Bodarc is a corruption of the French bois d'arc, a thornty shrub or small tree, native of Texas, usually designated as the Osage orange and frequently used for hedges.  John W. Hunter  and . C. F. Slingerland wanted a name for their post office, and suggested Oress for Hunter's little daughter.  A Texas community asked that their post office be named Bodarc for their native shrub, and the department in Washington, by mistake, assigned the name Bodarc to the Sioux Co., NE post office, and Oressa to the one in Texas.
Excerpt from letter to Harrison Sun, 1951 newspaper, from the Rev. Emery E. Zimmerman, Carroll, Iowa
"We had been out of school about 2 years and were happy when Dist. 6 began its session in the Columbia house.  Ben Smith was teacher, and too tall for the ceiling, had some hard bumps on the head, and his temper would flare with very audible expression.  One teacher was Herbert Steele, who died of mountain fever, and was the first one buried in Bodarc cemetery  . . . The "stickers-on", most them now passed on to the last home, certainly earned the heritage you now enjoy in a time of plenty.  Learning to "hoe your own row" hurts no youngster".

Bodarc Community Church
by – Grace Wickersham Skavdahl

    From 1885-1890 Hat Creek Valley was being settled with a family on almost every quarter-section, and a Presbyterian missionary, Reverend Rice, and his good wife traveled many miles by buggy to encourage settlers in every way, but especially to meet for Sunday worship.  Sunday School was held in the log schoolhouse, with Mrs. F. W. Knott a devoted superintendent.  The congregation outgrew the schoolhouse, and they voted to build in 1890.  The settlers represented various denomination, and voted to accept a #300 loan from the Presbyterian mother church, Rev. Rice to serve as first minister.  A sawmill owner volunteered to saw the lumber if men would get out the logs, which were on government land.  Logs were cut and hauled to the site donated by Henry Zimmerman; Z. T. Zerbe drew the plans and helped in construction as well as overseeing; almost all the labor was donated.  Cleve Zimmerman recalled playing around the worksite at nights while his father and other men built by lantern light after a day's work in their fields.
    The churchyard cemetery's first burial was Herbert Steele, a fine young teacher who came west for his health but never recovered, and was laid to rest by friends, as relatives could not be located.  The John Eberspechers' two small sons and Matt Hall's two little boys, all victims of membraneous croup, were next laid there, and some graves were moved to the churchyard from homesteads.
    After Rev. Rice's health failed, Presbyterian ministers serving Glen and Cottonwood came every 3rd week to Bodarc.  Mrs. Maggie Brown Childs played an old treadle organ, and how the people san!  Mrs. William Miller and Howard  Wickersham were later Sunday School superintendents, and for years the many families ate Sunday picnic dinners at the grounds near Hat Creek, the you folks afterward singing and playing games while parents visited.

Settlers donating labor to build the church included:
J. B. Burke            A. Southworth            F. W. Knott
W. S. Hall            S. Wolheter                E. Wolheter

J. H. Newlin            Chas. Newman            Henry Zimmerman   
J. H. Montgomery        Amelia Smith                Eli Smith   
F. M. Hall            S. W. Hall                El Rickard
Lewis Gerlach        Minnie Crane                John Eberspecher   
L. A. Pfost            W. D. Lafferty            Sanford Hill
Ernest Bunge            H. T. Zerbe                M. J. Blewett
Marstellar Brothers        D. H. Griswold            Alvin J. Clark   
Haugh & Sons        W. H. Davis                Dr. J. E. Phinney
James Scott            J. W. Smith                C. E. Wilson
C. F. Adams            G. W. Hester                George C. Read
Alexander Steel        John Christian            A. A. Smith   
J. C. Parsons            L. N. Freeman            A. Prinaux
C. F. Coffee            S. B. Coffee                J. B. Bradley

