Notes for: James Andrew ("Andy") Bodine

Linn Creek is southwest of the Lake of the Ozarks. James migrated to California and remained there. A family story says that he and Cassandra eloped because Cassie's parents said, "He's just a little Frenchman and he'll never amount to anything." They eloped and went by covered wagon to Washington state. His daughter, Beulah, is Carol Coggins' grandmother. Beulah had a twin sister, Eulah, who died just after Christmas 1999 at age 92. Beulah said she's surprised to be the last one living since she was always the most "sickly."

He ended up becoming a prosperous pioneer in the Imperial Valley with many businesses: hay & grain, a livery stable, an icehouse on the railroad line, an ice skating rink (Beulah insists this is true!), a cotton farmer, etc. He died on March 20, 1947 in Huntington Beach, California at the home of his daughter, Eulah and her husband John Page, 4213 Rose Avenue.

Cassie, his wife, was tragically killed in front of her family by a Pacific Electric Redcar that ran through a corner of their property. (Near where Knott's Berry Farm amusement park is now). She was running with a big bouquet of flowers, to greet someone who was arriving on the "train". For some reason, she did not hear everyone yelling at her to stop. She was hit by the cowcatcher and thrown up into the air, body parts went flying. Her husband nearly lost his mind after this. (He and Cassie were deeply in love.) She left 12 children, the youngest being only nine months old.

After Cassie died, Andy went through a series of housekeepers who couldn't handle his twelve children, until he hired Anna Nathlich. She brought with her a young daughter (seven years old?), Lida Brown. Lida's father was Abram "Fatty Brown." After a while, Anna and Andy were married. Interestingly, Lida went on to marry her stepbrother, Tom Bodine.

His daughter, Beulah, said that her father loved to make up words and tell funny stories. Andy also liked to dance in his nightshirt and a funny stocking hat for the entertainment of overnight guests!

Carol Coggins said that Andy died at the home of one of his daughters, Eulah Nelle, and her husband, John "Johnny" Page, in Huntington Beach, Orange County, California.

Carol later wrote me the following message:

Subject: Andy Bodine (b.1870)
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000
From: "P. & C." coggins4 at pacbell.net

Hi Dave,
I have received an odd email from someone who claims that the reason Andy Bodine (b.1870) and Cassie (b.1872) left Oklahoma was because they were first cousins. Do you know anything about this?

Also, recently another Bodine relative who lives in Florida who used to live with Andy and Cassie claims that they left Oklahoma because Andy shot a black man who worked for him. The man was supposed to be working but was hiding, asleep on a stack of hay behind the barn. Supposedly, Andy yelled at him, then shot him with his rifle, and the body raised up off the hay, so he thought he had killed him. They left their families in OK in haste, moving to Washington state. The relative who told me this claims this is the truth as told to him by his grandfather Andy.

Do you know anything about either of these stories or how I might be able to prove either of them. I find the first cousin story to be silly because I do have the names on both sides and they don't appear to be related in any way. What do you think?

Sincerely,
Carol Coggins

P.S. Grandma Beulah Belle Bodine (Coziar/ Ritch) is now 93 and living in a rest home, playing the piano, singing and telling stories and jokes to entertain the captive crowd. Ha! She is in her element!

From Ancestry.com:
Re: Descendents of Andrew Bodine & Susanna Andersson
KrystleBodine
Posted: 27 Mar 2007

My great grand father, on my dad's side, was Andrew Bodine. My Grand Father, his son, was Jerold Bodine, which passes away 12 years ago this July. I do not know much about that side of my family, but we reside in California. From what I hear Andrew Bodine had 13 siblings and 2 sets of twins (Uela and Buela) and (Ora and Nora) not sure if that spelling is correct. Anyway, if you have any information for me and this sounds right please let me know.

Thanks, Krystle Bodine

From: Jim Evatt [bydoggies at gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2022
Subject: Re: Bodine statistics

Regarding the lineage of James Andrew Bodine and Cassandra Jane Evans.
Child #6, George Washington Bodine
born in Brawley, CA. Imperial County
________________
Wife: Mable Irene Hines
Married: July 1929, Hanford, CA. San Juaquin Co.
Father: Theodore Hines. died 1947. San Juaquin Co.
Mother: Cora Gardner. died 1938. San Juaquin Co.
------------------------------
Child #2 Norma Jean Bodine
Born April 28, 1933 In Abilene, Texas
Married June 30, 1951
died Jan. 26, 2010, Joshua Tree,CA San Bernardino Co.
Husband: living
Child #4
Cora Lou Bodine
Husband #1 and father of her children:
Travis Simon. married 1956 in Reno, NV
Born 1938
died 1962, Sacramento Co. CA
Husband #2 living

From Ronny Bodine:

The Bodine family was living 1910 in Brawley, Imperial County, California where Andrew worked as a wagon driver. Cassie stated she had borne 11 children of who 10 were then living. In 1920, Andrew Bodine was now widowed and working in Niland, Imperial County as a contractor. Anna M. Bodine died in Huntington Beach according to her obituary, however, there is no state record of her death in California. Anna was the daughter of Adelbert and Lydia Matilda (Adams) Nathlich.

