Notes for: James Bodine
The information in this file comes from papers furnished to Ronny O. Bodine, dated June 13, 1982, by Fred Moultrie of Salisbury, Maryland in July 1995. This was later added to information from Mary Ann Bodine Piper. There was a disagreement between these two sources of information concerning who James first married. One says that it was Rachel Wilson. The other information said that James first married a Mary __________. The other information also said that it was James' father, Francis, who married Rachel Wilson. (As for me, I will assume that Francis married Rachel Wilson since there seems to be evidence for this in a record from "Early New Jersey Marriages.")
It is contended that this James Bodine was born about 1747, probably in Middlesex County, New Jersey to Francis and Abigail Bodine. His mother died within a few years of his birth. In 1755, His father, Francis, then married Rachel Wilson and the burden of raising her husband's children was hers. James is not listed as one of Francis' children in Sinnott.
Here is some info from Ronny Bodine on this family:
In a previous posting (# 305 at the Bodine Forum) I named the children of James Bodine. To that list should be added an 8th child, Lydia Bodine, wife of Rev. Jonas Moon. Below are biographical details regarding James Bodine that may clear up some confusion:
JAMES BODINE was born about 1745 probably in Middlesex or Monmouth County, New Jersey. Although there is no direct record of his parentage, he is believed to have been a son of Francis and Abigail Bodine based upon a series of family naming patterns. These include naming children Francis (after his father) and Abigail (after his mother).
James Bodine married his first wife, whose name is unrecorded, about 1765 and came to Loudoun County, Virginia in late 1770 or 1771 in which year he is first identified on tax lists. County court records show his continuous residence in the county until 1791 in which year he is last named on a tax list. During his residency in Loudoun County, he appeared on many occasions before the county court involved in a variety of legal actions ranging from indebtedness to tresspassing and the filing of petitions. In addition, the tax lists show James Bodine in possession of horses and cattle from 1782 on. Land records make no reference to any land ownership on his part and it appears he probably leased whatever land was needed for the support of his family. He first is recorded in the Loudoun County Court Order Books on 11 April 1774 in a suit wherein Joseph Skelton Sr, for Joseph Skelton Jr, sued for a debt against James Bodine (Book F: 351). He is last mentioned on 10 September 1788 in the case of James Bodine assignee of Wm. Smith vs. Archibald Botts (Book L: 14).
In 1791 or 1792, he left Loudoun County and his whereabouts for the next twelve years are not known. James Bodine is recorded on the Loudoun County tax list of 1791, but not in 1792 or later. By 1803 he had settled near the French Broad River in Sevier County, Tennessee where he was later to be joined by his son Francis. (On 24 September 1803 Abigail Bodine was born "on the French Broad River in East Tennessee" according to the biography of her son, James B. Snow, published in Goodspeed's History of Tennessee, 1887. Francis Bodine arrived in 1816 or 1817 based upon tax lists for Fairfax County, Virginia from which location Francis had moved.)
Previous to that date he married his second wife, Sarah Russell, daughter of Daniel and Jemimah Russell of Jefferson County, Tennessee. James and Sarah Bodine lived on a plantation that her father subsequently devised upon her in his will of 14 September 1805 and which land came into her possession at his death the following month (Jefferson County Wills, 1: 261-63). This 29-acre tract was surveyed for James Bodine in 1807 and on 15 June 1810 he received title to it through an occupation land grant from the State of Tennessee, based upon an Act of the General Assembly of 23 November 1809 (East Tennessee Land Grant No. 1506).
On 24 April 1812, Sarah Burdine witnessed a bill of sale from Jemima Rusell to Thomas Welch of a slave woman and her two children (Jefferson County Deeds, 1792-1814, p. 180).
There is no record of what became of James and Sarah Bodine as a result of a fire on 24 March 1856 that completely destroyed the Sevier County courthouse and its contents. Neither James nor Sarah Bodine appears in the 1830 Tennessee census and it is presumed that James Bodine had died long before that time as by this time he would have been in his 80's.
There has been some speculation that the first wife of James Bodine was named Mary. A Mary Bodine appears only one time and that is on the 1791 tax list for Loudoun County. There is no evidence to connect her to James Bodine. She was certainly not his widow as he lived on for many years and is unlikely to have been abandoned by her when he left. She would have lived with her sons and not been taxed separately.
In a later message, Ronny clarified this last paragraph with the following:
I made a slight misstatement. "She was certainly not his widow as he lived on for many years and is unlikely to have been abandoned by her when he left. She would have lived with her sons and not been taxed separately." Meaning to say she was not his widow because James Bodine moved to Sevier County, TN, remarried and lived for many more years. Since James Bodine owned no land in Loudoun County then any widow he may have left behind would not have been taxed for it and none of the tax lists for his sons show an extra older lady living with them, so she was not their mother who stayed behind while her husband went out scouting for a new home. The identity of this Mary Bodine remains unexplained and she may belong to the family of Cornelius Bodine who also lived in Loudoun County and was very, very distantly related to James Bodine.
