History of Richmond County, New York, 1887



Bodine Family

This family is of French origin. The name is not mentioned by Smiles among the Huguenots.

The first historical allusion to the name that we have met is a brief biographical account of John Bodin, who was a native of Angers, studied law and lectured at Toulouse; he wrote several works, and died of the plague at Laon, in 1596.

The date of the immigration of the family to this country is not known, but it must have been in the latter part of the seventeenth or very early in the eighteenth century, for we find the name of John Bodine mentioned in the county records as having purchased land in 1701, and he was still living in 1744, as we find his name and that of his wife Hester mentioned as having sold land at that date.

Mention is also made in records at Albany of John Bodein, in 1707. It is probable that he was an emigrant, as we find him preserving the French orthography of his name, Jean, and of his son who came Genealogy with him, Francois, a witness to a baptism in the Reformed Dutch church, in April, 1720; he was therefore a Protestant, or Huguenot.

Francois married Maria Dey, and they had a son named Jean, baptized the same church November 29, 1719.

Of this second Jean, or John, we find no account except that his wife's name was Dorcas, and that they had several children baptized. They were undoubtedly the parents of John Bodine, who was born in February, 1753, and of James Bodine, born in January, 1759. John died in March, 1835, nearly 82 years of age, and James in May, 1838, nearly 80 years of age. John married Catharine Britton, sister of the late Mr. Nathaniel Britton; their sons were John, usually recognized in the local history of the north shore as "Squire John," Jacob (the father of W.H.J. and Edmund Bodine, constituting the present firm of Bodine Brothers, the late Captain John, James, Jacob and Albert, and three daughters), and Vincent, who removed from the island. James was the father of the late Mr. Abraham Bodine, of Mariners' Harbor, and of several sons and daughters now dead.

"Squire John" owned considerable property on the north shore, among which was the mill and the pond and the land east of it, including the old Dongan manor house, which he subsequently sold to his father, who died in that house in 1835.



Source: History of Richmond County, (Staten Island) From its Discovery to the Present Time: Richard M. Bayles: New York: L.E. Preston & Co.; 1887












Bodine Genealogy Resources



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