Genealogical and Family History
of the
STATE OF MAINE

Compiled under the editorial supervision of George Thomas Little, A. M., Litt. D.

LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY
New York
1909.

[Please see Index page for full citation.]

[Transcribed by Coralynn Brown]

[Many families included in these genealogical records had their beginnings in Massachusetts.]

BOODY This name, in the original Sanscrit language, is supposed to have been Buddha; in the Hungarian or German, Budae; in the French, Boude (pronounced Boo-day); and in English, spelled in all the old records and by our best scholars, Boodey. The original word Buddha signified, as used in Asia, "Divinity," or "divine knowledge." The family in this country is noted for the longevity of its members, as well as for physical and mental development and vigor. (I) Zechariah Boodey, ancestor of those bearing the name in America, was born in France, and died in Madbury, Cocheco (Dover), New Hampshire, about the year 1755, at an advanced age. He is supposed to have landed in Boston on a French ship, about 1695, being then about eighteen years of age. He deserted the ship, and hiding in a haymow of a cow barn, managed to escape capture until the ship had again set sail for France, living on the milk of the cows. Being of French descent, the Indians became very friendly to him, and he settled, or to use a western phrase, "squatted," on a farm of seventy-five acres of wild land in Madbury, in the western corner of what wa then Cocheco, ....... [a line or two cut off the top of this scanned page....dang!].........years of age at the time he landed in America. He married a New Hampshire woman, but her name is unknown. Children: Elizabeth, Hannah, Charity, Sarah, Abigail, Betty, daughter (name unknown, died young), Kesiah and Azariah. (II) Azariah, son of Zechariah Boodey, was born Aug. 15, 1720, in Madbury, and died Feb. 26, 1803, in Barrington. He lived in Madbury until 1760, when he purchased his farm at Canaan, in Barrington, where he finally settled and reared a large family. He experienced all the trials of pioneer life, and helped by persistent effort and hard labor to make way for the civilization we now enjoy. He married (first) Bridget Bushbie, whose parents are said to have lived at the Bermudas and at Boston, and whose remote ancestry emigrated to this country in the ship "True Love," of whom we have the following records in England: "April 8, 1637. The examination of Nich: Bushbie of Norwich, in Norff, weaver, aged 50 years and Bridgett his wife aged 53 years with four children, Nicho; John; Abraham; and Sarah; are desirious to goe to boston in New England to inhabit." His wife Bridget died in Barrington, July 30, 1785, aged seventy years. Two years later he married a lady of Berwick, Maine, name not known. Children, all by 1st wife: Robert, Zechariah, John, Molly, Joseph, Sarah, Hannah, Azariah and Betsey. (III) Rev. Robert Boodey, eldest son of Azariah and Bridget (Bushbie) Boodey, was born April 13, 1743, in Madbury, New Hampshire, and died in Limington, Maine, April 21, 1814. He settled first in New Durham, N. H. in 1770, holding many places of trust, and in 1772 removed to Limington, Maine, where he was chosen one of the first officers of that twon, then new and progressive, of which he was selectman alternately as long as he lived. While residing in New Durham he was a town officer. After many years he was sent for to settle a question of law regarding the correctness of one of its town lines. At the call he went some fifty miles, called for a spade, and digging down came to a pile of solid pitch knots. "There," said he, "twenty years ago, when the old linetree at the end of its life fell, I deep planted, precisely, where it lived, this pile of pitchknots," and turning to a young man then present said, "Thee will please remember this." It was thus that a long lawsuit was prevented, and it hath indeed been remembered. Among other things, at one time, there was complaint ........[line or so cut off the top, rats]........in town meeting said that they "never had had any equal taxes in Limington since the old Minister Boodey used to guess them out." He was a clergyman of the denomination of Quakers, and in his life quakerized many of the people of Limington and neighboring towns, and was the leading spirit of that denomination, in both New Hampshire and Maine. On June 30, 1780, he and his brother, Joseph Boodey, united with Rev. Benjamin Randall in the organization of that denomination of worshippers known as Freewill Baptists. They. with Nathaniel Buzzell, Judith Cartel, Margery Boodey (Robert's wife), May Buzzell and Rev. Benjamin Randall, constituted its first church, and Sept. 2, 1780, Robert was ordained to preach and to serve as first deacon, and Joseph, his brother, and Nathaniel Buzzell were sent forth as ruling elders. He lived a faithful minister and exemplary townsman. He married, April 13, 1763, Margery Hill, born April 23, 1744, died in Limington at an advanced age. Children: Azariah, Molly, Robert, Abigail, Sarah, John H., Betsey, Ruth, Joseph, Israel, Benjamin, Edmund and Henry H. The number of grandchldren was eighty-four. (IV) John Hill, third son of Rev. Robert and Margery (Hill) Boodey, was born Sept. 18, 1773, in New Durham, N. H., and died July 15, 1848, in Jackson, Maine. He was a house carpenter and also farmer, and resided for some time in Limington, Maine, whence he removed to Jackson, Waldo county, early in the nineteenth century. He was active in town meetings and a man of influence, but never accepted any public office. In religion he was a Universalist, and was respected as an upright man. He married Patience Redman, of Scarborough, Maine, and lived for a short time in that town, where their eldest child was born in 1796. Children: John, Isabella, Sally, Lucinda, David, Redman, Harriet, Henry H. and Alvin. (V) David, second son of John H. and Patience (Redman) Boody, was born Nov. 9, 1806, in Jackson, and died in Jackson August, 1879. He grew up and always lived in Jackson, where he was a very successful farmer. He was a man of great force of character, and exerted a wide influence in the community. He married Lucretia B. Mudgett, daughter of John and Mary (Odam) Mudgett, of Prospect, Maine, born Feb. 22, 1813, died May, 1908. Children: 1. Fitzburg A., resides in Lawrence, Mass. 2. David A., mentioned below. 