The Search for Austin Bonner

My last blog entry was May 20, 2011 and now I'm ready to get back to work. While researching great grandfather Thomas Henry Bonner, I have learned a whole lot about the Bonner/Bonnar family and made some great contacts with other Bonner descendants.

Today I have a rather complicated entry to make. I'll try to make it easy to read. Great Grandfather, Thomas Henry Bonner had a brother named Henry Bonner. Henry married Amanda Pond. I wrote about them on February 24, 2011. They had four children: Robert Douglas, Ernest Alfred, Austin and Henry. In the Feb. 24 entry, I mentioned that I had information about everyone except Austin Bonner. I have since gained information about Austin Bonner. Oddly enough what sent me in the right direction was the obituary of his brothers, Robert Douglas Bonner and Ernest Alfred Bonner. In Robert's obituary in 1933, Austin is mentioned as a surviving brother. In Ernest's obituary it states he is survived by his neice, Mrs. Helen Bonner McInnis of Portland ME. What confused me was that I had never heard of Helen and I was surprised that the obituary didn't name the four children of Ernest Alfred Bonner.

Here is his obituary from the Portland Maine Telegraph, March 16, 1947.

I still don't know why his children aren't mentioned except perhaps the person writing the information wasn't aware of them. Ernest had been divorced since about 1920 from his wife Belle Hazelton Bonner. I began searching Helen Bonner McInnis and found that in 1910 Helen Bonner was age 6 and living at Swans Island, Maine with Hattie and Horace Stanley. She also lived with Hattie Stanley in 1920. I'm not sure of their relationship because the census stated that Helen was a boarder, even at age 6. So by backtracking in the Maine Deaths and Marriages for someone with the last name Bonner, I found Helen's parents. They were Nellie M. Cook and Austin Bonner. Nellie Bonner died in October 1903 at Swans Island after giving birth to Helen in July 1903.

Helen first married Charles Parker in 1923 and they had one child Edna Hilda Parker. Secondly she married Horace McInnis. Helen died in 1994 in Portland ME and in her obituary she is survived by her daughter Edna and it states her parents were Austin Bonner and Nellie Cook Bonner.

Although I have only gained one additional shred of information about Austin Bonner, I don't know what happened to him after his wife Nellie died. It appears that he left Swan Island and perhaps remarried, leaving his daughter in the care of Hattie Stanley. There is still no census information or death information that I've found about Austin after the 1903 death of Nellie Cook Bonner, until he is mentioned in the 1933 obituary of his brother.

I found a nice photo of Hattie Stanley, the woman who raised Helen Bonner McInnis.

I will keep searching for Austin Bonner, just don't quite know where to look.

Happy Birthday Ross Bonner

Today is the 90th birthday of my Uncle Ross Bonner. He is best known as Buddy Bonner. He was born in Caddo, Bryan county, Oklahoma. His parents were Ross Bonner and Eula Manning Bonner. Uncle Buddy has always been an inspiration to me. He is a real family man and has always looked out for his children and other family members, like me. Buddy was in the Marines and served in WWII. He received numerous medals, including the Purple Heart for his service in Tarawa. He decorates his room in his retirement home with lots of family photos and memorabalia from the Marine Corp. Since I didn't really know the meaning of Semper Fi, I looked it up. I learned that it means, "Always Faithful". That fits Uncle Buddy perfectly. He is a faithful Marine and an extremely faithful family member. Happy Birthday Buddy!!!

Robert Nelson Bonnar, New Brunswick, Canada

Robert Nelson Bonnar was the youngest son of James Bonnar and Margaret Chambers. James and Margaret immigrated from Ireland to New Brunswick in 1835. Robert Nelson was born October 20, 1857 in York, New Brunswick. On November 24, 1874 he married Johanna Harris. Johanna was born in 1859 and was the daughter of Moses Harris and Johanna Curtis. Robert and Johanna had seven children.

