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Archives: John and Mary Bodine Family Bible
These records come from the Revolutionary War pension file (W.259) of Mary Bodine, widow of John Bodine. I think the actual page from the Bible is in this file. I did not make a copy of the actual page, but I did transcribe it. John Bodine is the son of Frederick Bodine and Elsie Bogart. He was born December 20, 1754, probably in Somerset, New Jersey. I have also included some info from his pension file on the Bible record page.
There are two pages from their family Bible in this file. The following dates are listed:
Births:
John Bodine born 20th Dec. 1754
Garret Bodine was born 6th Sept. 1781
Frederick Bodine was born 17th Oct. 1784
Mary Bodine was born 8th April 1754
Elshe Bodine was born 22nd April 1777
Mary Bodine, daughter of John Bodine, was born 7th Feb. 1787
Anna Bodine was born June 7th 1798
Jacob Rowan was born 12th October 1798
Mary Bodine Rowan was born 30th Sept. 1820
Juliann Rowan was born 31st May 1823
Lorenzo Houseworth was born 16th May 1815 (year is unclear 18_5)
Baty Rowan was born 9th of May 1829
Marriages:
Anna Bodine was married to Jacob Rowan 1st Jan. 1820 (the day is unclear) This letter is from Hunterdon County and was written on July 2, 1845.
Note: It's strange that Mary Bodine is noted as the "daughter of John Bodine." Why would this be noted like that? It made me curious. So I looked in my data for a Mary Bodine born in 1787. There is one. She is Mary Bodine, daughter of John and Lemme Bodine. She was baptized at the Conewago Dutch Colony on March 25, 1787, four months after her father, John, had died. Conewago is in the York/Adams County area of Pennsylvania (south-central region). So Mary, baptized March 25, was probaby born in March or February of that year - about the same time that the Mary in the Bible record was born! Another strange thing is that Mary Bodine (b. 1787) was not even listed in the abstract of the pension file. I wonder if someone else also thought that she might not be John and Mary's daughter. Lemme Bodine eventually worked her way from southern Pennsylvania to New York where she died. Is it possible that Mary Bodine (b. 1787) from the Bible record above somehow went from Pennsylvania back to New Jersey? I'm sure it is. After all, the Conewago Dutch colony originally came from New Jersey. One more note about John Bodine from Conewago. It's possible that he could be the infamous "Col. Bodine" mentioned in some records from the Northumberland County, Pennsylvania area. Here is a note I have on him, "John Bodine was an officer in the 4th Battalion, York County Military. He was a lieutenant in 1779 and a captain in 1784 (see PA Archives, series 11, v. 14, page 517)." He was from Somerset County, New Jersey as is the John Bodine from this pension file. There is probably some family relation. Maybe they are cousins.
Here is some info from the pension file:
Item: Declaration of Mary Bodine of Warren County, New Jersey in order to obtain the benefit of the 3rd Section of the Act of Congress of July 4th 1836.
This declaration was written in Warren Co., NJ on June 16, 1843. Mary was eighty-nine years old and a resident of the Township of Oxford in Warren County. She says she is the widow of John Bodine, formerly of Somerset County, more recently of Hunterdon County, deceased. She believes he was a private in the Rev. War, but she can't remember too many details about his service. He lived in Somerset County at the time of the War. She says he was frequently gone due to his tours of duty. When he got back, they would talk about the dangers he had been through while gone. He served in the War from the beginning to end. She goes on to discuss some of the battles he was in. Mary was afraid they might have spelled John's last name incorrectly in the records. She says they had always spelled it "Bodine" and that her Bodine family was the only one that she knew of in Somerset County. Her signature is on this document (as it is on several others). Item: This is a letter from Elshe Cronce in regard to her mother's case. This has to do with family records which prove that Mary and John did marry. This seemed to be something Mary had trouble proving to the government. Elshe says she was the oldest child of John Bodine. She says that she had in her possession, and had had for thirty years, a book called "Scott's Essays" which have a record of the ages of her father and mother and all their children. (The word "Essays" is written in over the top of another word "Lessons" which is crossed out.) This correction does appear to be original.
Item: Small slip of paper. This appears to be a receipt with John Bodine's signature on it.
I think it says the following:
"Captain Danike please to let
the bareer (sp?) hereof receive the pay for the
time that I have been under you at bergan
if for doing your will ably (sp?) your frend
John Bodine
Note: The name "Danike" is probably supposed to be Ten Eyk. I believe John served under a Jacob Ten Eyk.
Item: What appears to be a receipt from the state of New Jersey to "John Bodyne" for military service. The date on this is May 10, 1784. Note the spelling of John's surname.
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