3. Laura J., married Dr. Samuel W. Johnson; and resides in Belfast, Maine. 4. John H., of Jackson, Maine. 5. Napoleon B., resides Medfield, Mass. 6. Josephine, resides in Brooks, Maine, widow of Andrew B. Fogg. (VI) David Augustus, son of David and Lucretia B. (Mudgett) Boody, was born Aug. 13, 1837, in Jackson. He attended the public schools of his native town, and was afterward a student at Phillips-Andover Academy. He took up the study of law in the office of Charles M. Brown, of Bangor, Maine, and completed his course under Jeremiah Abbott, a distinguished lawyer of Belfast, Maine, where Mr. Boody was admitted to the bar. He engaged in practice in Camden and at Thomastone, Maine, and subseuqnelty entered the banking office of Boody & McLellan, in New York City, as clerk. Here his progress was rapid, and within a year he had entered into partnership, his uncle being the head of the firm, and purchased a seat in the New York Stock Exchange. For nearly twenty years he continued an active member of that body, being for a long period one of its board of governors. For some time he was president of the City Savings Bank of Brooklyn (in which city he maintains his home), and the Thomas Jefferson Association; was vice-president of the Long Island Free Library. He is president and trustee of the Brooklyn Free Library, Berkely Institute, and the Institute for the Blind; vice-president and director of the Brooklyn Life Insurance Company, and Sprague National Bank; director of the Peoples' Trust Company. Mr. Boody was one of the founders of the Montauk Club, of which he is still in active membership, and is identified with the Carleton, Brooklyn, Marine and Field Clubs, and the New England Society. Mr. Boody has always taken an active interest in political affairs, affiliating with the Democratic party, and has filled two offices of conspiruous importance and honor. In 1890 he was elected as representative from the Second Congressional District, in the Fifty-second congress, and resigned this office to accept that of mayor of the city of Brooklyn, to which he was elected in the fall of 1891, and served for the years 1892-93. He was the twenty-third individual to occupy that office. He was active in securing many improvements in the city government, and served his constituency faithfully and with credit. Mr. Boody displays great physical and mental vigor, and is a very busy man, although now past the age when most men retire from business activities, having served his fellow citizens for a reasonable time, he gladly laid down the responsibilities of office in order to give the time needed to his personal affairs. His home in Berkely Place, Brooklyn, is one of the recognized social centers of the district. He married, June 1, 1862, in Frankfort, Maine, Abbie H. Treat, born June 15, 1840, daughter of Henry and Abby Treat, of Frankfort. The family includes a daughter and four sons. Children: 1. Henry T., resides in Rockwell, Conn. 2. Maude Louise, widow of Leon Carey, resides in Brooklyn. 3. Charles A., president of the People's Trust Company, of Brooklyn. 4. Alvin, of Portland, Oregon. 5. Edgar, associated with his father in business. [trans. note: notice we now go back to a prior generation]. (V) Hon. Henry Hill, fourth son of John H. and Patience (Redman) Boody, was born Nov. 8, 1816, in Jackson, where his youth was passed. Ambitious and energetic, he first sought an education, as an equipment for a life of activity. Having passed through the local schools, he fitted for college at the Bangor Classical School, and matriculated at Bowdoin, from which he graduated in 1842. Immediately after graduation he became a tutor in his alma mater, and from 1845 to 1854 was professor of rhetoric in that institution. Having a deep interest in human progress, and especially that of his native land, he visited Washington during the spring vacation of 1854, and witnessed the passage of the "Kansas-Nebraska Bill," which exerted such a powerful influence upon the history of this nation. It was a most dramatic scene, and strongly impressed every participant and witness; to the analytical and prophetic vision of the young college professor it conveyed a strong meaning. Having observed the feeling prevalent among politicians, he was firmly convinced that the abolition of slavery and its attendant evils could never be brought about by either of the then leading parties. Returning to his home, he at once set about the organization of the Republican party in Maine. Calling upon his friend, General Samuel Fessenden, he found the latter of the same mind as himself. They immediately set about consultation with their friends and found a strong feeling in favor of the movement, and steadily built up a sentiment that led to the calling of a convention early in the following year and the launching of the movement under most favorable auspices, though a few who subsequently allied themselves with the party failed to be among its original organizers. Strange to say, Hannibal Hamlin, afterward