M. Maude Bonnar, born December 23, 1880
Beverly Robinson Bonnar (son), born October 21, 1881
Ada M. Bonnar, born December 22, 1883
Franklin (Frank) Moses Bonnar, born November 15, 1885
Margaret Alwilda Bonnar, born April 4, 1888
Annie L. Bonnar, born 1890
Benjamin York Bonnar, April 9,1891

In 1881, Robert and Johanna appear on the census in Douglas, York, New Brunswick. Robert is 26 and noted to be an engineer. Johanna is 24, listed as Jewish and a member of the Church of England. Maud was age 3, Beverly R. was just 3 months old. Also in the household was Margaret Harris, age 21, listed as Jewish and a member of the Church of England. Margaret may have been Johanna's sister. In 1891, Robert and Johanna appear on the census in Douglas, York, New Brunswick. Robert is 36 and Johanna is 36. Next to Johanna's name in the column for church attended, Salvation Army is written as the church. Their children on this census are Maud age 13, Beverly R. age 11, Ada M. age 9, Franke age 6, Alwildie age 4, Annie L. age 1 and Benjamin Y. age 1/12.

In 1901, Robert and Johanna are found on the census in York, New Brunswick. Their last name is spelled Boner. In the household are Maud age 20, Beverly age 19, Ada age 17, Frank age 15, Ollie age 13 and York age 9. The child Annie L. does not appear on the 1901 census. In 1911, again in York, New Brunswick, Robert and Johanna Bonar are living in the household with son Beverly, age 30 and a child named Marion, age 6. Marion was listed as their daughter. I have since learned that Marion was not their daughter, but their grand daughter and the daughter of Maud.

M. Maud Bonnar

Maud Bonnar, oldest daughter of Robert and Johanna, married Ludlow Elmer Pangburn on July 9, 1906. Ludlow was born in 1888. Maud and Ludlow had four children. Hazel Mae Pangburn was born April 27, 1907. Joseph A. Pangburn was born in 1909. Robert Burns Pangburn was born July 24, 1911 and Clarence A. Pangburn was born January 27, 1913. In October 1917, Ludlow enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. He was in Regiment #336100, 65th Battery. On his enlistment application, he listed his wife as Maud Pangburn and stated that her residence was the Provincial Hospital in St. John, New Brunswick. The Provincial Hospital was an insane asylum. Sadly, Ludlow died on May 13, 1918. He died in the C. C. Hospital in Carlton county NB. His cause of death was pneumonia. He is buried at the Holmesville Cemetery in Carlton, NB. His death left his wife in an asylum and his children without parents to take care of them.

On the delayed birth certificate of Hazel Mae Pangburn, her birth was verified by her uncle Stephen Taylor on July 15, 1948. On the birth certificate, Mr. Taylor states, " Her father is deceased...her mother is ill and unable to understand what is said to her, or to understand the making of an affadavit." That suggests that Maud Bonnar Pangburn's mental illness continued from Ludlow's 1917 enlistment date until at least July 1948. Her illness may have been present before October 1917, because in August 1917 Maude is the departure contact on a Boarder Crossing to Houlton, ME for her son Robert with Stephen Taylor as the arrival contact. In April 1921, Maude Pangburn is the departure contact for daughter Hazel in a Boarder Crossing into Maine. On the obituary of Hazel Mae Pangburn Carpenter it states that she was raised by her aunt and uncle, Steve and Adelaide Taylor. The Taylors lived in Aroostook, ME. The following is Hazel Mae's obituary which appeared in the Bangor Maine newspaper in 2003.


