Bodega is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County in the U.S. state of California. The town had a population of 220 as of the 2010 Census. Bodega is located on Bodega Highway, about 5 mi (8 km) west of Freestone, California. Salmon Creek flows through the town. [1]
Gedcom Index for Bodega, CA. . . . Link
Surnames: Asbill, Comatta, Dei, Finley, Galloway, Head, McCready, Oliver, Stemple, Wilds,
GenealogyOnline: About
the Town Bodega
. . . Link
Surnames: Asbill,
Mazzoni, Plomp, Todd
Roadside Thoughts: Bodega California . . . Link
Sonoma County Genealogical Society .
. . Link
The web site "The Cockrill Family of
Sonoma County" [Link] has a wonderful collection of
local genealogy including the following with ties to
Bodega: John
Chistopher Parmeter, John Conrad Stump, John Spencer
Parmeter, John Washington Robertson, Lavina Robertson,
Stephen Lawrence Fowler, The Stump Family, W. R.
Robertson, William Henry Lowrey.
The town of Bodega was known historically as Bodega Corners or Bodega Roads, to distinguish it from the Port of Bodega or Bodega Bay, as it is known today, which is about four miles from Bodega. Bodega and Bodega Bay are named for discoverer of the bay, Juan Francisco Bodega y Caudra, who first sailed into the harbor in 1775. There were formerly two Coast Miwok villages in the area: one (called Kennekono) sited near the current town and another (called Suwutenne) further north. The first Europeans in the area were Russians who established temporary settlements at Bodega Bay and the Salmon Creek Valley, in the vicinity of Bodega, in 1809. [1]
In 1843, Captain Stephen Smith established the first West Coast lumber mill near Bodega. Around the same time, John A. Sutter bought land from the Russians, an area that included Bodega. His land purchase included "some hunting rights, a small boat, several rusty cannons, and some old muskets." In 1859, shipbuilders constructed Saint Teresa of Avila Church. Open from 1856 to 1967, Watson School, once served as Bodega's school, and is located in a Sonoma County Regional Parks Department historic park about 2 miles east of Bodega. [1]
The town of Bodega got its start in 1853 when George Robinson, who had been a resident of Bodega Bay, established a saloon at the crossing of three roads, which gave the town its name of Bodega Corners. In addition to the saloon there was a blacksmith shop, a hotel, which later burned down. The first merchants were Donald McDonald and Rositer Bros. The town was situated in the center of a rich dairy country. It continued to grow with several churches, a school-house, a Masonic, Odd Fellows and Good Templars' Lodge. There were three stores, a shoemaker, a blacksmith and wagon shop, one hotel and two private boarding-houses, one livery stable, two physicians, and one butcher-shop. The first school was built in 1866 and the St. Teresa of Avila Church was constructed by a shipwright in 1859, with lumber donated by Jasper O’Farrell. [Visit Sonoma Coast Link ]
The town of Bodega, near the Smith homestead, took its start in 1853. A man named Robinson started a saloon; Hughes, a blacksmith shop. Hughes and a man named Bowman build the first hotel, which was afterwards burned. Donald McDonald and Rositer Bros. were the first merchants in the town of Bodega. The oldest settlers in the neighborhood were James Watson, ex-sheriff Potter, Mr. Higler and J. L. Springer. The town is now quite a prosperous place. It is situated in the center of a rich dairy country, It has three churches and a school-house built at a cost of five thousand dollars. There are one hundred and twenty-five children in the district, and two teachers employed. There is also in the town a Masonic, Old Fellows and Good Templars' Lodge. There are three stores, one shoemaker, one Black-smith and wagon shop, one hotel and two private boarding-houses, one livery stable, two physicians, and one butcher-shop. J. L. Springer is the justice of the peace and postmaster. The population of the town is about two hundred and fifty. [2]
Let's see if I can find all the names/owners of the places listed in the above paragraph (1853):
1853: 1
Saloon [George Robinson], 1
Blacksmith Shop [Hughes], First
Hotel [Hughes and Bowman], First
Merchants [Donald McDonald and Rositer Bros.]