elected by the Republicans to the vice-presidency, refused to affiliate with the Republican party until a year or two after its inception in his home state. To Mr. Boody, more than to any other, belongs the credit of organizing the party in Maine, and to this movement the states owes its recognition by the nomination of Mr. Hamlin to the high office which he filled. The Hon. William Pitt Fessenden, son of Mr. Boody's colleague in the movement, was among the belated ones who "got on the bandwagon." Resigning his chair in the college in 1854, Mr. Boody entered with spirit into political reform, and was elected in the fall of that year by a handsome majority to a seat in the state sentate, where he acquitted himself with credit and usefulness. In the following year there was a revulsion of political sentiment, and the state was carried by the Democratic party, but the progessive movement could not be stayed, and the following year again saw Mr. Boody triumphantly elected as representative of the town of Brunswick in the legislature. Following this he was urged to become a candidate for member of congress in a district where election was sure, but the demands of his private business led him to decline. It was this condition that robbed the state of one of its strong leaders and led to his removal to another state, where an entirely different career was opened to him. Having become a holder of both stock and bonds of the Chicago, Fond du Lac & St. Paul railroad, he visited New York in 1859 to investigate the condition of the property. At a meeting of creditors and security holders of the company a few days after his arrival, he was made a member of a committee formed to prepare a plan of reorganization. While waiting for the meeting he had examined the books and informed himself upon the situation, and the result was that when the meeting convened he was found to have a clearer idea of the situation and its probable remedies than most of the others, and the result was that the plan of readjusting the affairs of the corporation propounded by him was adopted. Immediately following this he was urged by his colleagues to reamin in New York and help put his plans into practical execution. His talent for financial management was quickly recognized by the business world, and he was soon made a director of the railroad company and its financial agent. This required his residence at the metropolis, and there he still remains (1908), with a firm grasp upon the world of finance, and though now nearly ninety-two years old and retired from active participation in affairs, he is recognized as an able adviser and respected as an active facor in the development of commercial progress. In the course of his career, Mr. Boody was the agent who brought about the purchase of the Chicago & Galena Union railroad, which was united with the one formerly mentioned in founding the Chicago & Northwestern railroad, one of the giant transportation agencies of the great west. In this undertaking he encountered severe obstables during the uncertainties of the civil war, and sacrificed a quarter of a million dollars of his private fortune, from which his colleagues profited, with no recompense to him. During one dark day in 1863, when a war panic had demoralized Wall Street, he struggled all day against odds, after being deserted by some of those who had led him into the movement, but trimphed and carried through his plans to the great advantage of the properties under his guidance and of the territory served by his railroad properties. He was also active in the construction and administration of the Rockford, Rock Island & St. Louis railroad, now a part of the great Chicago, Burlington & Quincy system. In those days, when capital was not as abundant as today, and when railroad operations were in their infancy, it required much financial acumen and foresight to carry through the operations in which Mr. Boody was engaged. Having "won his spurs" in the arena of financial wefare, the young squire from Maine was henceforth recognized by Wall Street as a business genius, and he ha won rewards accordingly. For many years he was engaged in banking and has helped many others to a foothold in the American metropolis. His nephew, David A. Boody, was associated with him for some time as bookkeeper and subsequently became a partner. Another bookkeeper, Finley I. Wright, was also admitted as a partner. The founder is now retired from business, which is continued by Boody, McLellan & Company, the senior partner being the former bookkeeper. In their business office on lower Broadway, the founder of the concern is sitll found on every business day, active and interested in the problems of world progress. Of democratic mind and suave manners, full of interesting reminiscences of a half-century ago, he is a most interesting conversationalist, at whose feet the youth of today may well sit and learn. Mr. Boody married, Sept. 3, 1846, Charlotte Mellen Newman, of Brunswick, Maine, daughter of Professor Newman, of Bowdoin. She was born July 23, 1823, and died in Brunswick, Feb. 5, 1876. Children: 1. Henry Phillips, died at the opening of a most promising career, in his twenty-fourth year. 2. Caroline Kent, died in her twelfth year. Having led a very active and industrious life, starting with small opportunities, of which he made the most by the exercise of his unusual talents, coupled with hard work and prudent economy, Mr. Boody may look back on a career of usefulness and, though his life has been saddened by the loss of those nearest to him, is still pressing forward in the battle of life, guided by high ideals and worthy ambitions to serve the world well and fulfill his destiny.