HOULTON – Hazel Mae Carpenter, 96, quietly ended a long and active life on Sept. 14, 2003, in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. She was born Hazel Pangburn, April 27,1907, in Woodstock, New Brunswick, the daughter of Ludlow and Maude (Bonner) Pangburn. Hazel moved to Ludlow as a child where she was raised by her aunt and uncle, Steve and Adelaide Taylor. After graduating from Ricker Classical Institute in Houlton, she moved to Haverhill, Mass., to pursue a nursing career. While in Haverhill, she married Charles “Red” Miller, and they had two daughters, Joyce and June. She later returned to Houlton and was married to Jasper Carpenter. Hazel traveled to Europe to visit her daughter, June’s family in the 1960s. After her husband’s death, she split her time between Haverhill and Shalimar, Fla., where she lived with her daughter, June and her family. While in Shalimar, she was active in the Eglin Catholic Chapel Community, where she was affectionately known as “Mom.” She was preceded in death by her husband, Jasper Carpenter, and her daughters, Joyce, Mrs. John Cronin and June, Mrs. Don Giroux, both of Haverhill, Mass. She was dearly loved by many friends and relatives, and is survived by nine nephews and nieces and six grandchildren. Graveside services and interment will be held 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 24, 2003, at the Evergreen Cemetery, with the Rev. Rod Black officiating. Donations in her memory may be sent to Covenant Hospice, 101 Hart St., Niceville, FL 32578. A service of Dunn Funeral Home, 11 Park St., Houlton.




Joseph A. Pangburn was born in 1909 and appears on the 1911 census in New Brunswick. However, I have found nothing more about son Joseph Pangburn.
Robert Burns Pangburn was born July 24, 1911. He too was taken to Maine in 1921. No departure contact person was named on his Boarder Crossing record. Robert died April 9, 1998 in Salt Lake City, Utah. His obituary states he attended Boston University and graduated from the University of Maine. He was in the aircraft business for over 30 years. He married Mildred Gerry in 1933 in Maine and had several subsequent marriages. Robert is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Salt Lake City.


Clarence A. Pangburn was born January 27, 1913. He was taken to Maine in October 1921 by his grandmother Hannah Pangburn. Hannah's husband, Edward, died in September 1921. It is likely that Clarence had been living with his grandparents after his father died and until 1921. In 1930, Clarence appears on the census in Houlton, ME living with his Uncle Stephen and Aunt Adelaide Taylor. Clarence married Helen Alice Parks in 1935. They had nine children, three daughters and six sons. Clarence died November 22, 1999 and his wife Helen died December 29, 2010. Clarence's obituary also states he was raised by Stephen and Adelaide Taylor.
Maude Bonnar's daughter Marion Bonner was born before Maude married Ludlow Pangburn. The name of Marion's father is not known. Another Bonner researcher stated that Marion had one daughter in 1936 and the daughter was living in Media, Pennsylvania in 2005.

Beverly Robinson Bonnar

Beverly Robinson Bonnar , son of Robert and Johanna, was born October 21, 1881 in New Brunswick. I haven't found much information about Beverly. He and his brothers, Frank and Benjamin, migrated to Western Canada from New Brunswick. Beverly married Grace Clifford on December 8, 1914 in Vancouver, Canada. Grace was born in 1882 in Pennsylvania and she died July 25, 1931 in Vancouver. Beverly died on October 5, 1939 in Vancouver. On his death certificate he is listed as a widower, the son of Robert and Joanna H. Bonner and that he was born in New Brunswick. Rather than having the middle name of Robinson, it is listed as Robertson. Beverly is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver.

Ada M. Bonnar

Ada M. Bonnar , daughter of Robert and Johanna, was born December 22, 1883. She married Harry Allan Palmer on March 17, 1903 in New Brunswick. Harry was the son of Bevaley and Augusta Palmer and he was born in 1881 in Jewitt's Mill, NB. Ada and Harry had a daughter, Maudie Augusta Palmer who was born September 13, 1903 in Devon, York, New Brunswick. Their second child was John V. Palmer who was born January 1, 1906 in New Brunswick. Although I have not found a death certificate for Ada, she died between 1906 and 1908. Harry Palmer married Frances Swode in 1908 and it states on their marriage certificate that Harry Palmer was a widower.

