Notes for: Prudence Ethel Bodine
Some of the information below was provided by Arlene Secrist (145 New Haven Dr., Urbana, Ohio 43078; secrist@ctcn.net). Arlene Seacrist is married to a descendant of Prudence Bodine and Philip Traxler. She hand copied the information in the family Bible in the possession of an elderly member of her husband's family many years ago. This is the source of the birth dates for the children of Prudence Bodine and Philip Traxler.
During the early years of their marriage she had a number of conversations with Prudence Ethelyn (Traxler) Secrist, granddaughter of Prudence and Philip. (William Aten Traxler was her father.) She told Arlene that she was named for her grandmother Prudence (Bodine) Traxler. Based on this statement, Arlene attributed the middle name of "Ethel" to Prudence Bodine. No other source for this name, including her tombstone and legal documents, have shown this middle name. None of her siblings appear to have been given middle names. Therefore, the middle name "Ethel" should not be considered proven.
Joan Best said that Arlene includes a Simon, b. in 1839. Simon is listed in an LDS record that also lists several other children, who are actually cousins. Simon is not included here. There are only seventeen months between the siblings born in 1838 and 1840, making Simon's birth close to impossible. Birthdates are given for all the children except Simon. Simon is not found in the 1850 census, which lists all of the other children, or the 1840 census, which shows Henry through Huldah in their respective age groups. The birth and death in infancy of another child, Prudence, is fully recorded and she is buried in the same cemetery as her parents; so the lack of similar treatment for another child seems unlikely.
LDS info says they had fourteen children all born in Livingston County, New York (far western New York).
Here is some cemetery information from Richland County, Ohio:
From: "Jack Secrist" (secrist@ctcn.net)
To: "Joan Best" (joanbest1@earthlink.net)
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002
Subject: Re: cemetery records
Bellville Cemetery
pg. 78
Traxler, Lourna Walsh 1845-1925;
pg. 79
Traxler, Phillip 1843-1896
Prudence d. apr. 25 1848 , 2-8-28 ,
Charles G. d. 20 sep. 1862, 22-7-15
Phillip Sr. d. 25 jul. 1876, 73-4-24,
Prudence d. 4 oct. 1887, 75-5-14
Susan L. w/o P. H. d. 25 jun. 1871, 26-1-15.
(next to Cath. Bodine w/o Jacob)
Shenandoah Cemetery
pg. 14
Traxler, Milton O. b. 1856-1934.
Oakland Cemetery
pg. 327
Traxler, Allie Rozella 20 may 1975
George ( child of ) 1929
Robert E. ( child ) 1942.
Four Corners-Zion Lutheran Cemetery
pg. 424
Traxler, Zilpha w/o Adam d. 5 feb. 1864, 55-4-15
Adam h/o Zilpha d. 18 mar. 1867 , 55-5-19.
Independence-Butler Cemetery
pg. 429
Traxler, J. A. h/o Elmira, GAR Vet. 16 aug. 1832 (?)-10 feb. 1902
Elmira w/o J. A. 16 jul. 1838-1 apr. 1913.
pg. 430
Traxler, William A. h/o Melinda A. 1835-1914
Melinda Alice w/o William 1857-1907
Freddie s/o W.& M. 0-8-10.
Yours,
Arlene
And here is some correspondence that Joan and Arlene had about the cemetery records above:
Original Message
From: "Joan Best" (joanbest1@earthlink.net)
To: "Jack Secrist" (secrist@ctcn.net)
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002
Subject: Re: cemetery records
I notice in this material that there is an Adam Traxler and wife Zilpha. He was born in 1811. Is he Philip's brother? Maybe he is Lulu Belle, Milton and Louna, etc ancestor?
Calculating from the death date Prudence would have been born in 1812, not 1811. Could you check the numbers?
Charles - is his middle initial G or C? His birthdate is given elsewhere as Feb 5, calculates 14th.
Joan
From: "Jack Secrist"
To: "Joan Best"
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002
Subject: Re: cemetery records
Hi Joan,
I have Adam ( s/o Henry & Eliz. Hummer Traxler ) b. 29 Sep. 1811- yes Philip`s brother.
Philip H. & Prudence have a son Philip who m. Susan L. Bell and they had a dau. called Bell b. 1869. But isn`t Lula Belle supposed to be a dau. of a William?
