Celebrating Incredible Women of Culpeper, VA – Ann Frances Slaughter Wingfield

March 18, 2025 Things to Do Share

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This month’s third spotlight in our Incredible Women of Culpeper series is Ann Frances Slaughter Wingfield.

Ann Frances Slaughter Wingfield was born April 29, 1831, in Culpeper, Virginia, the daughter of Thomas Jefferson Wingfield and Martha Moore. In November 1861, she married Isaac W. Wingfield. She lived in Catalpa and Stevensburg in Culpeper County, VA. Ann was a war widow and taught school from 1866 to 1892. In 1892, the Culpeper Graded School was built. This was the first public school built for white children. Ann Wingfield was one of the first teachers at this school. Prior to her teaching school at the Culpeper Graded School, she taught students in her home at the dining room table. In 1907, four grades were added, and the building became the county’s first high school. In 1916, a new school was built, and it was named after Ann Wingfield. Her teaching career ended in 1909, and she passed away on January 15, 1916, at the age of 84. She is buried in Fairview Cemetery.

Sources:

The Museum of Culpeper History
Ancestors. Family search.org
Culpeper: A Virginia County’s History Through 1920 by Eugene M. Scheel, published by Culpeper Historical Society, Inc., Culpeper, Virginia, 1982.