After Ada Bonnar Palmer died and Harry Palmer remarried, Maudie Augusta Palmer is not living with her father Harry and his wife Frances. On the 1911 census, Maudie was living with Charles and Eliza Palmer and her aunt, Pearl Palmer in York, NB. In 1911, son John Palmer is also not living with his father Harry Palmer. He is living with George and Augusta Newell. Augusta Newell was Augusta Palmer, his grandmother who remarried George Newell about 1887. On the 1911 census, young John is listed as the grandson of Augusta Newell.

The situation with the Palmer children seems to only get worse. In November 1920, Maudie Augusta Palmer is sent by her father to live with her Uncle Walter M. Jardine. Mr. Jardine had married Maudie's aunt, Pearl Palmer. Pearl was the sister of Harry Palmer. They lived in Vanceboro, ME. Then I found a death certificate, number 052363, for son John V. Palmer who died November 30, 1927 at age 20 in New Brunswick. The cause of death was an accidental gunshot wound to the abdomen. He is buried at Millville Cemetery in New Brunswick.

On April 11, 1923, Maudie Augusta Palmer married Roy Millan Nelson in Brookline, MA. I do not know if they had children. Maudie Augusta Palmer Nelson died October 5, 1978 and Roy died November 30, 1985. They are buried at the Fredericton Rural Cemetery in Fredericton, NB.

Franklin Moses Bonnar

Franklin Moses Bonnar, son of Robert and Johanna, was born November 15, 1885. Frank, as he was known, appears on the 1901 census with his parents in New Brunswick. In 1911, Frank is in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. On the 1911 census, Frank is 24 years old and is a lodger in the home of George H. Hodskis, his wife May and daughter Nora L. Hodskis. There is a second lodger in the home named Francis E. Evans.

On July 7, 1915, Frank M. Bonnar married Mildred Marguerite Eichman in Bucyrus, Crawford, Ohio. Mildred, known as Millie, was born in 1889 and was the daughter of M. B. Eichman and Augusta Boedecker. The Eichman family immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1866. In 1916, Frank M. Bonnar and Mildred are listed on the census living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Mildred's father, Max Barnhardt Eichman died in 1932. Mildred is mentioned in his obituary. The obituary states that in 1932, Mildred was living in Winnipeg. Frank and Mildred had one son, Franklin Edward Bonnar born in 1916.

On Frank and Mildred's marriage certificate, Frank's occupation is listed as "financial broker". In a review of the archives of the Manitoba Free Press, I found numerous advertisements for Frank's businesses. In 1914, he had the company "MacLean and Bonnar, Financial Agents". Then from 1916-1923 there are ads for the "F. M. Bonner & Co.", rental agent. It appears he was managing rental properties because the ads were for cottages and bungalows. In 1922, he also had an ad, "Money to Loan on First Mortgages, F.M. Bonner". It was very interesting to see the advertisements.

I have not found dates of death for Frank or Mildred. I learned from a descendant of the Eichman family that in 1972, Frank was living at 326 Ashland Avenue in Winnipeg. He was 86 years old at the time. The Eichman family member also sent me about five pages of family photographs that included Frank and Mildred. On the photograph, Mildred was identified as Millie. According to the Eichman family member, Millie was the youngest of nine children.

Margaret Alwilda Bonnar

Margaret Alwilda Bonnar, daughter of Robert and Johanna, was born April 4, 1888. On the various census records, her name varies from Alwilda and Alwildie to Ollie. Here is a very pretty picture of Margaret Alwilda that I found on the internet.




There is an article in the American Journal of Nursing that mentions her name. However, I have been unable to access the article. It is said that Margaret Alwilda was very active with the Salvation Army. Family members also know that she never married and for a number of years she and her sister Maud lived together in New Brunswick.

