ROBERT & ANN BOGGESS' FAMILY

Our Boggess line is documented* to Norfolk, Virginia, 1 April 1644, Deed Book B: 37a and through over 360 years to date, starting with Robert Boggus, A1.



http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=DESC&db=califia1&id=I2786

Some of the land purchased in 1730s by Robert remained in family blood-line 235-years, through seven generations, sold 1974. If one were to 'google' "robert boggess of fairfax county, va" they will find much interesting information about Robert Boggess D7 and his properties.

http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=AHN&db=califia1&id=I2525 ROBERT BOGGESS, D7, (1707-1772), my 4th great grandfather was born to Henry BOGGESS,C2, (1680-1727) and Mary BENNETT (1685-1742/3) at Cherry Point, Saint Stephens Parish, Northumberland county, Virginia (downstream point at confluence of Yeocomico and Potomac rivers). They are reported to have had nine children, Robert being their third. Robert married Ann COX in 1729, born 1712 to Vincent and Jane COX and also had nine known children.

KNOWN CHILDREN: Robert Boggess, E13, b: 1731, d: 21 MAR 1817, Fairfax county,Virginia (single)   Henry Boggess b: 1735, d: BEF 14 OCT 1785 (m. Mary Ann Lindey)   Ann Cox Boggess b: ABT 1735, d: BEF 1840, Calpepper county, Virginia (m. David Piper)   Winifred Boggess b: 1737 (LDS) (m. John Hill, & Harris)   Vincent Boggess b: ABT 1740, d: 1802, Loudoun county, (m, Ann Rust, Eliz Bailey, Ann Bailey)   Samuel Boggess, E17, b: 20 SEP 1742 in Fairfax, Fairfax County, Virginia   Thomas b: 1748, moved to New York.   Sarah Boggess b: ABT 1746, d: 1806, Fairfax county (single)   Sarah Ann Boggess b: ABT 1748, d: ca 1826, (single)

Robert was a planter. He and Ann seemingly lived a good, but, he possibly some-what a cantankerous life, with their nine kids. They supported the Crown while actively in the Occoquan society of 1736, an anti-revolution generation, after 1759, finding among them the households of Mount Vernon and Gunston Hall as members. with names of many found in all of our country's history books. I say "cantankerous life" after viewing the article: "Some Fairfax County Characters: Robert Boggess and His Friends" by Edith Sprouse, who found a lot of seedy things to write about, --- found on page 78, of "The PIONEER AMERICAN Society", news letter, Falls Church, VA, possibly Vol IV, No. 5, Sept 1974 issue, all of which, somewhat belies his being fourth longest serving Truro Parish vestryman of eighty-one who served during its fifty-three year life. Robert and Ann started accumulating hundreds of acres of land in the 1730s when it was still Prince William county. 1742 it became Fairfax county, which extended to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Their land was mostly north of and along Pohick run, to William Fairfax's "Belvoir Manor" property and west from Potomac river to beyond existing Old Colchester Road. Son Henry, E12, "heir-at-law" of Robert, D7, deceased, deeding 250 acres south of Pohick run, north of the Falls, to sister Winifred, E15, 18 Aug 1773.       "From the Colchester ferry, the road passed northward over Giles Run, through the 616 acres owned by John Ford, and passed the first Pohick Church (circa 1724). Less than a mile after the road crossed Pohick [run] Creek, near Robert Boggess' [D7] ordinary [LaGrange] and racetrack, the road forked into a 'back road' and a 'river road.'" www.nvrpa.org/ Following, May 25, 2005, correspondence from: "Michael K. Bohn" mikebohn@cox.net, a party preparing an article on older homes of historic Fairfax county. (Michael is now chasing info we received 5 Mar 2009) "Old Colchester Road was once a segment of the Potomac Path, an Indian trail that became the main north-south route through Northern Virginia. U.S. Route One grew out of the Path and generally follows its 300 year-old route. "Robert Boggess [D7] maintained an ordinary and was a stag coach stop at "La Grange" near an important crossroads on the Path. The Truro Parish vestry decided to build [a replacement] Pohick Church at that junction because of centrality of the location. There were two, parallel versions of the Path, one was the "back" road, now Telegraph Road that had a more inland route. It was the primary stage and post route between Cameron near Alexandria and Colchester, the town on the Occoquan River. The "river" road, now Route One, developed to serve plantations on the Potomac River and passed through Gum Springs. The two roads intersected at La Grange/2ndPohick Church. "Washington referred to Boggess in his diary; go to the following website, click on Search, then enter Boggess in the searchbox. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwhome.html " Also in Washington's Robert Boggess files are: 5: 167, 168; 6: 428; & 8:52, 55.

