This week, I’ve been following people, places and things: two blogs, a North Carolina family, and derivations of my great, great-grandmother Tempe’s name. It’s all in pursuit of my next genealogy goal, to find Tempe Burton’s’s birthplace and her parents.
On Monday, I shared here that in researching Judith Boddie Jones, a woman who once owned my great, great-grandmother, Tempe, I discovered, Judith’s sister was named Temperance. Too much of a coincidence for me to pass up, I’ve been hunting down the Boddies of Nash County, North Carolina ever since in hopes of finding out more about my ancestor.
So far, here’s what I’ve found and where I found it:
- Temperance Boddie was also called Tempe. I’ve always wondered where the spelling “Tempe” and name came from as my great, great-grandmother is named on her gravestone and several census documents. It always struck me as a misprint (shouldn’t it be Tempy with a “y?”), or perhaps short for something else. Could it be that Tempe was named for a member of the family that owned her? Temperance Boddie’s sister, Judith Boddie Jones was one of my great, great-grandmother’s last owners. I found this information about Temperance “Tempe” Boddie in a google book.
- Boddie Family Bible This bible is filled with births and deaths for the Boddie clan spanning about a century. It didn’t mention Temperance, Judith or any slaves that I could see, but it gave me hope that more useful records about this family exist. I found this bible on Renate’s blog, Into the Light. I’ve enjoyed Renate’s posts since joining this community ranging from personal history to genealogy resources, but after she replied to my Monday blog that she had come across the Boddie name often in her North Carolina research, I decided to give her site a closer look. Listed as a resource on Renate’s site is the North Carolina Family Records online. That’s where I found the Boddie family bible.
- John William Boddie died in Jackson, Mississippi. That’s where Tempe lived as a slave to her final owner, Elizabeth McCauley, Judith Boddie Jones’ granddaughter. Could John be related to Judith B. Jones as well? I found Boddie’s obituary while perusing Taneya’s Genealogy blog. A medical librarian, Taneya’s penchant for gathering research materials is evident all over her blog and impressive website which boasts a thorough family tree. Taneya also coordinates several USGen Web projects including the North Carolina portal. It was there that I found Boddie’s obituary as well as election results that showed a W.W. Boddie was elected to the Senate in 1826. Incidentally, my third great-grandfather, William Stuart Sr. (Elizabeth’s father-in-law) was also in the Senate during that time, but in Maryland. This big genealogy world is growing smaller every day with every century retraced.
Thanks Taneya and Renate for all the great resources you share along with your family’s stories. They’ve inspired me to create a resource list of my own. But first a break to celebrate my b’day and Mother’s Day with my families. I’d love suggestions on where to look (and who to follow) on the next leg of this adventure. Who and what are you following?
Happy Mother’s Day!