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Antrim, W. Fay        b. 16 May 1888 - d. 27 May 1910    son of Z. W. & Carrie Antrim
Brennan, Edna Leona        b. 5 May 1910 - d. 21 Sep 1914   
Brown, George E.        b. 1871- d. 1934    wife: Lillie M. Brown
Brown, Lillie M.        b. 1879 - d. 1910    husb: George Brown
Bunge, Lillie N.        b. 28 Jan 1874 - d. 25 Feb 1897    wife of E. Bunge
Burke, Infant daughter    b. 15 Jun 1895 - d. 26 Sep 1895    Twin, daugh. of Rev. & Mrs. Burke
Burke, Infant son        b. 15 Jun 1895 - d. 21 Aug 1895     Twin, son of Rev. & Mrs. Burke
Crane, Helen M.        b. 30 Jan 1842 - d. 15 Jun 1926   
Dout, Infant son & daughter    no dates    children of Leonard Dout
Dout, Irva L.            b. 16 Nov 1898 - d. 28 Aug 1935   
Dout, Leonard            b. 20 Dec 1861 - f. 6 May 1925    wife: Myrtle M. Dout
Dout, Myrtle M.        b. 27 Oct 1874 - d. 7 Feb 1914    husb: Leonard Dout
Dunn, Margaret (Hunter)    b. 1881 - 1967   
Eberspecher, Charlie    b. 16 Oct 1888 - d. 16 Feb 1892    son of John & Francis Eberspecher
Eberspecher, Francis Jane    b. 17 Feb 1869 - d. 10 Mar 1943    husb: John C. Eberspecher
Eberspecher, John C.        b. 28 Feb 1862 - d. 30 Sep 1946    wife: Francis Jane Eberspecher
Eberspecher, Johnnie        b. 21 Feb 1890 - d. 12 Feb 1892    son of John & Francis Eberspecher
Fulton, Infant girl            d. abt.1907    daugh. of Emery Fulton
Hageman, Infant son        b. 3 Feb 1900    son of A. K. Hageman

