Fernley

Home Site- Buckingham County, Virginia

Fernley, which was on route 605 in Buckingham County, no longer exists; however another house has been built on the site.

Architecture

Fernley was a two-story frame home with a rock foundation and 3 rock chimneys. It had a center hall with a room on each side (approximately 20 x 20) with fireplaces on the inside walls.  The first floor windows were from ceiling to floor while on the 2nd floor there were 3 dormer windows across the front.  The reverse dormers contained lead troughs set into the roof.  The lead was removed and used for bullets during the Civil War. A two story front porch was supported by large wooden posts, which were supposedly pulled down by Union troops and used for firewood. There was a one-story kitchen at the rear of the main floor.  There were 2 more rooms on the rear.  To the left of the back of the main house was an icehouse and in 1988 (and in 2004) the original barn, which was approximately 100 yards from the original house, was still standing.

During the Civil War, a hospital was built in the woods behind Fernley, hidden from the Northern troops. Dr. Clifford Cabell treated the Confederate soldiers in this hospital.

Timeline of Fernley Ownership

• Clifford Cabell (1810-1871), son of Frederick and grandson of John, lived at Fernley with his wife, Margaret Couch Anthony (1814-1882). They are buried at Fernley.  Clifford was a doctor and a farmer. 
• Clifford and Margaret’s daughter, Mary Washington Cabell (1846-1917) married John Cabell Early (1848-1909) at Fernley in 1876. John was the son of Henry Ann Cabell (1822-1890), grandson of John Jordan Cabell and great grandson of John.
• Evelyn Carter Byrd Cabell Robinson, Clifford’s daughter sold the property in the 1880’s to Josiah and Isaac Golladay (Golloday) and Josiah raised his family at Fernley. Josiah’s grandson, John J. Miller, who sold the property in 1991, thinks the house was destroyed by fire in the 1930’s.

Additional Site Photos