Bondurant Family AssociationBFA Annual Meeting
Saint Charles, Missouri
Friday & Saturday, October 4-5, 2024
The 2024 BFA Annual Meeting and Meet & Greet was held on October 4 at the home of John and Marsha Miller in Saint Charles, MO.
The attendees were: front row, seated (L-R): President Bruce Ramsdell (GA), Renee Brookshire (FL), Susan Recla (VA), Judy & David Bondurant (webmaster) (CO), Alvin Rockhey & wife Annie Jones Rockhey (MI). Back row, standing (L-R): Bill BonDurant (treasurer) & wife Sandy (IL), Marvin White (Bruce's hubby) (GA),Sue Pittman & hubby Bill Pittman (OK), Marsha Miller (our host) (MO), Diane Borgman (MO), Alberta Stout (DNA coordinator) (AR), Marcelle Hoffman (secretary) (CA) (back); Geoffrey Williams (IL); Ramona Wilkerson (AR), Tom BonDurant (VP) (MS), John Miller (our co-host), Hank Recla (Susan’s hubby, VA), & Rob Williams (OH). Not pictured Glen Brookshire (Renee’s hubby).
Many thanks for the wonderful planning of our 2024 gathering go to our hosts, Marsha and John Miller, who welcomed the group to their
home in Saint Charles, Missouri, for the Friday evening Meet & Greet! The in-person attendees were also joined via Zoom by Charlotte Wilcher (VA) and her half-brother Jim Perrotta (NJ), Cindy Ferguson (CA), Linda and Harry Dolph (VA), Betty and Wayne Brown (OH), Cynthia Louise Moore (CA) and Eve B. Mayes (GA).
Following a brief business meeting, President Bruce Ramsdell had the entire group introduce themselves and give a brief accounting of how they are related to the Bondurant family. Quite a few attendees discovered that they share closer relatives than Jean Pierre and Ann Tanner Bondurant as their common ancestors! We’re always looking for more connections to this family! The 2025 meeting probably will be held somewhere in Virginia, since we try to go there every other year. Watch for more details on the BFA Facebook page and in the website.
On Saturday morning, the group put on their comfy walking shoes and explored Downtown Saint Charles Historic District with its French Colonial
and early German buildings along main street. A brief walk to the Lewis & Clark Boat House & Museum introduced them to the intrepid explorers
Thomas Jefferson sent to examine the lands of the new Louisiana Purchase in 1803. After lunch on their own, the group toured the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site with a film about Grant and a museum to explore. That evening, they had dinner at Spiro’s Restaurant. On Sunday morning,
everyone said farewell and safe journey until our next gathering next fall in Virginia. You can see more pictures from the meeting on our Meeting webpage.
From the President:
Dear Cousins and Friends,
It has been another good year for the Bondurant Family. Earlier this year, we contributed Bondurant T-shirts to a group of students
studying the history of the Huguenots in southern France. A team of BFA historians, led by David Bondurant and Cynthia Louise Moore, created 18 historical posters that told the story of one young Huguenot’s exodus from the persecution in France and his journey to eventually reach the colony of Virginia – our progenitor, Jean Pierre Bondurant. The posters were donated to the Museum in Genolhac to be used for future Huguenot projects. The exhibit can be viewed by visiting the Genolhac Exhibition tab.
In September, there was another Homeland Tour of the Cevennes, which included exploring Jean Pierre Bondurant’s birthplace and ancestral home in Genolhac, France. The Medieval city of Carcassonne was added to the itinerary. The travelers shared many photos of their trip on the BFA Facebook page. AND, if you haven’t been able to go on the last two tours, another one is being planned for September 2025! Watch for the announcement on the BFA Facebook page.
Our author-cousin Cynthia Louise Moore, aka Jules Larimore, finished book number two of her trilogy, which features a historical fiction account of Jean Pierre Bondurant. The first volume is The Muse of Freedom; the second is Find Me in the Stars, and the third one is inthe works. I loved these books. Both are available on Amazon and other book sellers around the country. The audiobook
version of The Muse of Freedom, narrated by Elijah Alexander, has just been released!
The BFA annual reunion, October 4-5, 2024, hosted by John and Marsha Miller, was a smashing success. The Meet and Greet on Friday evening was held in their capacious St. Charles, Missouri, home, with several cousins around the country joining in via Zoom. The next day we toured the old River town areas. We toured the Lewis and Clark Boat Launch Museum in the morning. That afternoon we visited the Ulysses S. Grant Museum. Both were free and fabulous. There is so much fascinating history in that area. Lewis and Clark were exciting characters. Grant even owned a plantation, which is now a museum. I had no idea!
We look forward to another productive year. Our 2025 reunion will likely be in Virginia, and we will start working on it immediately. Our monthly Zoom board meetings will resume in January. They are open to BFA members and all are welcome. Do join us, especially if you have any ideas for our upcoming reunion next fall or projects that we can undertake! [Email me to receive the Zoom link.] We hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season and that you all stay safe and healthy! And have a happy New Year!
Bruce Ramsdell
siouxlake@aol.com
Celebrating the journey of our immigrant ancestor
Jean Pierre Bondurant From Génolhac to Virginia!
A commemorative t-shirt has been designed to mark the Génolhac Exhibition held in August, and to remember the sacrifices of the Huguenots to practice their Protestant faith during the 16th and 17th centuries in France. This 100% ringsping cotton, pre- shrunk, short sleeve, black t-shirt with white imprint (made in USA) is available from small to 4XL, while supplies last. If you’re not sure what size to get, see the chart of shirt measurements at the bottom of this order form below. Quantity is limited so don’t miss your chance!
Order Your Jean Pierre Bondurant - From Genolhac to America T-Shirt Here.