In the same room as the "neat" side of the office (the side with the computer desk, printer desk, and credenza) is the "messy" side, as pictured here. This will be the challenge for 2008.
Monday, January 21, 2008
The Bad Side
In the same room as the "neat" side of the office (the side with the computer desk, printer desk, and credenza) is the "messy" side, as pictured here. This will be the challenge for 2008.
Organizing and Starting Anew
I've renamed this blog to focus a bit less on my personal genealogy (although I will continue to use the blog for that purpose), but to focus a bit more on the methods of genealogy. Few people will read a blog about someone else's research unless they can learn from the process.
At the same time, I'm long overdue for cleaning up the mess in half my home office. So this blog will also serve to motivate that process. We'll begin with a photo of the good side of the office and another of the bad side.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Tag, I'm It
Steve Danko has "tagged" me in his blog, meaning that I need to come up with 5 things that most people don't know about me (and secondly, I'll have to come up with 5 other bloggers to tag, which is going to be the real tough part). So at least in this posting, I'll list my 5 things:
- Back in the early 1990s, I collaborated with my (now) ex-sister-in-law, Rande Yates (her maiden name, I can't recall her new married name) on writing a number of songs. Rande is a very talented pianist, and after hearing some of her tunes, I volunteered to write lyrics to some of them. When she wrote a tune inspired by her young son (Benji), I wrote lyrics for it. Rande submitted "Benjamin's Song"(also called "Kindergarten Kid") to an annual contest held by the South Carolina Songwriters Association, and our song won first place in the children's/novelty category.
- Growing up, I always watched GE College Bowl with host Allen Ludden on Sunday nights. So around 1980, when I was on the computer center staff at Clemson University, I volunteered to play in an exhibition game between Clemson faculty and Clemson students. I ended up on the faculty team with 3 Clemson history professors, but I was the only one on the team who could answer the history questions. I went on to coach the Clemson team for 8 years, and when I left Clemson for the University of South Florida, I coached the USF team, too. I was a regular College Bowl moderator for the regional games in the southeast U.S.
- I learned to play bridge in college, and joined a duplicate bridge club in the late 70s/early 80s. I eventually earned enough master points at local tournaments to be a "Junior Master". (Fortunately, it didn't take many.)
- I ended up as a co-star of my high school's senior play ("The Phantom Strikes Again", a mystery/comedy), primarily because the original male lead was also busy playing in the high school band, he was so busy with the band (when they played in Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans) that he didn't learn his lines, and I was chosen to replace him. If that hadn't happened, I would have played the butler with only about 3 speaking lines.
- In 1970, I came in 2nd in the Newberry County (South Carolina) spelling bee. I believe that one of the words I misspelled was "cemetery".
Friday, January 19, 2007
Sarah Ann YONCE and Nathan BODIE (son of Obediah BODIE)
My friend Steve Danko reminded me that I need to talk about my recent research activities in Salt Lake City's Family History Library. I found my new digital camera (with its "Text" mode) to be exceptionally helpful in recording pages from books, without the need for transcription or photocopying.
One of the techniques I used was to photograph the title page of the book, followed by the individual pages. I also found it useful to photograph the relevant index pages (which will come in handy if I discover that I missed a key page).
I began by examining the Family History Library Catalog for books relating to the name Bodie (or Boddie). I skipped books that I already own, or whose pages I already have photocopies of, or that are available online in digital form, or that were on microfilm.
The first book I looked at was Yonce families in the United States of America although it is interesting that the book has a slightly different title on its spine and at the top of its pages (Yonce Families in America). It does appear that I missed a few pages in this one, primarily in the descendants list in Chapter 13, but I have the more detailed descendant information from Chapter 14 (beginning on page 313). According to the book, Sarah Ann YONCE married Nathan BODIE, the son of Obediah BODIE. This is not the Nathan BODIE who was my great-great-grandfather (Nathan A. BODIE, Jr.) nor his father (Nathan BODIE, Sr.). The name "Nathan" is very common in the various branches of the BODIE/BODDIE family.
