My grandfather, Tillman (1871-1930), was born to George Washington and Mary (Coffman) Boggess in Harrison County. Tillman was a farmer, oxen man and a blacksmith. His great-great-grandfather, Samuel (1742-1825), was a First Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War in Maryland. Samuel's wife, Elizabeth (Dorsey) Boggess (1749-1824), could trace her ancestry back through royalty to the first Caesar. Samuel and his family emigrated to Harrison County in early 1800.

   My grandmother, Flora (1871-1924), was born to Dudley and Mary Jane (Mason) Robinson in Marion County. Flora was a housewife. She was a gentle, loving woman. Her children remember their mother playing tunes for them on the dulcimer. Six of Tiliman and Flora's children died early, but, Virgil, Argil, Denzil, and Ruth lived to be adults as shown below:

1.Virgil Highland Boggess (1900-1989) liked to play baseball. He was also an adventurous soul and enjoyed traveling. He married Vonda Swiger, and had two children: Mary Lou married Junior Swiger and Virgil Wayne married Sharon Jones.

2. My father, Argil Dudley Boggess (1902-1977), moved to Pennsylvania after high school and worked for Westinghouse for 42 years. He married Thelma June Boettner, and had three children: Shirley Ann married William Lloyd, Richard Dudley married Marlene Tomlinson and Robert Lewis married Barbara Giles.

3. Ruth Emeretta Boggess, born 1912, loved to ride horses with her friends. She followed her big brother, Argil, to Pennsyvlania and married Samuel James Winner and had two children: Samuel James Winner, Jr. married Karen Fahsel and John Anthony Winner married Susan Griffen. Every now and then, Ruth plays a tune on the piano for her family.

4. George Denzil Boggess, born 1914, was raised by his uncle who believed in hard work and no play. Denzil married Lucy Madge Yates and had two children: Barbara May married Franklyn Dean, and George Denzil, Jr. married Carolyn Davis. Denzil and his family are very active in the Bethlehem Baptist Church. Denzil said that his sister would get so mad when Russell Stark "deviled Ruth" by asking her, "How's your father, Tillman Washboard?" Denzil also heard that when his brothers, Virgil and Argil, did things they weren't supposed to do, Tillman had to take the lash to them".

   Ruth said that their father made a sled for her and Denzil, but they wished that they had a store-bought sled like the other kids. When Tillman's sled beat them down the hill, the other kids wanted to trade. Then, Ruth and Denzil knew they had the best sled on Jones Run.

   When Denzil was ten years old, he and cousin Clifford Morris, would ice-skate the creek between Oakdale and Wyatt (3 miles), and cousin, Noel Morris, would ride the horse. Then Noel would get on the streetcar, and Denzil and Clifford would ride the horse home. Then, they'd do it over again. Ruth and Denzil did things they weren't supposed to do, such as, race each other up to the top of the oil derricks. Tillman would have "taken the lash to them" if he knew.

Submitted by:
Richard Dudley Boggess
Street Address
Chatsworth, CA 91311