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Letters of Jane (Rodgers) Boddie

Delores Thompson kindly provided these letters. The notes between letters are written by Delores.

When Chesley went off to the War for Southern Independence and became ill,  Jane went to the battle grounds to doctor him. Unfortunately they both died and their children were shipped back to SC for Grandpa, William Malachi "Buck" and his wife Sarah (Salter) Rodgers to raise.     

 Notes from Delores Thompson:

JANE RODGERS LETTERS HOME

The following are transcriptions of letters written between 1858 and 1862 by Jane Rodgers Bodie to her parents and her brother Malachi Augustus "Gus" Rodgers.  The spelling is as near as possible to the originals. *** I have, however, inserted punctuation to facilitate reading.  

Letter #1:  Unless some one knows the date of the Warren- Hillman marriage, the year of this letter is only a guess.  I think either 1858 or 1859.  Gus is Jane's older brother; Lucretia is Jane's younger sister. 

L A bianvill P c f  the 21 August

Dear Brother Gus,

I take the opatuniety to answer your kinde letter to me.  It found ous all well but tudy and she has the chiles and fever and she lookes very bad.  I thaught she had a conJestive the day before yesterday and I have got her in the corner this morning to ceape it off today.  I received your letter yesterday and it made me so proud to finde my pretty present that Ma sent me.  I wol not take nothing for it.  I think more of it than enny thing I have got except my husband and chilldren.  I want pa to send me a nice coller to war with it.  If I had a had it last thirsday to awoar to the weding.  Was it a fine wedding and I did wish that you all cold bea thar too.  It was at John warrens.  His daugher was marred to Jemes hillmon and he give her a nice weding. Salley and tudy was proud of thar picturs but tha wanted my brest pin two.  We have fine cropes her.  The cotton ainte as good as it wolde a ben if it had not ben so dry.  Now I must say some thing to ma.  You sed she was binding Lucrtia fan. Ma I come by wher the palm leaves grows and I cold a got a waging load of them but we thought tha gro so plenty that we wold not have them tha was in this contry.  We have one now to fan the fier with.  Ma I received the brest pen you sent me and was proud to get it.  I wish i had some thing to send you.  I have sent my ring to Lucretia by Mack but I expect he will get thar before you get his letter.  I want Gus to come back with hem.  I expect we will bea readdy to move to ourselves by the time he gets back.  I have mised riten 2 weaks for I thought if mack went out thar he would tell you all the times and one wird by mouth wold please you better than a dosen letters.  I no it wold me.  Chesley has got his hous loges cut and got turnup patch planted and he will go to diging his well in a few days.  Ma I want you to send me some neadles large and small and all sizes.  I got some and the points Jumpes off ever time eye try to sowe a stitch.  I have got one or two Carolina nedles and tha sowe sweat.  I will now tell you some thing about the crops grow this yer.  Mr. Bodie says tell pa he has got the finest crop of corn he ever had.  Hit is half leg high and from that to knee high and some like oald depetor(?) neel(?) to and oald cousen amey deen.  Some of our corn will bea red eye to lay by in 2 or 3 weaks.  Our wheat wold a bin nice anull if it had not ben for the rust it is taking the rust.  Some of it is as high as my head.  Ma I had a mess of irish potatoes to day for dinner. We hante had no frost her to hert nothing this spring.  The site of frant(?) never was gone to bea more than it is now. We have hot wether now.  So fare well for this time.  Rite sone as this comes to hand.  Chesley and Jane Bodie to pa and Ma  

Letter #2:  Since her son William Elbert Bodie was born in December 1858, I think "grunting about" is a delicate reference to her pregnancy.  