The book indicates that Nathan BODIE died in "Wagner" (in Aiken County, South Carolina), but this town should be spelled "Wagener". The town is spelled correctly in other places in the book.
Although I had details on some of the descendants of this line, the book has brought a large number of new descendants to my attention. I can imagine spending many months verifying the information in this book. I'll return to these individuals after I've reviewed the other material I found in SLC.
One of the techniques I used was to photograph the title page of the book, followed by the individual pages. I also found it useful to photograph the relevant index pages (which will come in handy if I discover that I missed a key page).
I began by examining the Family History Library Catalog for books relating to the name Bodie (or Boddie). I skipped books that I already own, or whose pages I already have photocopies of, or that are available online in digital form, or that were on microfilm.
The first book I looked at was Yonce families in the United States of America although it is interesting that the book has a slightly different title on its spine and at the top of its pages (Yonce Families in America). It does appear that I missed a few pages in this one, primarily in the descendants list in Chapter 13, but I have the more detailed descendant information from Chapter 14 (beginning on page 313). According to the book, Sarah Ann YONCE married Nathan BODIE, the son of Obediah BODIE. This is not the Nathan BODIE who was my great-great-grandfather (Nathan A. BODIE, Jr.) nor his father (Nathan BODIE, Sr.). The name "Nathan" is very common in the various branches of the BODIE/BODDIE family.
The book indicates that Nathan BODIE died in "Wagner" (in Aiken County, South Carolina), but this town should be spelled "Wagener". The town is spelled correctly in other places in the book.
Although I had details on some of the descendants of this line, the book has brought a large number of new descendants to my attention. I can imagine spending many months verifying the information in this book. I'll return to these individuals after I've reviewed the other material I found in SLC.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Bodie/Boddie marriages in Bienville Parish, Louisiana
Yesterday, I found a little time in the morning, just before our local society's board meeting, to do some research into the Bodie/Boddie family. The John F. Germany Library had recently obtained a copy of a number of new books, including many pertaining to Louisiana. Because a major branch of the Bodie/Boddie family ended up in Bienville Parish, I was glad to find that one of the new books was John C. Head's compilation "Bienville Parish Louisiana Marriage Records 1848-1900". It is the only Bienville Parish genealogy source in the library's collection.
The index to the book listed 11 individuals named "Bodie" or "Boddie", so I was able to copy those pages and then compare the marriage book entries to what I already had. In some cases, I lacked exact dates, or my dates were a few days off. This enabled me to provide a source (if only a secondary source, although I'm not likely to find myself in Bienville Parish anytime soon to obtain a copy of the primary source) for 10 marriages. The 11th entry is for a Bodie/Boddie who I don't already have in my files, so I'm not sure yet where they fit in. That particular one is for George HOLDER married to Eliza BODDIE, on 13 April 1871, and the original record can be found in Book B (1860-1872) on page 363.
A Holder website (http://home.earthlink.net/~bgholder/1880Texas2Wyoming.html) identifies this couple (and their children) as:
Geo. W. HOLDER - Precinct 2, Bell Co., TX - Head of House - Male b.<1850> Bienville Parish, LA
George William Holder b. 1/12/1849
s/o William Pryor Holder b. 1805 Warren Co., KY & Emily Elizabeth Jordan b. 1816 LA
Eliza HOLDER - Precinct 2, Bell Co., TX - Wife - Female b.<1855> SC
Eliza Boddie
Gilbert W. HOLDER - Precinct 2, Bell Co., TX - Son - Male b.<1873> LA
James D. HOLDER - Precinct 2, Bell Co., TX - Son - Male b.<1875> LA
Levi E. HOLDER - Precinct 2, Bell Co., TX - Son - Male b.<1877> TX
Pinkie HOLDER - Precinct 2, Bell Co., TX - Dau - Female b.<1879> TX
This information is most likely taken from the 1880 census (except for George's parents). I don't know yet who Eliza Boddie Holder's parents were.