Built 1742, year following "Belvior Manor", with later additions.




Pic owned by; Fairfax Historical Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The structure, "LaGrange", was constructed more than 265 years ago with later additions, at what now would be 9501 Old Colchester Road, currently county property with a 200+ year old hardwood tree and a gravestone slab remaining, believed resting place of ten Marders family, with Rebecca Kirby Marders, (1825-1882) w/o James S Marders from a 1968 photo, stone engraved:       "Until the daybreaks and the shadows flee away to our mother ...", Their home was used as an 'ordinary', and a stage coach stop. Robert also had a horse race track on his farmland to the delight of many in days when a man's horse was his pride and joy and a gentlemen's sport was horse racing. Robert's race track was used by all, built somewhere northwest across Pohick Bay from where, thirteen years after "LaGrange" was built, George Mason's "Gunston Hall" was under construction, near the Pohick meadow lands nearest the Potomac river. George Mason used it to write a letter to George Washington in 1758, before "Gunston Hall" was completed in 1859.     The home, "LaGrange", survived the War of 1812 but was removed after Civil War [ca1867], with a replacement built next to the plantation mansion, on old foundation, but it burnt down February 2, 1972, owned by Mrs Philip Otterback Ward until 1974 when she sold it, ending the ownership along Robert Boggess' blood line. (Source: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/vr/cem/cem265.htm ) The Marders name appears on Civil War maps of area. Ownership for those 235 years was, to wit; Robert Boggess, D7, who had started purchasing his land when it was Prince William county in 1730s, then son Vincent Boggess, E16, his daughter Susanna Elizabeth (Betty) Boggess, F44, her son James Abraham Kirby, Jr, G200, his daughter Rebecca Kirby (1825-1882), married James S Marders, her daughter Susie B Marders, born ABT 1861, married William R Ward, born 1850, then to her son Phillip Otterback, born February 1882 at "LaGrange", his wife, Mrs Philip Otterback Ward, was reportedly. owner when she sold in 1974. Location; 1/2 mile north from old Pohick church which in 1769 was to move north one mile for that which exists today as Pohick church of Truro Parish, under guidance of George Washington (1732-1799) and George Mason (1725-1792), completed after Robert's 1772 death, where in 2002 The Boggess Family Association visited for their 15th annual national gathering.       "When my Grandfather [Ward] died his will was contested by his sister my Aunt Tay and it went into probate. They couldn't find a deed of course and upon research found the original land grant. Unfortunately they also found a large amount of reconstruction era taxes that were not paid and the state took the remaining 35 acres. The original 3,000 acres were taken by the federal govenment during WWI and constucted Fort Humphrey now Fort Belvoir.", (source; 62 y/o, Marvin L Ward, 5 March 2009, raised at "LaGrange") Most of "LaGrange", "Belvoir Manor" and McCarty's "Cedar Grove" are now part of the 8,656 acres called Fort Belvior: www.belvoir.army.mil/history.asp?id=18C , (most historians overlooked the Boggess land in their quest of famous names) named after Robert's neighbors, the William Fairfax place "Belvoir Manor" where Lord Thomas, 6th barron, Fairfax (1763-1857), he, grandson of Lord Culpepper, resided 1745 to 1752 with his cousin William (1691-1757) whom he placed in charge of his properties. Lord Fairfax engaged sixteen y/o George Washington in 1748 to survey his property in Frederick county where Lord Thomas later died, still unmarried, at his Greenway Court, county home (since March 1836, Clarke county), county in which my 2nd great,grandfather Alex Wood (1766-1830) was once overseer of Audley Plantation, George Washington's wedding gift to Eleanor "Nellie" P Custis and sister Betty's son Lawerance Lewis, in 1799. Alex's granddaughter married a great,grandson of Robert Boggess, my great,grandfather, Samuel Boggess (1811-1888). "Belvoir Manor" is also where Wm's son/heir, George William and Sally (Cary) Fairfax lived and entertained George Washington. "Belvoir Manor" burnt after they returned to England in 1773, where he died in 1787. She, Sally, rumored as George Washington's "lady friend", died 1791. www.famousamericans.net/thomasfairfax/ On some of the old "LaGrange" plantation's land is Fairfax county's Norman M Cole, Jr, Pollution Control Plant, processing 67-million gallons of wastewater per day, site purchased for $225,000 December 1976 from Maywood Bulding Corporation who received it from the Ward family. As of 2007 a site thereon is being prepared as an Indigent Burial Site for Fairfax county, estimated to suffice needs for thirty years. It is believed ten Marders are presently buried, which will be determined so as to not disturb. (We suggested a couple of times to the county department in-charge that the name might well be "LaGrange Cemetery" for historic reasons, but have heard nothing back.) Source: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/08/AR2007080801001_pf.html also see: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/final_cemetery_report_april_2007_for_web.pdf

