The Boggess Family Association reunion for 2007 was held July 12th through
July 14th in Bridgeport, West Virginia.
On Thursday the 12th, most of the Boggess descendents that were attending
the reunion checked into the Holiday Inn in Bridgeport. The hospitality
room was open and chock full of books of Boggess History. Bitsy Barr has
kept scrapbooks from most or all of the reunions which were fun to peruse.
Bitsy also brought books of pictures of members from the four of the five
branches of the Boggess family. Other members brought maps, pictures, and
their scrapbooks. Betty West brought the t-shirts and the pins for sale to
the members. The gold and blue t-shirts can be seen in the above photo.
Friday was planned to be a free day where members could spend time in the
hospitality room, make research trips to the courthouse in Clarksburg or to
spend the day visiting the many historical and picturesque sites in the area.
We were delighted to have the opportunity to meet many descendents
of Oscar Boggess, the son of a slave and her master who was granted his freedom.
Oscar earned the Butler Medal of Honor for bravery in the Civil War. He was
a stonemason in Youngstown Ohio who quarried sandstone located on his property.
His homestead and his quarry are both now marked by Ohio state markers; quite an honor.
Oscar’s granddaughter Virginia Cheatham and many of her nieces and nephews were in attendance.
On Saturday morning we boarded a huge bus and headed off through the
countryside. Robert Wilson had been raised in the area and was willing to
narrate our ride to the many different cemeteries in the area where
Boggess ancestors were laid to rest. One cemetery was just a little spot
near the road; you could tell it was very old and many of the ancient stones
were lying on their side. There was one stone which had stood the time
quite well; it was from 1824 and marked the resting place for Samuel and
Elizabeth Dorsey Boggess. We drove by the home place of one of our Boggess riders
on the bus where they currently live and farm. The roads winded and curved
and we also saw several small towns. We also made a stop at the Harrison
County Historical Society Museum.
We met in the banquet room at the Holiday Inn soon after returning from our
tour through Boggess country. It was an opportunity to meet more distant
cousins that had come just for the banquet. The dinner was especially good;
kudos to the chef. The dessert was a big slice of a beautifully decorated
20th anniversary cake.
After the dinner we held a brief meeting to discuss the
fact that Bitsy Barr would replace Melissa West as editor of the newsletter.
At the 2006 reunion people had talked about planning a reunion in conjunction
with a performance by Suzy Bogguss. The idea was put forth and members were
in agreement; we would attempt to plan a reunion centering on a concert by
Suzy Bogguss. Knowing this might not be possible, the members voted on North
Carolina as the site for the 2008 reunion should the other plan fall through.
The reunion was officially over and many members had to leave to drive to airports
for early flights home on Sunday. Some of us meet in the restaurant in the motel
for breakfast before we said our final goodbyes with the hope of meeting again the
next summer.
Thanks to Bitsy for her hard work to put together our gathering. The folks at the
Holiday Inn went beyond the expected to make our stay in Bridgeport the very best!