The index to the book listed 11 individuals named "Bodie" or "Boddie", so I was able to copy those pages and then compare the marriage book entries to what I already had. In some cases, I lacked exact dates, or my dates were a few days off. This enabled me to provide a source (if only a secondary source, although I'm not likely to find myself in Bienville Parish anytime soon to obtain a copy of the primary source) for 10 marriages. The 11th entry is for a Bodie/Boddie who I don't already have in my files, so I'm not sure yet where they fit in. That particular one is for George HOLDER married to Eliza BODDIE, on 13 April 1871, and the original record can be found in Book B (1860-1872) on page 363.
A Holder website (http://home.earthlink.net/~bgholder/1880Texas2Wyoming.html) identifies this couple (and their children) as:
Geo. W. HOLDER - Precinct 2, Bell Co., TX - Head of House - Male b.<1850> Bienville Parish, LA
George William Holder b. 1/12/1849
s/o William Pryor Holder b. 1805 Warren Co., KY & Emily Elizabeth Jordan b. 1816 LA
Eliza HOLDER - Precinct 2, Bell Co., TX - Wife - Female b.<1855> SC
Eliza Boddie
Gilbert W. HOLDER - Precinct 2, Bell Co., TX - Son - Male b.<1873> LA
James D. HOLDER - Precinct 2, Bell Co., TX - Son - Male b.<1875> LA
Levi E. HOLDER - Precinct 2, Bell Co., TX - Son - Male b.<1877> TX
Pinkie HOLDER - Precinct 2, Bell Co., TX - Dau - Female b.<1879> TX
This information is most likely taken from the 1880 census (except for George's parents). I don't know yet who Eliza Boddie Holder's parents were.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Nathan Bodie, Sr. in 1840
According to John Bennett Boddie (on page 386 of his Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County Virginia) , Nathan Boddie [sic], Jr. states in a petition that Nathan Boddie (Sr.) died 8 November 1841. If so, we should expect to find him in the 1840 census, at approximately the age of 66. However, he does not appear to be heading his own household. If he is in the household of one of his children, which one? Not that of Nathan Bodie, Jr. Which Bodie households appear in the 1840 Edgefield District census, other than that of Nathan Bodie, Jr.?
Felix Boddie
Elizah Boddy
Obidiah Boddy
Westly Boddy
John Bodie
The household of Westly Boddy has a male in his 70s and a male in his 40s, and Nathan Sr. had a son named John Wesley Bodie (the Bodie family had several males who became Methodist ministers) born in 1797. While the age of the older male is a bit old, it's not impossible for that to be John Wesley Bodie's household with his father Nathan Sr. in it. John Wesley Bodie would have been Nathan Sr.'s oldest surviving son in 1840.
What should John Wesley Bodie's 1840 household look like? In addition to a male in his 40s, it should have 4 (or possibly 5) sons: one 15-20, three 5-10, and possibly one less than 5. What does the "Westly Boddy" household actually have? one 15-20, two 10-15, one 5-10, and two less than 5. Close. It's possible that two sons born in 1832 could be listed as two years older. And another very young son could have died prior to 1850. Nathan Sr. also had a son, Michael Boddie, by his second wife, and Michael was born about 1829. Perhaps he's one of the males in the 10-15 group?
Let's now look at the females: We should see Laura Amanda Smith Bodie (John Wesley's wife) at the age of 38, but I'm not aware of any daughters. The census household shows a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 30s, and a female less than 5. Again, the daughter could have died prior to 1850. But who is the oldest woman? Could she be Nathan's second wife, or was she already dead by 1840?
It looks like it's going to be necessary to go forward in time with the John Wesley Bodie household to pin down some names and dates.