From "The Letters of George Mason", ed. Robert Lutland, p. xxxvi, "Boggess, Robert (d. ca. 1773): lived at La Grange; Fairfax Co. sheriff, 1739; Truro Parish tithe collector, 1743-1744; Truro Parish, vestry 1745-1773 (sic); churchwarden, 1748-1749, 1754-1755, 1759-1761."

The 1724 built Pohick church was the first church in the colony established north of Occoquan river, named because of its proximty to Pohick run on its north. Truro parish wasn't established until 1732, which included all lands in the colony above the Occoquan River, extending to the western frontier. Pohick became the Parish Church. Shortly thereafter, vestryman Augustine Washington (father of George Washington) successfully sponsored the nomination of Dr. Charles Green to serve as the parish's first permanent minister serving from 1737 to 1764, the year before he died.

SECOND POHICK CHURCH

This being the Pohick church visited in 2002 during the 15th Boggess Family Assocition's annual meeting.




www.pohick.org/history.html

TRURO PARISH " A vestry was a group of twelve men who carried out duties, not only of the church, but also of the county government. Duties of the vestry included establishing the parish levy, caring for the poor, and processioning land boundaries. "*The Parish was established and its bounds were fixed not by tradition, but by statute, and the Vestry, from an annual meeting of all the ratepayers to choose Church wardens and discuss parochial affairs, became practically a close corporation of twelve of "The most able and discreet persons" in the Parish. These divided with the County Court the responsibility of local government, having as their especial charge the maintenance of religion and the oversight of all things pertaining thereto in the domain of charity and morals. These Vestrymen were described by Jefferson as being "Usually the most discreet farmers, so distributed through their Parish that every part of it may be under the eye of some one of them. They are well acquainted with the details and economy of private life, and they find sufficient inducements to execute their charge well in their philanthropy, in the approbation of their neighbors, and the distinction which that gives them. " No Parish in the Colony had a Vestry more distinguished in its personnel, or more fully qualified for their positions, than the Parish of Truro. Of its earlier members indeed little has come down to us but their names inscribed on almost every page of the scant records remaining to tell of the settlement of these upper reaches of the "Northern Neck," and the establishment of religion and civilization in what was then but a wilderness. But later her Vestrymen are found ranking among the first gentlemen of Virginia in position and influence. Eleven of them sat at various times in the House of Burgesses. Two of them, the Fairfaxes, were members of "His Majesty's Council for Virginia. " Another of her Vestrymen was George Mason, one of the first among the founders of the State and the great political thinkers of his age; while still another was declared to be the "Greatest man of any age," the imperial George Washington." "*In 1744 it was represented to the General Assembly that divers members of the Vestry of Truro Parish were, not able to read or write, and were not otherwise qualified. The Vestry was dissolved by all Act of Assembly, and the Sheriff of the County was ordered to call a meeting of the freeholders and housekeepers to choose a new Vestry of the "most able and discreet persons in the Parish. "In obedience to this order the following persons were chosen to compose the new Vestry, viz: "Capt. John West, Capt. Richard Osborn, Capt. Lewis Ellzey, Mr. Daniel French, Mr. John Sturman, Mr. Edward Emms, Capt. John Minor, Mr. Robert Boggess [D7], Mr. Hugh West, Colo. John Colvill, Mr. Andrew Hutchinson, Mr. Charles Broadwater. "These persons, having taken the oaths required by law to be taken, subscribed the test, and to be conformable to Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England were sworn Vestrymen of the Parish of Truro."