Philip & Prudence Bodine Traxler had a son James A. m. Elmira Palm and had a son Harry Milton b. 1858, perhaps called Milton?
Philip & Prudence`s son Charles Calvin (has to be a 'C.' ).
Prudence`s date- That is what the tomb stone says, keeping in mind a son or dau. may have forgot exactly when she was
born, by the time the stone was erected.
Still sounds like William Aten Traxler may have been married earlier to a Thomas.
Yours,
Arlene
From: "Joan Best"
To: "Jack Secrist"
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002
Subject: Re: cemetery records
Did Philip Jr. have a son named William? He could have named a daughter Bell in honor of his mother.
Do you have information in some kind of format for all of Prudence and Philip's grandchildren and great grandchildren? It is difficult getting it piecemeal and I don't want to confuse them with Adam's descendants. Do you have copies of the Bible records you referred to before? I would like to reference original documents.
As to Prudence's birthdate. Is that in the Bible records?
Joan
End or correspondence thread. As far as I know there was no answer to Joan's last questions.
Joan Best did a search on the Internet and in the Ancestry census images for Prudence. She found Prudence in WorldConnect married to Traxler - mother Catherine, father Jacob Bodine. Traxler was from Groveland Twp., Livingston Co., NY. About half of their kids had been born there before they moved to Richland Co., Ohio. I looked in the 1850 census for Ohio and found Prudence to be the right age and Catherine Bodine living with her, the right
age (65).
Arlene Secrist has information on this family that comes from a family Bible. Some or all of her dates on Prudence and family come from this Bible. I don't know who this Bible originally belonged to, but it was in the hands of elderly relatives of Arlene's husband many years ago (location unknown now). I guess a birth date of April 20, 1811 came from this Bible, but that does not match the age on the tombstone. Her stone in Bellville Cemetery in Richland Co., OH says she died on October 4, 1887 at age 75-4-14. That would make her birth date be April 20, 1812. I will go with what the tombstone says until I find out more on the origin and date of this Bible.
This comes from Joan Best:
Catherine Bodine's dad is [probably] Evan Thomas! She is the sister of Prudence, who witnessed her signature. Prudence is married to Caleb Thomas. According to info on familysearch, Caleb is the great-grandson of Edward Thomas and Prudence is his granddaughter. Does that make them second cousins once removed? I have Evan Thomas' will, which just gives the first names of his children. But,by lucky chance [I say that because Caleb Thomas was the administrator of both Jacob Bodine, Jr's estate [his brother-in-law] and Evan Thomas' estate [his father-in-law] So when I sent for papers in which Catherine Bodine gives power of attorney to Caleb Thomas I thought it was about her husband's estate. One was, the other one was for her father's estate, and this time it is in her married name as heir of Evan Thomas.
Evan's children were: Mary Hendershot, Inon, Evan, Elizabeth, Catharine, Prudence, Rebecca, John. To each he gave 1/8.
In the 1830 census for Groveland, Livingston Co., NY we find John Thomas and Evan Thomas, probably Catharine's brothers, and William Hendershot, Sr. and Jr., perhaps one of them a spouse of May Thomas Hendershot.
In 1838 Catherine and her children gave power of attorney to Caleb Thomas so he could sell some more of Jacob, Jr.'s land. The documents say where they lived in 1838. Catharine lived in Groveland and Desire in Genesco, both in Livingston Co. NY. Russell's share had been conveyed to Catherine. Philip Traxler and wife Prudence were living in Richland Co., Ohio and they had purchased William Bodine's portion [they signed in Richland Co. on February 17, 1838]. Mary Bodine was living in Washtenaw, Michigan [The same county as Russell] She signed in Teetmish, Linawe Co. Michigan.
I think that pretty much sews up and question concerning whether the NY Bodines are one and the same as Jacob, Jr's kids.
Evan Thomas will was submitted for probate in 1820. He doesn't mention a wife so she had probably predeceased him. So with both parents and husband dead, it made sense that Catherine and her teenagers would go to NY with her siblings. New land was being developed along a newly opened canal there. Catherine did not go to live with Prudence right away, apparently. I wonder if Desire and Mary ever married. And it looks like Russel/l had more children than Elizabeth. Several boys and at least one other girl, according to the census. Keep an eye out for them. Maybe his estate papers would give some clues, or an obit.
Joan