FamilySearch.com also had a birth date of August 15, 1870 for him. Thomas is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Covington, Indiana. The picture below was provided by Lesa Epperson.
From Ronny Bodine:
From Indiana Marriage Records: Thomas H. Bodine and Elma McDonald were married 6 June 1900 in Fountain County.
From Indiana Federal Census Records:
1910 (22 April) Troy Twp., Covington: Thomas H. BODINE 39 IN married1-10 years Train Elector, Elma 31 OH wife married1-10 years 2 children born/2 living, Thomas McDonald 6 IN son, Mildred Monel 3 IN dau.
1920 (30 Jan) Troy Twp., Covington: Elma BODINE 51 OH widowed, Thomas 16 IN son, Mildred 13 IN dau.
1940 (18 April) Troy Twp., Covington: Alma BODINE 61 OH widowed.
Newspaper Obituary, The Attica Ledger-Press (Attica, Ind.) of Friday, 1 March 1912.
Not in recent years have the residents of Covington and vicinity been schockt as they were Monday night when the report spread about the city that Thomas H. Bodine, president of the Fountain county council and one of Covington's leading men of affairs, had been electrocuted in the basement of his home while engaged in firing the furnace. Only a few weeks ago what appeared to be an attempt to assassinate Mr. Bodine had been made by some unknown enemy at his home and naturally the first thought in the mind of everyone was that his death had been the result of foul play. Careful investigation of the premises however thus far reveals no apparent tampering with the wires or in fact, any way in which the furnace could have been charged with electricity. The coroner's inquest has not yet been held, Coroner Caplinger having announced that it would be deferred until after the funeral, and a burial permit being issued setting forth the cause of death as accidental. The funeral was held yesterday afternoon and the investigation will be begun today.
That the furnace was heavily charged with electricity is beyond question. The alternating current system is used by the Covington lighting plant and accidents similar to this are not infrequent where this system is in use. Altho the voltage that enters the house is low there is constant danger of leakage thru the transformers from the high potential wires that carry the current past the house and it is not improbable that Mr. Bodine received the full voltage thus indirectly. The ten-year-old boy who witnest his father's death says that Mr. Bodine had thrown some coal into the furnace and had stirred the fire about with the shovel. As he was withdrawing the shovel he scraped it against the bottom of the door, the contact drawing blue flame and sparks. As the current entered his body the man fell forward and struck his face on the floor, breaking the cartilage of the nose. Evidently realizing that he had received a death shock he called to his wife upstairs that he was dying and told her to call a physician. Mrs. Bodine hastily did so and Drs. Hicks and Myers responded immediately, but when they arrived Mr. Bodine was gasping his last and he passed away within a few moments, having lived only about ten minutes following the shock.
It will be recalled that a few weeks ago a shot was fired thru a window of the Bodine home in what appeared to be an attempt to assassinate Mr. Bodine. Later the same evening after the commotion caused by the shooting had subsided, a railroad tie was hurled thru a large dining room window. A vigorous attempt was made to run down the perpetrators of the outrage, bloodhounds were used and a reward was offered but the guilty parties were never apprehended. Naturally, now that Mr. Bodine has met such a tragic death, efforts are being made to connect it with the attempted assassination of last winter, but so far nothing has come to light which could create the belief that his death was but purely an accident.
Mr. Bodine was 43 years of age and for a number of years has been in the grain business. He owned three elevators, two in Covington and one in Foster. He was prominent in business and fraternal circles, having been secretary of Covington's fair association. He was owner of May Day, the pacer that proved one of the sensations of the grand circuit last season, and of other racing horses. He was identified with several local enterprises, having been considered one of the wealthy men of Fountain county. His tragic death has therefore come as a distinct shock to the people of Covington and vicinity. Mr. Bodine is survived by his wife and two children, a son and a daughter aged respectively ten and six.
Burials in Mount Hope Cemetery, Covington, Fountain County, Indiana.
(Find A Grave Memorial # 19587839 & 19556363)
Thomas H. Bodine 1870-1912 Elma M. Bodine 1878-1949