Deadline for reservations is September 28th!

The 2018 Annual Meeting
Midlothian, Virginia
Friday Evening & Saturday, October 19-20, 2018

The host hotel for this year’s meeting is

The “Bondurant Family Association” block of rooms has the rate of $119 per night (plus tax), with either one king bed or two double beds, all non-smoking.  Call the hotel at (804) 794-4999 to request this special rate - it is not available for online reservations. The deadline for reservations is September 28, 2018.  The hotel offers free hot breakfast for registered guests, in-room internet access, a fitness center, a business center, elevator access, handicap accessible rooms, onsite free parking. The room rate can be applied to nights either before or after the meeting if you want to come early or stay late to take advantage of research opportunities.
 No shuttle from the Richmond airport is provided by the hotel. Virginia Airlink shuttle service from the airport to LaQuinta Richmond-Midlothian hotel can be booked at www.virginiaairlink.com. Or get a ride with Uber or Lyft.
 More details about the events planned for this weekend start on page 3 of this issue. Read on!
 Note: Anyone interested in the Bondurant family (of all spellings - Bundrant, Bundrum, Bundren, Bon Durant, etc.) is welcome to attend!

 The order of events may change between now and October, but here’s what we have planned for our 30th anniversary gathering Friday and Saturday, October 19-20, 2018. The hotel reservation details are given on page 1 of this issue – be sure to call the hotel to make your reservation to get the discount and for it to count toward our room block. A separate meeting registration form will be sent to all members - please fill it out and email it to your editor at ebmayes@windstream.net so we can get a better idea of how many people to plan for this fall. Please note that all meals and admission fees (if any) will be self-paid.
 This year Shirley and Tom Seaborn are our hosts and have made the various arrangements for our meeting. We appreciate their willingness and dedication to making this visit to our ancestors’ home area the best possible experience. Many thanks, Shirley and Tom!

Research and Other Cultural Opportunities
 For those who might want to come early, the LaQuinta hotel has agreed to give us the same room rate for several days before and after our meeting, so you won’t have to unpack twice. Tom Seaborn has graciously offered to help anyone who wants to visit the Library of Virginia in Richmond to do research either prior to or after the meeting. Email Tom at jtseaborn@verizon.net to work out your schedule for visiting the archives.
 See more information about other sites of interest in the Richmond area later in this issue.
 
Friday evening, October 19th, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. –
Cumberland Room, LaQuinta Suites, Richmond-Midlothian
 Meet & Greet your cousins to share memorabilia and your family history so that we may learn more about your branch of our family. Tables will be set up to display family treasures, posters, pictures, etc. Several easels will be available for posters of your family tree.

Saturday, October 20th –
 Morning is on your own – You earlybirds may want to see Midlothian sites of interest mentioned later in this issue. Of particular significance is the Midlothian Coal Mine, which contributed greatly to the economy of this area for over 200 years.

11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. –  LUNCH and MEETING –
 Crab Louie’s Seafood Tavern, 1352 Sycamore Square, Midlothian, VA (see more about the 1745 landmark later in this issue)
 The lunch menu is available on their website at http://crablouies.com/site/lunch-menu/ - meals will be paid on separate checks with a gratuity included. We need to know how many are planning to attend by Oct. 1st, so please use the meeting registration form to indicate how many will be joining us.

 The Story of the Bondurant Family Association - 30 Years of “Chasing Bondurants” - long-time BFA newsleter editor and researcher, Mary Bondurant Warren, will give a presentation about how BFA got started and what we’ve learned in the past 30 years.

2:00 p.m. -- Tour Manakin Episcopal Church, 985 Huguenot Trail, Midlothian
 This 1895 building is near the site of the 1730s church built by the Huguenot refugees. Our ancestor Jean Pierre Bondurant and others of the early church vestrymen are commemorated by plaques on the pews inside the newer, modern brick church.
 The headquarters and library of the Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia are nearby.

3:00 p.m. -- Gravesites of Jean Pierre Bondurant and his wife Ann Tanner Bondurant, Birdsong Lane, Powhatan
 A memorial plaque to Jean Pierre Bondurant was placed in this small enclosure by BFA in 1990. The family cemetery was nearly lost due to development in the 1980s. This year a new plaque with more information about his wife Ann’s family may be voted on.

7:00 p.m. -- BFA Dinner at the Half Way House, 10301 Jefferson David Highway, North Chestefield, VA 23237 -
 The Half Way House was built in 1760 on a grant of land from George II of England, by a patent dated 1743. The Manor House is original and furnished in authentic antiques.  Among its famous guests were George Washington, the Marquis de LaFayette, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee, James Whitcomb Riley and scores of others.
 In fact, as the horse change and rest stop for the Petersburg Coach, everyone who traveled south of Richmond, from the Revolution until late in the 19th century, stopped here, if only for rest and refreshment. Long noted as one of Richmond's most beloved treasures, the Half Way House Restaurant offers a truly unique experience.
 If sunlight permits, you may want to see the historic Hatcher family cemetery nearby.

Return to hotel.

Sunday, October 21st -- depart
 LaQuinta offers a hot breakfast for its guests, so why not gather for one last visit before we depart for home. Safe travels and see you next year!