L A B P        Nov the 20 1858 

Dear father and mother,

It is with grate plesher that I seat myself this eaving to drop you a few lines to let you no that we air all well at this time but myself and I am grunting about like all ways.  Eye must tell you that we air moved home agane.  We have ben her 4 weaks and I like my new home verry well.  It is a pretty place to live.  Rite in the forks of the road.  The people is a settling around her as fast as tha can.  Tha was a family moved in 2 miles of ous yesterday from Alabama and tha is a man from Gorga has baught the place that I rote to you about and gave 2 thousand dollars for it. I am afrade you will stay away till all the land is settled around ous.  We have had about 3 weaks cold wether hear.  The people is dun gathering her.  Our hogs is getting fat on the white oak acornes.  We woant have to feed them mutch corn only to kepe them Jentle.  Mr Bodey has baught 10 bushels of corn at six bits per bushel and hit delivered to hem.  We have fine times her.  We have venson when we want it and it is fat now till it will moast fry its self.  Pa I want you and Ma to come over next sonday and we will have a fine mess for dinner.  Ma you never sed nothing in the last letter about Jemes and his familey.  I want you to tell them to rite to me.  I want to her from them bad and I will rite to them before long.  Ma you sed it had been 5 weaks since you had a letter and you was uneasy.  How do you recon I felte when it had ben 7 weaks sence I had a word from you.  I had got so uneasey till I cold not sleape of a night but one thing kep me in pharte was looking for Gus to cum everday and tell me all the good nuse but his letter doant tell me that he is eny nearer her than he was in March but I am in hopes he will bea her when you get this letter.  He sed it had ben so long sence he had a letter from me.  I did not think that he wold bea tha to get them if I rote.  You must excuse my bad riten and selling.  So I must close for this time.  So fare well dear mother and father.  I hope we will meate agane.  Jane Bodey   

Letter #3:  Malachi Augustus Rodgers married Clarissa Ann Rodgers (his first cousin) on 4 November 1860.  His first wife had been Jane Bodie, a sister of Chesley Bodie.  

December the 15 

Dear father and Mother, 

I agane have the plesher of answering a letter from you which found ous all well and I hope this will finde you the same.  I was sorrey to hear that granpa was dead but I hope he is gon to rest.  Ma I want you to tell mee how grandMa and the rest of the children is agoing to do wether they are agoing to stay thare or not.  Ma your letter gave me plesher to her that you was all well but you rote that press had shot ride and not for what and I am trubbled about it and gus has surprised mee grateley.  Tell him I wish hem mutch Joy.  You did not tell me whether uncle Luke gave them a wedding or not.  I want to no.  It bothers mee to have a pen with no pointe to it.  I must now tell you that our contrey is Jenerly helthey no sickness except cold and hooping caugh.  I must now tell you that esq Rodeses wife is ded.  She dide with the concunption.  Mr. Bodie says tell pa he ahs got 2 bushels of wheat sode.  I think if nothing hapones we will have cake another yer for we have not had mutch this yer.  I am willing to try another yer to make something and if not I will want to move my washing(?).  It has ben so dry last yer and this yer till I am all moste out of hart of making eneye thing eneye more but we have got land open anuff to make a plenty to do ous if we cold have a fare triell.  We have not made anothing this yer but a little cotton and it is no sale.  Thare is sutch a talk of wor.  The children say tell gran Ma tha wish tha cold sea hir.  If tha cold tha wold hug and kiss hir till tha wold draw a blister. Salley has got grate big teath and hir front teath is wide apart.  Ma you wold not no hir if you was to sea hir.  Tell Marthey I say I have rote to hir last.  Ma I am a shambe to gave you sutch a short of an answer but you must excuse mee for you spoke short to mee.  So I must come to a close. Farewell Dear Mother for this time.  You must rite as sone as this comes to hand.  Excuse my riting.  Jane Bodie   

Letter #4:  We know this letter is 1861 because Rina McCoy wrote the same day.  The baby must be Idonia Bodie who was born in 1861.  Loror is Jane's younger sister, Laura.  