Annie L. Bonnar

Annie L. Bonnar appears on the 1891 census, age 1, with her family, but she does not appear on the 1901 census. I have found no other mention of her and no death certificate. (On September 5, 2011 I found a burial record for Annie Louise Bonner, daughter of Robert and Johanna. She died August 11, 1890 at age 4 months, 6 days. She is buried at St. Marks Cemetery in York county.)

Benjamin York Bonnar

Benjamin York Bonnar, the youngest child of Robert and Johanna, was born April 9, 1891 in New Brunswick. On June 24 1915, he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. He served in Regiment #521017. On his enlistment record he was living in Vancouver, British Columbia and his wife was Emma Louise Bonnar. His occupation was listed as traveller. I'm not certain, but I think that name was given for traveling salesmen or sales representatives. His height was 5 ft. 8 in. and he had a dark complexion, gray blue eyes, and black hair. His church preference was the Wesleyan Church.

His wife was Emma Louise Kells Weir and she was born in 1894 in Ireland. She was the daughter of William Weir and Elizabeth Jane Kells. The Weir family immigrated from Ireland to the United States in the early 1900's and ultimately moved to the Vancouver area. Emma Louise Bonner died January 4, 1988 at age 93. Benjamin York Bonnar died April 13, 1965. I have not identified the burial location of Benjamin and Emma, but they died in Vancouver, British Columbia. Benjamin and Emma had one son.

In reading over this blog entry, it is apparent that Robert Nelson Bonnar and Johanna Harris Bonnar had a very diverse family. Robert died June 26, 1928 in Devon, York, New Brunswick. The cause of death was valvular disease of the heart. His daughter Alwilda was the informant on the death certificate. Johanna Harris Bonnar died in 1914, but I am not sure of the date.

I will continue to add updates about the Bonnar Family of New Brunswick, as more information becomes available. Gathering information about them has been a challenge, but it has also been very rewarding. All of the Bonnar family members have left an admirable legacy for those of us who have followed.

Bonnar Death Certificates

I recently received the death certificates of Margaret Bonnar Pond, Robert Nelson Bonnar and Robert Douglas Bonnar. They reveal that Margaret and Robert Nelson Bonnar were the children of James Bonnar and Margaret Chambers, rather than Chalmers. James and Margaret were born in Ireland, according to the certificates and as the census revealed.

Robert Douglas Bonnar was noted to be the son of Henry Bonnar and Amanda Pond rather than Amanda Horne. Amanda Pond was the sister of Henry David Pond who married Margaret Bonnar. I was happy to get the verification of the parents Robert Douglas because some sources that I have referenced stated that he was the son of James and Margaret Bonnar. In fact, the plat maps for the property lot #31 show R. D. Bonnar as the owner and the land patents have R.D. Bonnar. That is either an error in penmanship or Robert Douglas Bonnar was the person who owned and sold the Bonnar homestead in 1911.

Now I can proceed to write about the family of Robert Nelson Bonnar, the son of James and Margaret. I have waited until I received the death certificates to know that he was the son of James and Margaret and the brother of my great grandfather, Thomas Henry Bonner. So, as I continue to research Robert Nelson, I will add that to this blog. Fortunately, I have made contact with some descendants of his and have better information than I had previously.

Any reader who might want a copy of these three death certificates, just let me know. I am very happy to share them. Now, if only I could find a death certificate for my great grandfather, Thomas Henry Bonner, that would be an accomplishment.

Margaret Bonnar and Henry David Pond, New Brunswick Canada

Margaret Bonnar was the daughter of James Bonnar and Margaret Chalmers. Margaret Bonnar was born 24 May 1843 in New Brunswick Canada. She was the 7th child of James and Margaret Bonnar. Margaret Bonnar married Henry David Pond who was a neighbor of the Bonnar family. The Bonnars lived on lot#31 and Henry David Pond lived just four lots south and one lot west of them. His lot was listed as lot G East. The following information gives a little history of the Pond family. The source is the book, " And the River Rolled On...Two Hundred Years on the Nashwaak", published by Nashwaak Bicentennial Association in 1984 and found on page 50.

