Warning: A significant amount of the information below is known to be incorrect. It is a copy of a 20 year old web page that was not well researched. A new page is being worked on and should be released winter of 2025/26.
Innisfail was a victorian poetic name for Ireland, Although at least one resident, Hannah Ions, was born in Ireland, it seems very unlikely that she named it Innisfail. We know that in the mid 19th century it was called Woodville and in the lIon's family letters it is still referred to as Woodville. Based upon conversations with the descendants of the woman who moved to Innisfail in the 1930's she likely thought the name was evocative and decided to change the name.
One of the earliest records of the land that would become Innisfail was the land grant to David Waugh of September 24, 1710. Sometime prior to 1733 he transferred the land to Captain Henry Conyers. Captain Conyers later split the land between his daughters giving half to his daughter Ann Holland and "the remaining 300 acres more or less" to his daughter Theodosia. As it turns out it, it was significantly more. When Theodosia's husband James DeNeale had a survey done on May 10, 1770, it was determined that there were an additional 252 acres. James had these additional acres added to the existing grant of 300 acres bring the total to 552 acres. This section is what would become Innisfail.
The house itself appears to have been built sometime in the late 18th Century. The most commonly cited date given for it is 1771. George DeNeale a county clerk of Fairfax/Alexandria is often said to have built it. However given that George was born in 1766, it seems highly unlikely, no matter how precocious he might have been, that he built the house when he was 5. In actuality his father James DeNeale likely built the house. Since George DeNeale became the county clerk, it appears people were confused due to the large number of legal documents that he signed in that capacity. In point of fact it looks like when his brother Hugh inherited the property, George signed it in his official capacity, greatly confusing latter generations. An excellent reference to for some if the above can be found at http://www.paynedaniel.com/TylersQtr.htm
The Register of Overwharton Parish, Stafford Co., Virginia 1723-1758 and Sundry Historical and Genealogical Notes, compiled and published by George Harrison Sanford King, Fellow, American Society of Genealogists, Fredericksburg, Virginia, dated 1961, contains these entries: From The Register of Overwharton Parish: "Married: CONYERS, Theodosia and James ODUNEAL, October 19, 1755."
Additional research found an O'DENEALE/DENEALE/DENEAL family in Stafford County, Virginia during the same time period as the O'DANIEL family. "BEGINNING AT A WHITE OAK TREE by Beth Mitchell 1977, page 278, number 54, indicates that Theodosia inherited 300 acres of land on Popeshead Creek from her father, "married James DENEAL. DENEAL, or DENEALE, found surplus of 252 acres and received a Northern Neck grant for 552 acres (NN I:210)". (This grant basically combined Theodosia's 300 acres with the surplus found by James. It was bounded by land of Edward PAYNE, Lewis ELLSEY, Thomas FORD, William KINCHELOE, and Joseph POLLARD.)
Given that a Ford did own the property to the south and east of Innisfail, and Edward Payne lived to the West, this explanation would make the most sense. Since James Deneal received his land grant, in 1772 this also fits with the house being built around 1771.
In the "Deneales of Virginia" which can be found in the Virginiana collection of the Fairfax county library, it states that James in his will gave the property to his son Hugh:
I give to my Hugh DeNeale Two negroes, Charles and John, my horse and my saddle, seven hundred dollars in cash, also three hundred acres of land to be laid off from the Lakes of the Popes head and Piny branches on the south side of Popes Head run.
This appears to be the grant that the original 300 acres and it is unclear what happened to the other 252 acres from the grant of 1772. It is strange though that he says the south of Popes Head Run, since the 552 acres are north of it.
There was however a change in that most of the acreage ended up going to William Deneale instead of Hugh. According to http://genforum.genealogy.com/deneal/messages/14.html
Elizabeth was the daughter of William Scott DeNeale (d. Sept. 6, 1814 at Popeshead creek, Fairfax Co. Va. and Sybil West (b. Oct. 21, 1762 Prince George Co. Md., d. May 17, 1812 at Popeshead creek, Fairfax Co. Va. Popeshead creek Va. is where William and Sybil owned property and lived and where Elizabeth was born.
