Bogert, Lilla, 1848-1951

Lilla Bogert was born on 6 Jan. 1848 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Her family moved west to Bozeman in the mid-1870s and quickly became a leading family in the new town. Her father, John V. Bogert, became the first mayor of Bozeman in 1883. Along with her two sisters Augusta and Kate, Lilla became a leading socialite in the community and nearby Fort Ellis. Her sister Kate married Lt. Charles Roe from Fort Ellis and Augusta married Arthur Place. Lilla never married. Lilla devoted much of her adult life to making Sunset Hills Cemetery the most beautiful cemetery in the state. She held a charity bazaar with her sister Kate to raise money for the cemetery, started work to plant trees and flowers on the grounds, and served as a member of the cemetery board. An accomplished western artist, Lilla is known for her paintings of Montana topics. She had a poem published in the compilation of poems The Badge of Honor for 1942. The last years of her life Lilla Bogert was a patient at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital where she died on 3 Sept. 1951 at the age of 103.

From the description of Lilla Bogert letters, 1876-1877. (Montana State University Bozeman Library). WorldCat record id: 70962433

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