"Henry Pond born 1833, son of John and Naomi (Estey) Pond, was granted Lot G East, containing 40 acres, in 1898. This property adjoined the property that was granted to his brother Albert in 1892. It was located at the north side of the Upper Durham Road, and the two properties ran from the Sweeney Road to the Good Road.

Henry Pond married Margaret Bonnar, daughter of James and Margaret Bonnar, also residents of Upper Durham. Henry and Margaret had fifteen children. They built a large two-story house and lived in Upper Durham all their lives. Henry died January 18, 1922 and his wife Margaret died March 5, 1923. Their daughter Eva, who was never married, lived here after her parents deaths. She died in 1959 at the age of 93.

Hedley Pond, son of Henry and Margaret, lived on the Bolster Brook Road. He purchased part of Lot 11 from the Fowler family. Hedley married Gertrude MacElwain. They had three children. Hedley Pond served overseas during the first World War. Their son Gerald was killed in action during the second World War. Hedley Pond died June 18, 1956 and his wife Gertrude died July 18, 1965. They are buried in the Upper Durham United Church Cemetery. The old house where Hedley and his family lived was destroyed by fire and no one lives on this property at present. "

Children of Margaret Bonnar and Henry David Pond

Edward G. Pond was born in 1861. I haven't found anything about Edward. The fact that Margaret and Henry named another son Edward, suggests that this first child may have died at an early age.

Amanda Pond was born 12 April 1865. She married John Wesley McConnell and they had one child, Stella May McConnell. Stella was born 6 Nov 1885 and her mother Amanda died 0n 19 Nov 1885. Stella May McConnell married Herbert Alonzo Estey in 1906 and they had four children: Lawrence Herbert, Greta May, Roy Everett and a son Clair Mullen

Albert Edward Pond was born 20 April 1863. He married Agnes McArthur 20 Sept 1893 and they had five children: Agnes Evelyn, Beatrice Amanda, Leigh Clinton, Roy Edward and Mildred Margaret. Roy Edward Pond married Lulu Ellis in October 1930. On the 1901 York NB census, Albert Edward and his family are household # 127 and his parents Henry and Margaret Pond are household #129. I came across a Boarder Crossing record for Leigh Clinton Pond in 1917. He was immigrating at Detroit, Michigan with his destination Adams county, Wisconsin. He stated he was a Fireman for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad.

Eva Hannah Pond was born in 1866. As mentioned in the article above, Eva Pond remained on the Pond property and died there at age 93 in 1959. Eva is buried at the Upper Durham Cemetery.


Emma Pond was born in 1870 and she died in 1921. She married Caleb C. Estey on 10 June 1896. They had six children: Nelson, Lulu, Blanche, Marion, Harry and Cedric Estey.


Henry Allen Pond was born in 1871. Henry appears on the 1901 and 1911 census with his parents Margaret and Henry. In 1911, Henry Allen Pond is 38 years old. I found no marriage record for Henry Allen. He is buried at the Lower Durham Cemetery where his parents are buried.

Lemuel Hovey Pond was born in 1872. Lemuel died at age 27 on 4 June 1899. I found the name Lemuel Hovey to be unusual and looked back through the Pond family to see if another relative might have had that name. It was a bit confusing, but I found that Henry David Pond's aunt, Mary Eva Pond married a man named Moses Hovey. Mary Eva and Moses Hovey had a son named Lemuel Hovey. I am assuming that's where Margaret and Henry Pond got the name for their son. You have to believe there was a close relationship or family history that goes with their relative Lemuel Hovey. Lemuel Hovey Pond is buried at the Lower Durham Cemetery.

