Fairfax of Virginia tells the story of how the noble Fairfax family, famed for their role in the English Civil War, came to Virginia before the Revolution and settled on a vast inheritance of over five million acres. Over the course of the next 150 years they played their part in many of the key events that helped shape the country into what it is today.

Then, curiously, just as America was assuming its role as the powerhouse of the world, they turned their back on the homeland and returned to England once more. We hear of their early friendship with George Washington and how they helped set him on his path to glory.

Later we meet Thomas 9th Lord, an early advocate of emancipation, his son Henry who died a hero’s death in the American Mexican War, and Charles Snowden Fairfax who joined the Gold Rush to California. The Civil War sees the family rally to the Confederate cause but with disastrous results.

The story ends with the author’s grandfather who dreams of reviving the family’s fortune and position. As the wheel turns full circle, he returns to England where he reclaims the family’s title and eventually restores its fortune.

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