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La Grange Inn and Tavern (Site)

GPS Coordinates: 38.7009149, -77.1964574

La Grange Inn and Tavern (Site)

Here follows an excerpt from Donald Hakenson's "This Forgotten Land" tour guide:

The Boggess Ordinary or Tavern (also known as La Grange)
Robert Boggess was a member of the Truro Parish vestry from 1744 to 1765. Sometime around 1749, Mr. Boggess established an ordinary or tavern. An ordinary was a roadside tavern where a person could order ordinary food for an ordinary price. A race track that George Washington would visit was situated somewhere near the tavern and Pohick Church. Mr. Boggess, his son John, and other members of his family were constantly in court for one transgression after another. However, his son Vincent served honorable as a soldier in the Fairfax County Militia during the French and Indian War.


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Here follows an excerpt from the USGenWeb Biographies as written by William Samuel Boggess:

BOGGESS' of TRURO PARISH, Fairfax county, Virginia
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.

Robert BOGGESS, D7, 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 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. Robert and Ann accumulated hundreds of acres of land, mostly north of Pohick run to Lord Fairfax's Belvoir 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 Aug1773.

"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 1760). 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.'"

Following, May 25, 2005, correspondence from: "Michael K. Bohn", a party preparing an article on older homes of historic Fairfax county.

"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 or inn--La Grange at 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 at La Grange/Pohick Church.

"LaGrange" was built over 265 years ago, in 1742, 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, used as an 'ordinary', was removed after civil war, with replacement house built next to the plantation home, on old foundation, burnt in 1972, Mrs Philip Ward was last owner. Located 1/2 mile north from old Pohick church which in 1769 was moving north one mile for that what now exists as Pohick church, under guidance of George Washington (1732-1799) and George Mason (1725-1792), completed after Robert's 1772 death.

Much of the LaGrange plantation land is now part of Fort Belvior, named after Robert's neighbors, Lord and Sally Fairfax, place, "Belvior" which burnt after they returned to England. She, Sally, rumored as George Washington's "lady friend".

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."

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 after Robert, 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 'vestrymen', ONLY, these three served longer than Robert, --- plus Rector Charles Green, 1737/64, who died in 1765.

Historically counted among Robert's friends, associates, neighbors and/or fellow 'vestrymen' are; Lord and Lady (Sally) Fairfax - 'Belvoir', 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 (each 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 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 1885, or before)

A gentlemen's sport was horse racing, so Robert built a horse race track used by all, somewhere northwest across Pohick Bay from George Mason's Gunston Hall, near the Pohick meadow lands nearest the Potomac river. George Mason used it to write a letter to George Washington in 1758.

The record shows Robert Boggess 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, Robert, E13, (who remained single) conducted a public sale of family possessions July 16 1773, with proceeds coming under lengthily legal battle on behalf of sister Ann, E14 by others including uncle Caleb Boggess, F54, (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."

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.

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Compiled and revised 12/16/07 by William (Bill) Samuel Boggess raised at Carthage, Missouri(ah).

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