
