Louisiana feb the 25 Bianvill Pa 

Dear father and Mother, 

It is with grate Joy that I agane take my pen and paper to answer your kind letter which found all well and this leaves the same except cold.  My babe has ben verry sick with cold but she is better now.  We have a rite smart of rane.  Some people is planting corn.  Mr. Bodie wantes to plant some this weeak.  He got his logers roled last weeak.  I have got a nice garden plenty of sallet and crout.  My __ as long as my hand.  Lucretia you sed you was going to weave some more countey penes that rite good you have got a good chance I no and you had better ceepe hit.  I have have just got me a new wheal and had to pay 5 dollers for it.  But it is all I can do to keep oup a sowing for my familey and it baught red eye to my hands.  Salley and tudy goes to school every day.  Lucretia your white dress is a buty.  Do take chear of it.  Jim says he is going out thare next yer to stay all the yer and he will want to sea you ware it I now.  I will send you a piece of my new dress and the childernes.  The bround floured is mine and the other is Salleys and tudeys and tha send it to sis.  Tell Loror I have not had a letter from hir in 6 months.  Tell James and Marthey if tha doant rite to me I woant come to sea them when I come out thare.  People says that the rale road will come throw her this yer and if it does and I live and you all live thare will be a chance for us to sea each other agane.  Tell aunt Polley she is a whapper.  She ways oup with some of the yong girls out her.  Tell uncle John I halfts Jess at his wate.  He has to hang the smothing iron on to make him start on the lite side.  We have got out grosery but I can not tell you what tha cost yet.  We have not got the bill of them yet. We got corn at 85 set per bushel.  Flower from 7 to 8 dollars per barrell.  Our wheat lookes verry nice.  We got the preteyest white corn you most ever saw.  We can get yellow corn at 73 set per bushell.  Tell Lucretia mee and Marina is going to get some seed and we will send them to hir as sone as we can.  I must close for riner is setting by say herrey for I want to rite a few lines.  fare well.  Jane Bodie  

Sparta Louisiana Feb 25 1861 

Dear Miss, 

I take the opetunity of riting you a few lines to let you no I am well at present and I hope when this comes to hand it will find you all well.  If you please excuse me for not riting before now for it was thrue neglect that I have don so.  O please I want do soe no more Missa Lucretia.  I am going School.  I am going to a young lady Miss Boyd.  She is mighty good teacher.  I natally love her because she is a good lady.  I will tell you my studies.  Reading. Riting. Arithmetic. Dictionary. Grammar.  Geography.  Lucretia I wish you was here to help me rite a Composition.  If you was her to see us jump the rope.  We jump the rope day in to day.  I can jump it eny way you can mension.  Lucretia I cant study about the boys and go to School two.  Wait till I quit going to School and I will tell all about them.  I give my best love and respect to M A and his wife and Mr. F R and your pa and ma and recieve a grater portion yourself.  Rite to me soon.  So farewell for this time.  Rina McCay (or McCoy) to Miss L R  

________________________

Matthew Rogers' Notes

Letter three:

"Ma your letter gave me plesher to her that you was all well but you rote that press had shot ride and not for what”

I imagine Press is short for Preston. Preston Salter born around 1835, was the son of John and Mary “Polly” (Salter) Gillian. Ryden Rowe age 16, is enumerated living with Jane and her parents in the 1850 census. Jane would be familiar with Preston and Ryden because they are all the same age. My guess is Ryden Rowe was likely the target of Preston Gillian’s marksmanship.

Letter four:

“Tell James and Marthey if tha doant rite to me I woant come to sea them when I come out thare.” 

Is “James and Marthey” the same James and Martha Salter enumerated on page 161b of the 1850 Edgefield census just below William Malachi and Sarah (Salter) Rodgers? If so what is the relationship? 

It's possible James is the son of James and Telietha (Rodgers) Salter, but I've not found documentation to prove this. However we can track James Salter up to his death in Telfair County May 7, 1901 and prove he is Jane's cousin. 

By 1874 his wife Martha had passed away and James remarried his first cousin Margaret Angelene Gillian the daughter of Mary Polly (Salter) Gillian. We know of this relationship between Margaret and James because of letter written by one of their grandchildren. Therefore if James is the nephew of Mary Polly (Salter) Gillian, he would also be the nephew of Mary Polly's sister Sarah Sallie (Salter) Rodgers who we know was Jane's mother which would make James, Jane's cousin.

Letter Four:

“Tell aunt Polley she is a whapper.  She ways oup with some of the yong girls out her.  Tell uncle John I halfts Jess at his wate.  He has to hang the smothing iron on to make him start on the lite side.”

I have no idea what Jane’s talking about here but I can guess she’s talking about her mother’s sister, Mary “Polly” Salter who married John Gillian.

(Reference Isle of Wight pages 379-383)

Rina McCoy is likely Marina; the daughter of Gilbert & Margaret (Bodie) McCoy. Margaret was Chesley’s sister.

(Page 383 refering to Obadiah Bodie’s daughter Margaret) “Margaret m. Gilbert McCoy and had several children, one of whom, Henrietta m. Frank P. Warren of Bienville, La., and another Margaret m. Joseph Jackson Bodie.”

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