***End of info from Ronny Bodine.
Later, James' family moved to Little Egg Harbor Township in Burlington County and it may be that James met and married Mary __________ there. His son, Francis may have been born there about 1768. Soon thereafter, he left and went into Loudoun County, Virginia. He lived in Loudoun County from 1771 to 1791. He was first included on the tax list of James Hamilton in Shelburne Parish. James was listed on the Personal Property Tax of Loudoun County in 1788 as was William "Langly" and William "Langly" Jr. Sarah Bodine along with Nancy Longly were received as members of the South Liberty Baptist Church in May of 1827 (McMinn Co., TN?). It is believed that Sarah was James' second wife and that they were married before 1803 in Sevier County, Tennessee. He is mentioned frequently in County Court Order Books involved in numerous suits, both as plaintiff and defendant. No record can be found on him after 1791 and no record has been located to indicate that an estate was probated. He eventually settled near the French Broad River in Sevier County, Tennessee by 1805. It is there that he may have met and married his second wife, Sarah Russell, daughter of Daniel and Jemimah Russell. Their daughter, Abigail was born, according to a biographical sketch published in 1881, "On the French Broad River in East Tennessee" on Sept 24, 1803.
Other "possible" children:
3. Hannah Bodine, b. 9 Apr. 1771, Loudoun Co., Va., m. Israel Morris.
4. Margaret Bodine m. 24 Dec. 1798, Loudoun Co., Va., James T. Moran.
5. Lydia Bodine, b. 1780, m. Jonas Moon.
6. Henry Bodine, b. 1783, bound out at the age of 8 in 1791.
James and Sarah lived on a plantation that her father subsequently devised upon her in his will of Sept 14, 1805 which came into her possession at his death in the following month. James Bodine received title to a tract of 29 acres of land on June 15, 1810 through an occupant land grant from the state of Tennessee based upon an act of the General Assembly of Nov 23, 1809. There is no record of what became of James and Sara J. A fire swept through Sevierville, the county seat, destroying many buildings, including the courthouse and the county clerk's office and a large portion of the circuit court papers.
Here are some records that probably apply to James:
1778 BODINE JAMES Middlesex County NJ 002 New Brnswk S Wd November Tax List
NJ Early Census Index NJS1a337730
1793 BODINE JAMES Middlesex County NJ South Brunswick June Tax List NJ Tax
Lists Index 1772-1822 NJS1a337736
Doris N. Johnston sent me the following on January 4, 2000:
From the information I've been given by other Bodines, the sisters (Etha and Mary Ann Bodine) were daughters of James Bodine, Sr. 1740-1800. James Bodine was born in Westmoreland Co., NJ, married in Burlington Co., NJ, though his wife's name is unknown. Their two oldest children born in Burlington Co. NJ were Mary Ann 1766, and Francis in 1768 (have had contact with descendants). Next were Hannah 1771 in Loudoun Co. VA, James Jr. 1772, Margaret (pr. abt 1774), Lydia (abt 1776), Henry, (abt 1778) and last Effie/Etha 1781.
Notes from Ronny Bodine (January 28, 2017):
James Bodine married his first wife, whose name is unrecorded, about 1765 and came to Loudoun County, Virginia in late 1770 or 1771 in which year he is first identified on tax lists. He first is recorded in the Loudoun County Court Order Books on 11 April 1774 in a suit wherein Joseph Skelton Sr, for Joseph Skelton Jr, sued for a debt against James Bodine (Book F: 351). He is last mentioned on 10 Sept 1788 in the case of James Bodine assignee of Wm. Smith vs. Archibald Botts (Book L: 14).County court records show his continuous residence in the county until 1791 in which year he is last named on a tax list. During his residency in Loudoun County, he appeared on many occasions before the county court involved in a variety of legal actions ranging from indebtedness to tresspassing and the filing of petitions. In addition, the tax lists show James Bodine in possession of horses and cattle from 1782 on. Land records make no reference to any land ownership on his part and it appears he probably leased whatever land was needed for the support of his family.
In 1791 or 1792, he left Loudoun County and his whereabouts for the next twelve years are not known. By 1803 he had settled near the French Broad River in Sevier County, Tennessee where he was later to be joined by his son Francis. Previous to that date he married his second wife, Sarah Russell, daughter of Daniel and Jemimah Russell of Jefferson County, Tennessee. James and Sarah Bodine lived on a plantation that her father subsequently devised upon her in his will of 14 Sept 1805 and which land came into her possession at his death the following month (Jefferson Co. Wills, 1: 261-263). This 29-acre tract was surveyed for James Bodine 13 June 1807 and on 15 June 1810 he received title to it through an occupation land grant from the State of Tennessee, based upon an Act of the General Assembly of 23 November 1809 (Grant No. 1506, Book 2, p. 582). On 24 April 1812, Sarah Burdine witnessed a bill of sale from Jemima Rusell to Thomas Welch of a slave woman and her two children (Jefferson Co. Deeds, 1792-1814, p. 180).
There is no record of what became of James and Sarah Bodine as a result of a fire on 24 March 1856 that completely destroyed the Sevier County courthouse and its contents. Neither James nor Sarah Bodine appears in the 1830 Tennessee census and it is presumed that James Bodine had died long before that time as by this time he would have been in his 80's.