Later: 3 Churches [1.
Saint Teresa of Avila Church (1859) 2. 3. ], School
(now Watson School) [ ], Masonic,
Odd Fellows & Good Templars' Lodges [ ], 3
Stores [1. 2. Goodman's store 3. McCaughey's (1866,
partner Matt Aiken)], 1
Shoemaker [ ], 1
Blacksmith & Wagon Shop [ ], 1
Hotel & 2 Private Boarding Houses [1. 2. 3. ], 1 Livery Stable [ ], 2 Physicians [1. 2. ], and
1 Butcher Shop [ ].
Let's
see if I can find all the names/owners of the places listed
in the below paragraph (1851):
1851: 3
Tanneries (1851-1968 )[by Stephen and James
Fowler for Captain Smith], 1
Tannery [by Thomas Murray, 1864], 1
Gristmill [Stephen Smith], the
Fist Steam Sawmill (1843) [ ]
By
1860-70's: 1 School
[ ], 2 Churches
[1. 2. ], 3 saloons
[1. George Robinson 2. James Stump 3. ], and the
Post Office (which alternated between Goodman's
store and McCaughey's.)
Bodega
Bodega was named for the Spanish
sea Captain Juan Francisco de la Bodega Quadra, who
sailed into the bay nearby in 1775. Bodega was
originally called Kuskoff (Kushov) for the Russian
leader who almost settled there. Bodega is part of the
land farmed by the Russians. After their departure, the
land was granted to Captain Stephen Smith, who was the
first American settler in that part of the county, in
1843. In 1846, Stephen raised the American flag at
Bodega only a few days after Lt. Joseph Revere raised it
in Sonoma. Soon after Smith was appointed a civil
magistrate of the area, a position he held until 1848.
The town (then known as Bodega Corners, not to be
confused with Bodega Bay) near the Smith homestead, took
it's start in 1853. Three tanneries were built in 1851
by Stephen and James Fowler for Captain Smith, who
operated these tanneries for years, then passed them on
to James Stewart, who sold them in turn to Henry Lane.
These burned down in 1968. A tannery was also erected by
Thomas Murray in 1864, one mile north of Bodega. This
was on the site of Stephen Smith's gristmill. The first
steam sawmill was also located in this area. Built in
1843, it was located one mile northwest of Bodega
Corners. By the 1860's and 1870's, the town had one
school, two churches, three saloons, and the post office
which alternated between Goodman's store and
McCaughey's. The McCaughey family came to the area in
1864 and the father opened the store with Matt Aiken as
partner in 1866. His son Howard took it over and was
appointed postmaster in 1901. By the 1890's, Bodega had
a population of 100, including the Keek, Finely,
McCready, Gambini and Taylor families. . .
[Archived
Website. Link]
American Towns . . . Link
Bodega Today [Niche] (has a map of location) . . . Link
Bodega Wikipedia Page . . . Link
Permit Sonoma: Bodega Corners . . . Link
Rancho Bodega Historical Society . . . Link
RoadsideAmerica.com: Hitchcock's the Birds Shot Here . . . Link
Sonoma County Life Opens Up: Bodega . . . Link
Visit Sonoma Coast: Bodega . . . Link
Bodega Cooperative
Creamery: Bodega
Cooperative Creamery was located in Bodega as of 1922. [1]
Captain
Stephen Smith . . . Link . . . His Gist Mill
In 1843, Captain Stephen Smith established the first West Coast lumber mill near Bodega. [1]
Captain smith who was the first American settler in that part of the county. . . owned a small vessel called the Fayaway, which he run between the Port of Bodega and San francisco; in '49, fare was the moderate sum of fourteen dollars from Bodega to San Francisco, on the Fayaway. [2]
Chenoweth
& Chenoweth Lumber Company (Chenoweth Lumber Company
business files, 1956-1973): . . . Link
The Chenoweth
Lumber Company was a family-operated lumber
business based on Bodega, California, where the Chenoweth
sawmill was located. The Chenoweth family settled
in western Sonoma County in the 1870s and was active in
early lumbering throughout the area. The company was
formed as Chenoweth & Chenoweth Lumber (also known as
Chenoweth Lumber Mill Co.) when the mill was built by Hardin T. Chenoweth and
his son, Lesley "Les"
Chenoweth in the late 1940s. The company first
intensively logged the former Galleher
property and Joy Woods
grove northeast of Bodega. Les Chenoweth's brother, William Chenoweth also
joined the business, which was active through the 1970s.
