Notes for: John Allen Bodine
Some of this information comes from the Charles Fox book on the Joseph Fox family.
From Dianna Alaniz: In 1850, living in Chippewa Twp, Wayne Co, OH. John was 33, Pa; Henrietta, age 27, Pa; Elias age 10, Oh; Flora age 9, Oh; Amelia age 8, Oh; Allen, age 3, Oh. In 1860, John was in Baughman Twp, Wayne Co, OH at age 38, PA, day laborer; Esther age 38 PA; Flora C. age 19 OH; Arvilla age 18 OH; John A. age 13 OH; and Mary C. age 4 OH. I found a birth date in the IGI for a John Allen BODINE - b: 10 Aug 1815 Greene Co, PA.
In a family bible John had listed all of his father's children plus his own. See the Samuel Bodine Family Bible record in the Bible section on the Archives page.
The following was found by Ronny Bodine and sent to me. I would not trust it much since it seems to have a lot of inaccuracies. Some parts of it might be accurate but would need research to confirm. In general, the research seems to be poorly done.
From: The Courier-Crescent (Orrville, Ohio) of Wednesday, 24 Nov 1971.
Since the celebration of the bicentennial of the United States has already begun, I wish to commend the Courier-Crescent for space given to further an appreciation of local and national history.
After Miss Mary Studer published my desire to correspond with descendants of our ancestors, I have almost completed the family tree. Names of those to whom we are indebted are too numerous to mention except Miss Alta Bartel, granddaughter of James Bodine, who sent me the family sketch. This obviously was the work of Miss Elizabeth Freeman of Ashland. That it is authentic has been proved by the fact that I recently procured a copy of the marriage license of John and Nancy Bodine, our third great grandparents, from Harrisonburg, Va.
John Bodine Sr., after selling his farm in Greene County, Pa., moved to Canaan Township, Wayne County, Ohio, in 1824. His daughter, Ann, (Mrs. Thomas Eldridge) accompanied him. Does anyone know whether his daughter, Mary (Mrs. Boltus Wiggins) accompanied him or whether his wife, Nancy, died before the family's migration to Wayne County, Ohio?
John Bodine Sr. is buried in the Boydston-Bodine Cemetery in East Union Township. Inscribed on the memorial still legible in the 1950's (See Dr. Anna Yoder's Scrapbook in the Wayne County Library, page 4) 1741-1836. His son, Levi, and family did not go with the father to Ohio, but through the years their name has been corrupted to Berdine." Now I am trying to trace those descendants, who live in Waynesburg, Pa.
Samuel Bodine, oldest son of John, moved, in 1815 with his family to Wayne County, East Union Township, where he bought his farm from George Boydston in 1824 (see II - 452). In 1828 (Vol. 22-353) he added another 120 acres to his farm. Again in 1847, he bought lots 186, 187 and 188 in Wooster from George Brimble; also see Vol. 43, 609, concerning the transactions with George Wilcox and wife in Wooster. Therefore it was in Wooster that Samuel's wife, Mary Fox Bodine, and their daughter, Jane, died in September 1851. Both are buried in the family plot (N.E. Quarter, Sec. 4, Range 12, Twp. 16, S. E. corner of aforementioned farm). Methodists, please note that four churches in Wayne County began at this corner or roughly in this area. Samuel became a group leader and had quarterly meetings in his barn that lasted for two days. (See Dr. Anna Yoder's Scrapbook).
After his wife's death, Samuel and his daughter, Lovina, moved to Smithville (see "Pioneer Homes of Wayne County") where the father had purchased a large red brick house of Federal design on what was originally Lot 1. He died April 30,1872 and was buried in the family plot. The stone is still legible but is no longer upright.
His immediate family of 11 children were: Joseph (married Elizabeth Thomas), Nancy (Mrs. John Freeman), Jane, Lovina, John (married Esther Freeman), Elizabeth (Mrs. Jacob Arnsberger), Eliza (Mrs. Henry Stirk), James (married Elizabeth Brenneman) and is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Orrville; Mary Ann (Mrs. George F. A. Tarn) predeceased her father; Samuel (married Mary Taylor).
To compound the difficulties in tracing the Bodines, several Bodine families immigrated directly from France to Wayne County, Ohio, about 1860. This I discovered when I received Joseph's Civil War Record, because a Joseph D. Bodine also served in the Union Army. These families should not be confused because our line is descended from John Bodine who appears in the census of Staten Island in 1694. A staunch Huguenot, he fled from France to England, where he married his second wife, Esther Bridon daughter of Francois Bridon. (Baird: Emigration of Huguenots, Vol. 1, and History of the Huguenots in America, Vol. 1.)
Although the Lewis Freeman and his wife, Ann Noe, lines have been traced by certified genealogists and are voluminous, I shall try to be brief. Lewis's branch of the Freemans has been traced to 1639 in America. Ann Noe's goes back to 1663 when Pierre Noue arrived in America with other Waldensians in 1663. Among Lewis's ancestors is Judge Henry Freeman of Middlesex County, New Jersey, and a
sergeant in the Colonial Wars.
Lewis Freeman and his family moved from New Jersey to Greene County, Pennsylvania. In 1834 the family moved to Wayne County, Ohio. There he bought his property in Township 16, Range 12, Northwestern quarter containing 160 acres (Deed Vol. II, p. 640).
Their children were as follows: Anneliza (Mrs. John F. Simpkins), Benjamin Noe, MD, (married Compton); John (married Nancy Bodine), Lewis (married Christanna Garrel), Edgar (married Mary McFann), both he and his son were merchants in Wooster; Harriet (Mrs. Ephraim Seargent), Esther (marriecl John Bodine); Sarah (marriea John H. Ray), Fanny (married James Clubine).
Nearly all of the family is buried in the Old Cemetery in Orrville. Nancy rests in the Boydston-Bodine plot (we have a picture of her headstone), but her husband, John Freeman, is interred somewhere in Michigan. Esther and her husband, John Bodine, were buried in the Bodine plot in Pleasantville, Pa. They are our great grandparents. As can be seen at Lewis Freeman's grave in Orrville, he fought in the War of 1812.
Several months ago I sent to the Wayne Co. Wooster Library a pamphlet entitled "Colonial Families of America" by Frances M. Smith and Frank Allaben, published by the Genealogical Company, 3 W. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. on the Freeman Family. This contains the coat-of-arms attributed to Henry Freeman of Woodbridge, N.J. Because the company had only two copies, I shall try to reorder. In this booklet are listed the descendants (of Wayne County) from Judge Henry; but because I became ill, further work was halted.
The Bodines, Freemans, and Noes eventually settled in New Jersey until they, like all pioneers, moved westward. The greatest heritage or sense of American spirit that parents can give their children is the knowledge of the accomplishments and perseverance of their forefathers. Let's begin to celebrate the bicentennial at home.
Miss Eliubetb D. Madill
450 Carson Street
Monongahela, Pa. 15063
From Ronny Bodine:
From State of Pennsylvania Certificate of Death for Ester Bodine: Born 18 June 1821 in New Jersey, died 30 May 1911 in Pittsburgh and was buried in Pleasantville. Daughter of Louis Tanner and Anna Noah. Informant was Bella Clark. [Note: The names of Esther's parents must be in error. She was 16 years old when she married John Bodine and is called Esther Freeman at her marriage. The State of Pennsylvania Certificate of Death for her son, John Allen Bodine, names his parents as John Allen Bodine and Esther Freeman, the informant being his son Maxwell Bodine.]