Since the DeNeale's regularly name their kids after themselves or their relatives, it is very difficult to tell when ownerships changed hands, or which member of the family is being discussed. This is particularly confusing when it comes the name James. William son of James had a brother named James and he also named one of his sons James.
On 21 December 1874 (Liber R 4:380) Robert Clarendon Ions (Jones) purchased the property. According to a survey by S. Makeley, done on 24 November 1874, the property then had 164 acres and 18 poles. On 21 January 1888 (Liber G 5:421) Robert Ions gave to his wife, Hannah, 20 acres, livestock, wagons, buggies, household furniture, cutlery, etc. for her own. The 20 acres consisted of the Log House or Cottage, made from the timber of the estate and was 48 feet by 20 feet.
Robert and his wife Hannah Nevins Ions both have tombstones several hundred yards from the house, near a foundation for another house/barn that is believed to have burned down sometime in early 1900's.
In interviews of residents done for the Historic American Buildings Survey from the 1960's their son Robert N Ions was purported to be one of the countries first licensed mail pilots. He certainly had an interest in flying.
http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/preww1/cof13.htm
Robert N. Ions stated in depositions in regard to the Christmas aileron patent (No. 1,095,548) that prior to 1 March 1908 on Ion's farm near Fairfax Station, Virginia, they had constructed a plane which Christmas flew in the presence of Ions and other witnesses.
More details about that can be found in the book: A Christmas Flight: Aviation Pioneer, Dr. William Christmas by Mary Buckingham Lipsey
Robert N. Ions continued to live in the house in the early 1900s and was an active member of the Democratic Executive Committee. He wrote several letters to the editor of the Fairfax Herald and contributed to the effort to repeal Prohibition. Some people say that he supplied the local area with moonshine and a large cache of bottles can still be found in a giant trash heap near the barn.
A third Ions generation also lived in the house. Estelle deWilloughby (Willoughby) Ions (the e in Iones seems to have disappeared) was born in 1881. In "Fairfax Station: All Aboard!" Willoughby is described as a free spirit who made her mark on American culture as a pianist, painter, designer, composer, and writer. She also achieved fame as the designer of the "hostess gown" after she moved to New York City. It appears Willoughby became somewhat estranged from the family. It is believed that this may have been because she was also the "companion" of Adele Clark for a time and worked in the Women's movement. Willoughby has works in the National Gallery of Art from the work she did for the Index of American Design. Richard Doud conducted an interview with Willoughby Ions for the Archives of American Art New Deal and the Arts Project on Mar. 11, 1964, which can be found at the Smithsonian.
Paul W. Gordon and Harriet R. Gordon bought the house in 1935 and removed a partition on the first floor to make one large living room out of what had been two rooms. Over the next several years somewhat interrupted by World War II they renovated the house. In 1941 they added an addition on to the existing structure to replace the small lean-to like one that had can be seen in the picture above from 1936. At the same time the Gordon's added hot water radiators and limited electricity to the existing structure. The original section of the house does not have any running water.
In the late 1960's a developer purchased the house with 130 acres. In 1973 the Korper's purchased the house with 10 acres. The remainder of the land was turned into a development called Oakbrook. In order to accommodate a new road, the driveway was moved 50 feet west. The road into the development is called Innisvale Drive. Reportedly the developer was superstitious and did not want the word fail to be in the name of the road and therefore changed the name.
Other than the house and a 20th century barn none of the other buildings on the property remain. In the early 1980's a 2 room cabin was struck by lightning, caught fire and was completely destroyed along with an outhouse that was next to it. Around 1994 a log cabin about 50 feet from the house collapsed and was also completely destroyed. All that remains of the log cabin is the foundation. Several old farm implements can also be found around the property.
A great deal of additional information on the property and its history can be found in the Innisfail file in the Virginiana collection of the Fairfax County library.
A good photo of the house will have to wait until springtime, but for now the following photo (showing primarily the newer section) will have to do:
