Bosun Gay was the son of Bosun and Nancy Bosun. He made his first appearance in the historical record as an unnamed infant in Zachariah Lamar’s 1832 will, in which he and his family were bequeathed to John B. He had an older sister named Mary Ann. In 1847, Lamar moved Bosun’s family to his newly acquired Sumter County plantation. By the time of this move his mother had remarried to Ned Bommer. What prompted this remarriage is not recorded in the historical documents. Bosun married Rosetta “Rose” Heard in the early 1850s. They had nine children: seven before emancipation and two after. Following emancipation, Bosun registered to vote on July 15, 1867 using Lamar as his last name. By 1870, however, he and Rose had adopted Gay as their family name. Bosun remained close to his parents both emotionally and physically. The 1870 census records show that Bosun, Rose, and their six children who remained at home lived next door to Ned and Nancy. By 1880, the three youngest children continued to live with Bosun and Rose. In this instance the census taker recorded Bosun’s name as Boss. On April 21, 1883, the couple secured formal legal and religious sanction for their marriage. Rose died sometime during the next decade. Bosun remarried to Orlee Crumley on November 23, 1893. He spent his final years with Orlee in DeSoto, Sumter County.

Additional Resources