by Bill Kleppel
We left you at the end of Part I in November of 1859. The patriarch of the Bodey family had vanished in a blizzard close to where he had struck gold in the western hills of El Dorado, California…
….Meanwhile, Back In Poughkeepsie
A flood of catastrophic events engulfed the rest of the Bodey’s.
The Death of William A. O. Bodey
William A. O. Bodey was born on November 5, 1843. On December 18, 1852, William and his friends went ice skating on Lent’s Pond in Poughkeepsie. Two of the friends began to argue and a fight ensued. This gained the attention of a crowd nearby. In an instant, over 20 people converged on the frozen pond to watch the altercation. Suddenly, the ice gave way, plunging everyone into the frigid water below.
Two boys drowned that day. One was William Bodey. He was nine years old.
The Poughkeepsie Journal deemed it a “Distressing Calamity” when an article about the deaths appeared in the Christmas Day edition.8
The Death of George A. Bodey
W.S. and Sarah’s second son, George, succumbed to typhoid fever on March 9, 1860, at the age of 19.9 He was buried in the old Baptist Church Cemetery. His gravestone, along with most of his sibling’s markers, was eventually moved to Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery. Unfortunately, their bodies remained buried underneath a parking lot where the Baptist Cemetery once stood.
The Death of Mary Ann Bodey
W.S. and Sarah’s only daughter, Mary Ann, was born on November 22, 1848. The Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle of August 4, 1865, reported that she died on August 3 “…after a long and painful illness.”10 Mary Ann was 16. She died less than two months after her brother Ogden returned from his Civil War duties in June of that year.
Ogden’s Life and Death after Returning from the War
Upon his return, Ogden followed in his father’s footsteps, learning the trade of tinsmith. After his sister’s death, Ogden and his mother moved to Newark, New Jersey to live near his maternal grandmother and other relatives. He plied his trade in Newark into the next decade.
An encapsulating article from the Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle, “Waterman Bodey’s Fate,”* was published on October 29, 1879. It claims that a son fell to his death from a tall building. Ogden’s death was officially listed as meningitis. Yet, according to his military pension application, he died from falling off of a roof in Newark. Regardless of what the facts may be, after fighting in the most violent war in United States history, Ogden died in peacetime at the age of 24.11
W.S. Bodey Found
Twenty years after his disappearance, the body of W.S. Bodey was found in a deep crevice or caisson that was packed with ice and snow. Since so much time had passed, the claim on his western land was “jumped” and divvied up between other miners. His wife Sarah would receive nothing.
Sarah remained in Newark until the death of her mother in 1872. She moved back to Poughkeepsie and worked as a nurse. Sarah lived in various places within the city for the remainder of her life, eventually residing at the Old Ladies Home in 1885. She died on March 22, 1893, at the age of 72. She’s buried in the Old Ladies Home section at the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery.
Bodie, California
The original gold bearing vein found by W.S. Bodie** became profitable after his death. A boom town surrounding the vein was named for him and still exists today. About 200 buildings were constructed in the town’s heyday during the 1870’s. At its height, Bodie was populated by approximately 8,000 to 10,000 people.11It produced schools, churches, and other social and municipal organizations. It also created an influx of vice, teeming with saloons, opium dens, and a red light district.
The 20th Century decline of Bodie, California, was rapid. The 1920 US Federal Census recorded its population as 120 people. Its post office closed in 1942 and all seemed to be lost. Yet, a handful of citizens began a long preservation campaign to keep the town in a state of arrested decay for decades to follow.
The 110 remaining structures of Bodie were designated as a Historic National Landmark in 1961, now listed as Bodie State Historic Park.12 The authentic Wild West ghost town receives approximately 200,000 visitors a year.13, 14
Many thanks to California historian/author Nick Gariaeff, whose book, Discovering Bodie, gives an amazing account of the town’s history, as well as genealogical information.
*Although the Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle story from 26 Oct 1879 claims there had been six Bodey children, conclusive primary sources only account for five.
** The spelling of the Bodey name, particularly W.S. Bodie has always been a subject of speculation. Historical documents, archival records, newspaper articles, and books, have consistently varied. However, the overwhelming majority of researchers are in agreement with the families New York origins.
References
8) “Distressing Calamity.” Newspapers.Com, Poughkeepsie Journal, newscomny.newspapers.com/image/114085456/?terms=Wateman%20Body&pqsid=21HqZ_84x WzBvAtDRbm1Sg%3A5702011%3A72792426&match=1 . Accessed 30 Nov. 2023. 25 Dec 1852; pg.2
9) “Died.” Newspapers.Com, The Poughkeepsie Journal, newscomny.newspapers.com/image/115133530/?terms=&pqsid=GUzr7fX_EvZDzeSRju4dZQ%3A 27994%3A1628090147 . Accessed 30 Nov. 2023. 4 Aug 1865; pg. 2
10) “George A Body in the U.S., Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885.” Ancestrylibrary.Com, www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/3069499:8756?tid=&pid=&queryId=a9566b 8505b15981975767d4e54b8364&_phsrc=jcR65&_phstart=success Source Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
11) “Waterman Bodey’s Fate: A Poughkeepsie Family’s Hard Luck.” Newspapers.Com, Poughkeepsie Journal, newscomny.newspapers.com/image/114894722/. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023. 29 Oct 1879; pg.3
12) Piatt, Michael H. "What the Historic Record Reveals About Bodie's Peak Population". Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
13) "Bodie Historic District". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on December 1, 2007. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
14) California State Parks, State of California. “Bodie State Historic Park.” CA State Parks, 2024, www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509.
Images
Gariaeff, Nick. “Pvt Ogden E. Bodey (1846-1871) - Find a Grave...” Find a Grave, www.findagrave.com/memorial/132894852/ogden-e-bodey#view-photo=218296530. Accessed 8 Jan. 2024.
Mono County Points of Interest. NoeHill in SanFrancisco,
https://noehill.com/mono/poi_bodey_grave.asp. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
Instagram, Bodie State Historic Park, www.instagram.com/bodiestatehistoricpark/. Accessed 8 Jan. 2024.