Felix Boddie
Elizah Boddy
Obidiah Boddy
Westly Boddy
John Bodie
The household of Westly Boddy has a male in his 70s and a male in his 40s, and Nathan Sr. had a son named John Wesley Bodie (the Bodie family had several males who became Methodist ministers) born in 1797. While the age of the older male is a bit old, it's not impossible for that to be John Wesley Bodie's household with his father Nathan Sr. in it. John Wesley Bodie would have been Nathan Sr.'s oldest surviving son in 1840.
What should John Wesley Bodie's 1840 household look like? In addition to a male in his 40s, it should have 4 (or possibly 5) sons: one 15-20, three 5-10, and possibly one less than 5. What does the "Westly Boddy" household actually have? one 15-20, two 10-15, one 5-10, and two less than 5. Close. It's possible that two sons born in 1832 could be listed as two years older. And another very young son could have died prior to 1850. Nathan Sr. also had a son, Michael Boddie, by his second wife, and Michael was born about 1829. Perhaps he's one of the males in the 10-15 group?
Let's now look at the females: We should see Laura Amanda Smith Bodie (John Wesley's wife) at the age of 38, but I'm not aware of any daughters. The census household shows a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 30s, and a female less than 5. Again, the daughter could have died prior to 1850. But who is the oldest woman? Could she be Nathan's second wife, or was she already dead by 1840?
It looks like it's going to be necessary to go forward in time with the John Wesley Bodie household to pin down some names and dates.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Nathan Bodie, Jr. in 1830
Let's look at what we should expect to find for Nathan Bodie, Jr. in 1830. We would expect to see at least 2 sons under the age of 5 (Jesse Pitts Bodie was born in 1826, and Andrew Jackson Boddie was born in 1828); Nathan himself at the age of 26; possibly no daughters; and Nathan's wife, Mary Edna "Edney" Eidson, who would be 24.
When we search the Edgefield District census for 1830, we find two households headed by a "Nathan Body". The head of the one listed between Isaac Crouch and William Whittle is in his 60s (too old to be Nathan Bodie, Jr., but the right age for Nathan Bodie, Sr.), but the head of the one listed next to W. Deloach is in his 20s. If we assume that this is Nathan Bodie, Jr.'s household, then we have:
3 males under 5
1 male 15-20
1 male 20-30 (Nathan Bodie, Jr.)
1 female 20-30 (Mary Edna Eidson Bodie)
The extra male under 5 may be a son who died prior to the 1840 census. The male born between about 1810 and 1815 may be a younger brother to Nathan or to Mary Edna. So far as I know, Nathan's only younger brother, Joseph Bodie, was born in 1808, so Joseph would be too old. Mary Edna may have had at least 4 younger brothers: William Wiley Eidson, born in 1809; Mahlon Eidson, born before 1819; James Russell Eidson, born in 1821; and Allen Eidson, born about 1832. So Mahlon remains a possibility. It will be necessary to find the household for Mary Edna's parents and some of her siblings to rule out Mahlon living with those other households.
When we search the Edgefield District census for 1830, we find two households headed by a "Nathan Body". The head of the one listed between Isaac Crouch and William Whittle is in his 60s (too old to be Nathan Bodie, Jr., but the right age for Nathan Bodie, Sr.), but the head of the one listed next to W. Deloach is in his 20s. If we assume that this is Nathan Bodie, Jr.'s household, then we have:
3 males under 5
1 male 15-20
1 male 20-30 (Nathan Bodie, Jr.)
1 female 20-30 (Mary Edna Eidson Bodie)
The extra male under 5 may be a son who died prior to the 1840 census. The male born between about 1810 and 1815 may be a younger brother to Nathan or to Mary Edna. So far as I know, Nathan's only younger brother, Joseph Bodie, was born in 1808, so Joseph would be too old. Mary Edna may have had at least 4 younger brothers: William Wiley Eidson, born in 1809; Mahlon Eidson, born before 1819; James Russell Eidson, born in 1821; and Allen Eidson, born about 1832. So Mahlon remains a possibility. It will be necessary to find the household for Mary Edna's parents and some of her siblings to rule out Mahlon living with those other households.
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