From Orange County, California Marriage Records:
Andrew Bodine, 50, of Niland, Calif., widowed, rancher, born in Missouri, son of Louis B. Bodine & Lou Colven AND Anna M. Brown, 38, of Niland, Calif., divorced, housewife, born in Ute, Iowa, daughter of Adelbert Nathlich & Lydia Adams, were married 8 July 1921 in Santa Ana, by John B. Cox, J.P.

From Social Security Applications and Claims:
In January 1938, Anna Matilda Bodine applied for a SSN and reported she was born 20 June 1883 in Ute, Monona Co., Iowa, dau. of Adelbert and Lydia M. (Adams) Nathlich.

Obituary, the Los Angeles Times of 12 June 1914.
SANTA ANA, June 11.---Mrs. Cassie J. Bodine, wife of Andrew Bodine, a transfer man of Brawley, was instantly killed at Cordoniz Station on the Santa Ana line of the Pacific Electric today. She and her husband had been near the station looking at a ranch they proposed to buy. While waiting to take a car to return to Los Angeles they stood on the left side of the track and the motorman did not see their signal to stop. Mrs. Bodine tried to get across the tracks to the right side and was struck. Her arms and one leg was broken and her head was crushed. Mrs. Bodine was the mother of twelve children, the oldest of whom is 20 years of age. [Note: California Death Records gives the date as 11 May 1914--clearly an error.]

Obituary, the Long Beach (Calif.) Independent of 4 Feb 1947.
Mrs. Anna M. Bodine, 63, of Route 1 Huntingdon Beach, died yesterday in a local hospital. She was bom in Iowa and came to Huntingdon Beach in 1904. She was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Garden Grove, and is survived by the widower, Andrew Bodine, Huntingdon Beach; seven daughters. Mrs. Bessie Eiland, El Monte; Mrs. Ruth Joiner, Artesia; Mrs. Beulah Ritch, Santa Ana; Mrs. Eulah Page, Long Beach; Mrs. Nora Pinder, San Antonio, Texas; Mrs. Ora Evans, San Diego; and Mrs. Edith Furlong, Banning, Calif.; three sons: T. A. Bodine, Santa Ana; G. W. Bodine, Banning; and J. E. Bodine, Spokane, Wash.; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Funeral services will be conducted in the chapel of the Patterson & Snively mortuary, at 1: 00 p.m. Thursday. Interment will be in Fairhaven cemetery, Santa Ana. [Note: Although the obituary implies she died in Huntingdon Beach, her death was registered in Los Angeles County and therefore the "local hospital" was likely in Long Beach, Los Angeles County where the newspaper was published.]

Obituary, the Long Beach (Calif.) Independent of 23 March 1947.
Andrew Bodine, 75, of Huntingdon Beach, died March 20 at the home of a daughter, 4213 Rose avenue. He was born in Missouri and came to California in 1904. He came to Huntingdon Beach a year ago from Banning. He was a retired farmer and is survived by seven daughters, Mrs. Bessie Eiland, El Monte; Mrs. Ruth Joiner, Artesia; Mrs. Beulah Ritch, Santa Ana; Mrs. Eulah Page, Long Beach, at whose home he died; Mrs. Nora Pinder, San Antonio, Texas; Mrs. Ora Evans, San Diego; and Mrs. Edith Furlong, Banning; three sons: T. A. Bodine, Santa Ana; G. W. Bodine, Banning; and J. E. Bodine, Spokane, Wash.; three sisters, 35 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. The Rev. Charles W. Mayes will officiate at services in the chapel of the Patterson & Salvely mortuary at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow. Interment will follow in Fairhaven cemetery, Santa Ana.

Burials in Fairhaven Memorial Park, Santa Ana County, Calif.
(For grave marker photos see Find A Grave Memorials Nos. 58489968, 58489970 & 58489969)
Papa ANDREW BODINE 1871-1947 Mama CASSANDRA BODINE 1872-1914 Mom ANNA M. BODINE 1884-1947