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By Gregory N. Ball, gran dson of C .T. Bodwell, with assistan ce from Eileen T. Ball
Blare Bodwell was born October 20, 1893, Riverton , Nebraska. Early in life he added Thomas as a middle n ame an d used C lare T. Bod well on all importan t documen ts. For family an d local busin esses in Fran con ia an d the surroun din g areas he was kn own as Tom, an d used C T on his photographs an d postcards.
FAMILY HIS TORY:
Tom’s mother Mallie Mae Hickok was born August 27, 1861 Lin coln , Nebraska. Mallie’s mother was born 1828, Meadsville, P en n sylvan ia, an d her father was supposedly born in Detroit, Michigan , 1824, later this was chan ged to Virgin ia.
Members of her mother’s patern al side of her family origin ated from 1799 in P enn sylvan ia, an d her matern al side came from Hurley, New York from as early as 1688 to 1800.
Tom’s father Fran klin P ierce Bodwell was born July 2, 1853, in Shapleigh, Main e, Fran klin ’ s mother was born 1823, in Shapleigh, Main e, 1823 an d his father John born 1752, Methuen , Massachusetts.
Man y of John Bodwell’s family were in volved in the early defense of our coun try: C aptain John Bodwell, Jr. born 1752, Methuen , Massachusetts, Civil War; C aptain John Bodwell, Sr. born 1723, Haverhill, Massachusetts, Fren ch an d In dian an d American Revolution ary War; Major Dan iel Bodwell, born 1692, An dover, Massachusetts an d served in the militia from 1754-1769.
The first Bodwell in America was Hen ry Bodwell born 1653, Lon don , En glan d. He was a soldier in K in g P hillips War. The Bodwell/Bodvel (Welsh spellin g) n ame dates back to Beli Mawr, K in g of Britain ca. 100 BC .
The Bodwell An cestral Home was at the tip of the Llyn P en in sula, Northern Wales.
Usin g the in formation obtain ed in Bodwell Family Lin es Gen ealogy, 10th Edition , by Geoffrey Lion el Bodwell, in 2006, my wife Eileen an d I wen t to see the an cestral home of Hen ry Bodwell.
Located on the Pwllhelli, Llyn P en in sula, Wales, we saw Bodvel Hall an d Bardsey Islan d, which were part of the Bodvel Estate; an d the ston e with the Bodvel n ame. We took pictures of the 500-year-old Bodvel ston e, which measured 36” high 24” wide an d 4” deep. It is located just in side the en tran ce to the Eglwys Llan n or C hurch, Llan n or Wales.
Tom’s father Fran klin , Sr. had man y busin esses in cludin g a prin tin g shop an d a photography busin ess, which he ran from about 1879-1892 in Atchison , K an sas an d Den ver, C olorado. The family grew with Sara born in 1881, an d Fran klin , Jr. “Fran k” born in 1887 both in Atchison ; an d then Helen a born in 1889, an d P aul born in 1891 both in Den ver, C olorado.
After Mallie’s mother died in early 1893, Mallie’s father moved to Saratoga, Wyomin g to live with her twin sister Min n ie Hickok Wilcox an d family un til his death in 1898.
It was after 1893, that Tom’s family slowly made their way back east. Both Tom in 1893, an d his sister Eulalia “C orin n e ” in 1896, were born in Riverton , Nebraska. In 1898, Fran klin , Sr. an d Mallie purchased a farm in Bethlehem, which was sold to C olon el Isaac Lewis. The family then bought the farm called “Moun tain Lodge”, which they later ren amed “Fern brook”. It was there in 1905, that Dorothy was born .
E ulalia “Corinne” (b 1896), Clare T homas “T om ” (b 1893), Paul (b 1891), Helena (b 1889), Franklin, Jr “Frank” (b 1887), Sara (b 1881) NOTE : This p hoto was taken prior to Dorothy’s birth in 1905
The whole family were person able an d en terprising in the arts an d busin ess: Before comin g back east, Fran klin , Sr. took Sara, Fran k an d Helen a on tour through out the coun try with their vaudeville act called “Little Sara Trio”. When Sara was older an d the family had settled in Bethlehem, she chose a career travellin g an d sellin g chocolates an d A1 Steak Sauce door-to-door with Tom as her driver. Fran k developed a career in the hotel busin ess, workin g at both the P rin ce George Hotel, an d Astor in NYC . His musical ability in cluded playin g pian o an d tap dan ce, which he had perfected in the “Little Sara Trio” vaudeville act. Helen a was ambitio us an d even tually own ed her own dan ce school in C olumbus, Ohio Helen a was a pain ter and was residen t flower arran ger for Lake George,
NY C on ven tion C en ter. Durin g her career she won the prestigious New York State Tricolor Award for her flower arran gemen t. P aul was successful an d own ed the Bodwell C ompany, Wholesale P lumbin g, Wellsville, P A. His con tribution to the Wellsville Fire Departmen t is n oted on their history page today. His hobbies in cluded photography an d garden in g. C orrin e played old time Jazz on the pian o an d was the families fun ny story teller.
TIMEL INE
1913: Mrs. Mallie Hickok Bodwell wrote an d copyrighted Legen d of the Old Man of the Moun tain . Mallie had told her two youn gest children C orin n e an d Dorothy origin ally written poems an d stories such as “The P romise”, “St. P eter’s Gate”, “As a C row Flies”, an d “The Story the C hurn Told”.
