Farnham is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Richmond County Richmond County may refer to places: Australia *Richmond County, New South Wales, a cadastral division Canada *Richmond County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Richmondshire, the original Richmond County in Yorkshire, England United States ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

History

Farnham Church (Episcopal), State Routes 602 & 607, Farnham (Richmond County, Virginia)

Farnham takes its name from

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

, in Surrey, England. The North Farnham Church was built in 1737 and has featured in historic events since then. Two years into the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, bullet holes were left in the walls during a conflict between the Virginia militia and the British fleet, led by

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

George Cockburn Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet, (22 April 1772 – 19 August 1853) was a British Royal Navy officer. As a captain he was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars an ...

. This event was called the Skirmish at Farnham Church. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

the church was used by

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

soldiers as a stable. It has been restored several times, once in 1872 and again in 1924. Farnham also includes Scotts Corner, a locality near the intersections of Virginia State Route 602 and Virginia State Route 612. Scotts Corner was named for Henry B. Scott, a landowner who was prominent in local affairs in the mid-1800s. It may also have been named for the Bruce family, Scottish immigrants and landowners who lived in Farnham in the mid-17th century. Linden Farm, also known as Dew House, is an early 18th-century farm situated on 282 acres. It has been on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

since 1977.

Notable residents

Jim Coates James Alton Coates (August 4, 1932 – November 15, 2019) was an American professional baseball pitcher. A right-hander, Coates pitched in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees (1956, 1959–62), Washington Senators (1963), Cincinnati ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher *

Cyrus Griffin Cyrus Griffin (July 16, 1748 – December 14, 1810), a Virginia lawyer and politician, was the final President of the Congress of the Confederation and first United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vir ...

, last

President of the Continental Congress The president of the United States in Congress Assembled, known unofficially as the president of the Continental Congress and later as the president of the Congress of the Confederation, was the presiding officer of the Continental Congress, the ...

(1788) *

Samuel Hammond Samuel Hammond (September 21, 1757 – September 11, 1842) was a lieutenant colonel during the American Revolutionary War, governor and leader in the Louisiana and Missouri Territories, and United States Representative from Georgia in the 8th ...

, Revolutionary War soldier and officer, Territorial Governor, and statesman *

Joseph Hanks Joseph Hanks (1725–1793) was the great-grandfather of United States President Abraham Lincoln. It is generally accepted that Joseph was the father of Lucy Hanks, the mother of Nancy Hanks Lincoln. There is also a theory that Joseph and his wife, ...

(1725-1793), Abraham Lincoln's great grandfather.

References

Unincorporated communities in Virginia Unincorporated communities in Richmond County, Virginia {{RichmondCountyVA-geo-stub