Les Chenoweth and the company became embroiled in
controversy over proposed expansion of the Camp Meeker
water system, which was perceived to benefit the Chenoweth
family and their ability to subdivide a portion of the
large Chenoweth Ranch for housing parcels.
Dei Dairy, Bodega, California, about 1926 . . . Image
Donald McDonald: The first merchants were Donald McDonald and Rositer Bros. [2]
Floyd James Goodrich (1895 - 1967) - Genealogy - Geni . . . Link
Fomasi Genealogy [WikiTree]. . . Link
James Stump [wendtroot.com] . . . Link
James was born in Virginia about 1835. We know he was listed as Judge of the Bodega Port Precinct in Sept 1855, Sonoma County elections. He owned two warehouses in Bodega port and a Saloon, which burned down during the Bodega fire Sept. 1874
John A. Sutter . . . Link
John A. Sutter bought land from the Russians, an area that included Bodega. His land purchase included "some hunting rights, a small boat, several rusty cannons, and some old muskets." [1]
John Conrad Stump (1804- ) [wendtroot.com] . . . Link
John and most of his family (his wife had died) came to Bodega in 1852, where he was engaged in farming first, later becoming the owner of the Bodega American Hotel and Saloon, August 10, 1868.
McCaughey Brothers Mercantile Store [Now: The Bodega County Store]: The Bodega Country Store has been a landmark business Sonoma County since the 1850’s when it was the McCaughey Brothers Mercantile Store and when Bodega was still called Bodega Corners. . . . . Link
Morelli & Vanoni Genealogy - Family Card . . . Link
Rositer Bros. : The first merchants were Donald McDonald and Rositer Bros.
Saint Teresa of Avila Church (constructed by shipbuilders in 1859) . . . Link . . . History
Soycrafters Association of North America: In the late 1970s, the Soycrafters Association of North America was headquartered in Bodega. It was run by soy product innovator Larry Needleman. [1]
Watson School Historic Park (1856): Watson School was built in 1856 in the picturesque countryside of west Sonoma County, near the village of Bodega, and was an active school until the late 1960's. . . . Link
The web site "The Cockrill Family of Sonoma County" [Link] has a wonderful collection of local genealogy including the following with ties to Bodega: John Chistopher Parmeter, John Conrad Stump, John Spencer Parmeter, John Washington Robertson, Lavina Robertson, Stephen Lawrence Fowler, The Stump Family, W. R. Robertson, William Henry Lowrey.
Maps
Bodega, T 6 N R 10 W, Page 055, Atlas: Sonoma County 1898 . . . Link
Map of Bodega . . . Link
Bodega, California from Bodega Highway, south of town, 1955 . . . Link
Town of Bodega, California, 1927 . . . Link
[1] Wikipedia contributors. "Bodega, California." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 9 Aug. 2022. Web. 28 Sep. 2022. . . . Link
[2] "Historical and Descriptive Sketch of Sonoma County, California" Robert A. Thompson. L.H. Everts, 1877 - Sonoma County (Calif.) - 104 pages. [Bodega pp 100-101] . . . Link