William Fitzhugh (1741–1809), of Chatham in Stafford County, Va., was a planter and longtime friend of GW. Fitzhugh was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, 1772–75, the Virginia conventions of 1775 and 1776, and the Continental Congress, 1779–80. He also served in the House of Delegates 1776–77, 1780–81, and 1787–88, and in the state senate, 1781–85. In 1797 Fitzhugh moved from Chatham to Alexandria, Va., with his wife, Anne Randolph Fitzhugh. Their estate in Fairfax County was called Ravensworth.

Fitzhugh rented Ferry Farm for two years, in 1773 and 1774, for £22.10 per annum (see Ledger B, 65).