Dorothy complied these poems an d stories by both her mother Mallie an d twin sister Min n ie Hickok Wilson in to a booklet called Bedtime Stories My Mother Told Me. Dorothy was the person who researched an d organ ized the family’s genealogy an d made sure that all of her brothers’ an d sisters’ children an d gran dchildren kn ew of the Bodwell heritage. Durin g her visits, she gave me 4 of her gen ealogical histories’ as well as a copy of her childhood memoir called Baked P otatoes in My P ocket.
1916-1917: Tom had worked his way to C aliforn ia an d Mexico, C uba an d Isle of P in es (where he bought a pin eapple farm) an d durin g World War I was workin g in an ammun ition factory in Ohio. When his father died in May 1917, leavin g Mallie with n o mean s of support, Tom return ed home to take care of his family
1917-1923: September 25, 1918, Tom married In ez Whitcomb an d had his first child, Natalie (my mother) in 1919. In ez was born in 1891, Wildwood (Easton ), New Hampshire. In ez ’ s family gen ealogy in cludes the Vilas, C lay, Whitcomb an d Dru ry families. The Whitcomb an d Drury families had migrated from the Lan caster, Massachusetts area, in the early 1810’s.
Inez Whitcomb Bodwell
Tom became the farm superin ten den t at the C olonel Lewis Estate on Mt Agassiz, produced, marketed an d sold throughout New Hampshire, Fin e Grade White Moun tain Maple Syrup. In 1923, his secon d child Lucille “C in dy” was born . Tom operated the West En d Garage in Littleton , an d he took over the local Whippet Agen cy.
1928: Tom, In ez an d family moved to Francon ia an d purchased a house an d n amed it "P eak-o-muk", which in its origin al an d somewhat lon ger form, is a Natick In dian phrase mean in g "The Little House of Happin ess " .
Durin g their daughter’s education at Dow Academy in Fran con ia, Tom an d In ez participated in an d con tributed fin an cially to the activities an d the prizes awarded to an d for the Dow studen ts.
1939-1945: In August 19, 1939, their da ughter Natalie m arried Norwood A. Ball of Fran con ia, New Hampshire. They had four children , Robin , Gregory (myself), Dian e C ameron , an d C hristopher Ball In August 31, 1945, their other daughter Lucille “C in dy” married G. P eter Macon of Macon , Georgia. They had two son s, G. P eter an d Thomas Macon .
1928-1946: Tom expan ded the man agemen t of the Flume, Echo Lake, Lafayette C ampgroun d an d Lost River Reservation an d presen ted n ature lectures to the public. He also helped main tain the Old Man of the Moun tain s by pain tin g the turn buckles an d eyebolts which rein forced its forehead.
In ez was the man ager at The Lost River Reservation while Tom was the overall Director. Man y family members, in cludin g both daughters Natalie an d C in dy worked at the Flume, Lost River, Lafayette C ampgroun d an d the cafés an d gift shops.
1943: Tom worked at the Office of Econ omic Warfa re, Busin ess Specialist, C hief, Travel Section He secured wood in Mexico for war production plan es
C lare “Tom” Bodwell was admitted to the U.S. Sen ate C hamber by Sen ator Styles Bridges for 78th C on gress.
1933–1947: Through out his life Tom was artistic an d loved n ature. He photographed the White Moun tain s an d other areas in New Hampshire. He also hiked 200 peaks in the East an d climbed 136 moun tain s in many parts of North American C on tin en t, from Alaska to Mexico.
1929-1965: Tom participated in an d was a member of:
! Society for P rotection of New Hampshire Forests
! Nation al an d Wildlife In tern ation al Federation , Life Member
! Burn s Lodge # 66, Mason , Littleton , 25 years plus an d Bektash Shrin er
! Littleton Rotary an d Rotary In tern ation al Fran klin Society
! C on gregation al C hurch C hristian Men ' s Society, Littleton
! K iwan is C lub In tern ation al
! Appalachian Moun tain Club
! Nation al Geographic Society, Life Member
! Moun t Eustis C hapter O E S , Littleton
! K n ight Templar an d 32n d Degree Mason
1929-1957: In ez participated in an d was a member of:
! P ast Matron s Association of the Moun t Eustis C hapter, O
! E. S. (Eastern Star), Littleton
! Elected P residen t of Littleton ' s Women ' s Club
! Bethlehem High School Alumn i Association , secretary
! an d treasurer
! Ladies Aid Society
! Emma Merrill Guild, C on gregation al C hurch, Littleton
! 20th C en tury C lub, Durrell Memorial C hurch, Bethlehem
! Green leaf C ivics C lub, Fran con ia
! Littleton Garden C lub
! Women ' s Un ion , Federated C hurch, Fran con ia
1946-1947: Tom an d In ez operated the C ayuga In n at Aurora, New York.
1947: Tom purchased C oon ey ' s Furn iture Store in Littleton , ren amin g it Fran con ia Associates.
1955: Tom’s photograph of "Old Man in the Moun tain s " was used for the stamp of 1st Day of Issue, Fran con ia P ost Office, Jun e 21, 1955.
1957: August 8, 1957, In ez died an d Tom termin ated his association with the Fran con ia Associates.
1961: Tom marr ied Beth C ole Lobree, March 1961, Miami Beach, FL. They travelled all over the P acific an d Scan din avia.
1976: C lare “Tom” Bodwell died February 1, 1976, P ompan o Beach, FL.
May 4, 1977 Littleton C ourier writer of "Moun tain Musin g " , Jack C olby wrote, "The Society for the P rotection of New Hampshire Forests will plan t a tree at the Flume Reservation in memory of the Late C . T. Bodwell of Littleton , who, if memory serves us right was for 20 years director of the Flume Reservation . "