Hall, Claire            b. 1896 - d. 1899    daugh. of Francis & Sarah Hall
Hall, Edward            b. 1905 d. 1908    son of Francis M & Sarah Hall
Hall, Francis M.        b. 1867 - d. 1949    husb. of Sarah Hall
Hall, Frank            b. Jan 1902 - d.   Mar 1973    wife: Ola M. Hall ?
Hall, Minnie E.        b. 9 Mar. 1869 - 12 Jan 1943   
Hall, Ola M.            b. 28 May 1908- d. 24 May 1934    husb. Frank Hall?
Hall, Ralph            b. 1900 - d. 1901    son of Francis & Sarah Hall
Hall, Ruth            b. 1903 d. 1904    daugh. of Francis & Sarah Hall
Hall, Samuel W.        b. 1830 - d. 1905   
Hall, Sarah            b. 1873 - d. 1910    wife of Francis M. Hall
Harder, Infant daughter    b. 16 Jun 1940 - d. 17 Jun 1940    parents: Lloyd & Hilda Harder
Haworth, Irven D.    b. 15 Jun 1937 - d. 17 Jun 1937    son of Howard & Clara (Zimmerman) Haworth
Hill, Albert            d. Nov 1944    Husb. of Alice Hill
Hill, Alice B.            b. 26 Jul 1882 - d. 12 Feb 1942    wife of Albert Hill
Hill, Elizabeth            b. 6 Jan 1919 - d. 2 May 1926   
Hill, Mary C.            d. 12 Jun 1921    age 75y, 11m, 10d - husb: Sanford Hill
Hill, Robert L.            b. 6 Dec 1904 - d. 19 Apr 1909    son of Albert & Alice Hill
Hill, Sanford            d. 2 Apr 1924    age 81 y, 6 m, 10 d - wife: Mary C. Hill
Holloway, Infant daughter        d. 22 Feb 1907    daugh. of S. L. Holloway
Hovey, James            d. 19 Aug 1897    d. age 77 y, 6 m, 14 d
Hunter, Adeline B.        d. 28 Apr 1888    dau. of John W. & Margaret C. Hunter
Hunter, John W.        b. 11 Dec 1842 - d. 20 Jul 1903    wife: Margaret
Hunter, Margaret C.        d. 9 May 1902    husb:  John W. Hunter
Hunter, William D.        b. 1 Nov 1884 - d. 28 Nov 1917    Co. I, 163rd 2nd Montana Inf.
Jordan, John, infant son    d. 1903   
Jordan, Mary, infant daughter    d. 1917   
Jordan, Oressa            b. 1883 - d. 1964   
Jordan, Robert            b.1883 - d.1928   
Kipp, Molly            b. 8 Apr 1860 - d. 29 Jun 1892   
Peterson, Anna        b. 21 Oct 1841 - d. 7 Aug 1916    husb: Sven?
Peterson, Hanna        b. 15 Apr 1876 - d. 14 Jan 1896   
Peterson, Mary E.        b. 3 Nov 1883 - d. 19 Sep 1905    husb: Peter Peterson
Peterson, Sven            b. 16 Feb. 1840 - d. 11 Aug 1896    wife: Anna?
Rickard, Charles E.        d. 25 Nov 1893    son of Louis & Elizabeth Rickard
Rickard, Lillie Belle        d. 29 Dec 1891    daugh. of Louis & Elizabeth Rickard
Rickard, William J.        b. 1861 - d. 1944    born Point Pleasant, W. Va.
Schleyer, Fredrike Wilhelmine    b. 3 May 1879 - d. 6 May 1915   
Serres, Ida Mae        b. 15 Sep 1896 - d. 4 Dec 1959    wife of Jack Serres
Serres, John Leo        b. 16 Sep 1935 - d. 13 Sep 1963    son of Jack & Ida Serres
Serres, John Paul (Jack)    no dates   
Snyder, Maria            b. 30 Apr 1831- d. 11 Jun 1917   
Soutau, G.            d. 16 May 1903
Steele, Alexander        d. Sep 1894    native of Scotland
Steele, Herbert        FIRST BURIAL, BODARC CEM.    Teacher from Pennsylvania
Thayer, Caroline        b. 1879 - d. 1970   
Thayer, Elma Zimmerman    b. 26 Nov 1914 - d. 27 Feb 1945   
Thayer, Gridley T.        d. age 78 y, 1 m, 2 d



Thayer, John A.        b. 7 Nov 1853 - d. 27 Apr 1928   
Thayer, Lura A        b. 21 Mar 1861 - d. 20 Feb 1926   
Thayer, Millard A.        b. 1879 - d. 1935   
Tidd, Charles            b. Jun 1821 - d. Dec 1907   
Wagner, Frank        b. 2 Jun 1885 - d. 2 Jan 1909   
Wagner, Louis        b. 1882 - d. 1949   
Wagner, Minnie        b. 7 Jun 1846 - d. 26 Jan 1924   
Wagner, Theodore    b. 23 Dec 1845 - 26 Jan 1922   
Wagner, William        b. 1887 - d. 1957   
Werderman, Wilhelmine    b. 26 Oct 1841 - d. 23 May 1907   
Werdrman, Gottfried    d. 15 Oct 1897   
Zerbe, Alice Elizabeth    b. 21 Mar 1853 - d. 8 Jan 1940    husb: Henry Thomas Zerbe?
Zerbe, Alice May        b. 9 May 1881 - d. 4 Aug 1887    child
Zerbe, Anna        b. 20 Feb 1910 - d. 26 Oct 1957    husb; Frank Zerbe
Zerbe, H. Loren        b. 12 May 1885 - d. 23 Jul 1887    child
Zerbe, Henry Thomas    b. 22 Feb 1849 - d. 25 Dec 1938    wife: Alice Elizabeth Zerbe?
Zerbe, Infant Daughter    d. 21 Jan 1941    parents: Frank & Anna Zerbe
Zerbe, Infant son        d. 25 Jul 1898   


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Our many thanks to the Northwest Genealogical Society for keeping these records and sharing them for all to see.