Robert, thusly served Truro Parish (Pohick church) (1732-1784) as 'vestryman' 20-years, four as "Church Warden", before Truro Parish was split into two distinct parishes, "Fairfax" and "Truro", in 1765 when he did not run. This in lieu of the 28-years credited him in above mentioned, "The Letters of George Mason". Henry Boggess, D6, Robert's older brother, often --- "....reccommended as Inspector at Pohick Warehouse.", or son, Henry, E12, age 34+ or, but NOT likely, his nephew, Henry, E8, --- ran and received 168 votes, with the 12th vesteryman having only two votes more, 170. Geo Mason received the most at 282, Geo Washington 3rd with 259. Later neighbor, George Mason (1st elected three years following Robert Boggess, 1748), was executor of Daniel French's estate, so actually completed construction of the new church building in 1774, and served longest, 36-years, Daniel McCarty, 35-years and George Washington served 22-years, -- of the eighty-one elected 'vestrymen', ONLY, these three served longer than Robert Boggess, --- plus Rector Charles Green, 1737/64, who died in 1765. Historically counted among Robert's friends, associates, neighbors and/or fellow 'vestrymen' are; William Fairfax, his son George William and wife Sally Fairfax - 'Belvoir' (and possibly Lord Thomas, 6th barron, Fairfax), Martin Cockburn - 'Springfield', Thomas Massey - 'Bradley', Edward Washington - 'Belmont', Thomas Blackburn - 'Rippon Hall', who in 1736 were fellow members, of 'Occoquan society'. Later, after 1759, the group included fellow vestrymen of Truro Parish, and Pohick Church, George Washington - 'Mount Vernon', George Mason - 'Gunston Hall', and Daniel McCarty - 'Cedar Grove'. The last three (only three serving longer than Robert as vestrymen) above named were "ordered" in 1773 to:       "....allot the dower of Ann (Cox) Turner [Robert Boggess' widow] wife of Fielding Turner, Gent." (A brief search of Turner's life revealed: Ann (Cox) Boggess was his second of four wives. His first also named Ann, causing some a genealogical problem over off-springs. They making home in Loudoun county. Fielding married a third wife in 1785, so It would appear, Ann died 1785, or before) The records show, as pointed out in Ms Sprouse's 1974 article, Robert Boggess was in court many times, mostly minor violations during his life, many trespassing violations ~ ~ winning some, losing some. One action was 21 May 1760 when he and several others including George Washington were reported to the grand jury for not paying tax on their wheeled carriages according to law. Court's inventory of Robert's estate, listed ten slaves which the administer of his affairs, his son Robert, E13, (who had remained single) conducted a public sale of family possessions July 16 1773, with proceeds coming under a lengthily legal battle on behalf of sister Ann, E14 by others including uncle Caleb Boggess, F54, (my great,grandfather, Samuel's, G209, foster father), advertised as: "July 1, 1773 (Rind) "To be SOLD, for ready money, on Friday the 16th of this instant (July) at the late plantation of Robert Boggess [D7], deceased, in Fairfax, TEN Virginia born NEGROES, consisting of men, women, and children, together with the STOCK of HORSES, CATTLE, HOGS, and SHEEP, all the HOUSEHOLD and KITCHEN FURNITURE, and all the PLANTATION UTENSILS. "ROBERT BOGGESS [E13], Administrator." www.freedmenscemetery.org/Dennee_Pages/Virginia_gazette_1768.htm George Washington posted one of his last letter's to Ann's son Robert, E13, (1731-1817), 10 December 1799, four (4) days prior to Washington's sudden and untimely demise, the death ending a life long relationship with the Boggess family. (letter was refusing to lend him money)

<~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~> Compiled 03/05/06 by William (Bill) Samuel Boggess (Luke, Samuel Cleveland, Samuel, John, Samuel, Robert, Henry, Henry, Robert (A1)) --- raised at Carthage, Missouri(ah). http://community.webtv.net/billboggess/MYWEBSITES Much of above gleamed from the following sources and off the internet: *'Baugus, Boggus, & Boggess Footprints On The Sands Of Time', Vol. I,1993, Vol. II, 1994 & Supplements. Copyrighted by Joanna Fox, Drakesboro, Kentucky & JoAnn Smith, Vida, Oregon *The History of Truro Parish in Virginia by Rev. Philip Slaughter, D.D.: Edited With Notes and Addenda by Rev. Edward L. Goodwin Historiographer of the Diocese of Virginia: Published by George W. Jacobs & Company, Publishers, Philadelphia, 1907 www.newrivernotes.com/va/truro1.htm