Frederick G. Pond was born in 1876. Frederick married Dora Estey

Mary Maude Pond was born on 6 July 1879. (Great grandfather Thomas Henry Bonner named one of his children, Mary Maude Bonner. ) Mary Maude married Samuel Johnston and they had five children: Samuel, Freda, Margaret, James and Inez Johnston.

Ella May Pond was born in 1881.

Alexander Pond was born in 1881. Young Alexander was 3 months old on the 1881 census and does not appear on any subsequent census.

Hedley Raymond Pond was born in 1882. He is the son mentioned in the above reference about the Ponds. He married Helen Gertrude McElwain. Hedley served in WWI with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Regiment #152620. On his induction paperwork, he mentions that his nearest relative is his mother, "Maggie" Pond. His mother Margaret is also referred to as "Maggie" on the 1901 York NB census. Hedley and Gertrude had three children: Gerald, Jean Elizabeth and Evelyn Gertrude Pond.

Gerald Randolph Pond born in 1920 was killed in WWII on August 10, 1944. Gerald was a Pilot Officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Gerald married Audrey Isobel MacBean on September 20, 1943, only about one year before Gerald died. Gerald and Audrey had one son. After Gerald's death, Audrey remarried to George Reeleder in 1950. Sadly, Audrey recently passed away on 10 March 2011 in Fredericton, NB. She was survived by the son that she and Gerald had, their son's children and his grandchildren. Additionally, she was survived by children from her second marriage.

Hedley Pond, his wife Gertrude and their son Gerald Randolph Pond are buried at the Upper Durham Cemetery. The military records of Gerald Pond suggest he was buried at Sofia War Cemetery in Bulgaria, but he is not listed on that cemetery's burial list. WWII burials at Sofia are said to be men who were shot down over Bulgaria near the end of the war. Perhaps Gerald is listed on a memorial at Sofia War Cemetery.

Roy Pond was born in 1883.

Lillian Pond was born in 1886. Lillian married Roy Charles Bird on 6 Oct 1910 in British Columbia, Canada. Roy Bird was from Birdton, NB. Birdton was settled in 1824 by members of the Bird family who were from Ireland.

Margaret Bonnar Pond and Henry David Pond are buried at the Lower Durham Cemetery, as are their children, Henry Allen Pond and Lemuel Hovey Pond. You can search the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick by surname to find the location of their burial. Another good source of information that I utilized in preparing this blog post is the site:
http://automatedgenealogy.com/ The site offers several New Brunswick census. You can compare your ancestor and family as they appear on the 1901 census with the 1911 census.

I know I will continue to gather information about the family of Margaret Bonnar and Henry David Pond and their children. In fact, yesterday I requested a copy of the death certificate of Margaret Bonnar Pond from the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. There is some chance that it will name her parents James and Margaret Bonnar and the location in Ireland from which they immigrated. So, the search continues for Bonnars.

(Addendum: May 14, 2011- I received the birth certificate of Margaret Bonnar Pond. It verifies that her parents were James Bonnar and Margaret Chambers rather than Chalmers who were born in Ireland. She was 78 when she died and the informant on the certificate was Eva Pond, daughter. Margaret died after having surgery for an inguinal hernia.)

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

St. Patrick's Day is this Thursday and I wanted to get an early start on a Happy St. Patrick's Day blog post. I have always loved St. Patrick's Day, but this year it has a different meaning to me. After obtaining the Civil War Pension File of Great Grandfather Thomas Henry Bonner just in December, it confirmed that Thomas Bonnar was indeed Irish. Both of his parents James Bonnar and Margaret Chalmers were born in Ireland. They immigrated to New Brunswick, Canada in 1835. I have just begun the search to learn where James Bonnar's home was in Ireland. After talking with an experienced genealogist specializing in Irish genealogy, I am looking at Donegal. I have found some Bonnars in Moville, but need to research the records to see what can confirm that Great great grandfather, James Bonnar was from Moville. If you know any Irish Bonnars, please let me know.

When I was a small child, my Father, Henry Bonner, would frequently quiz me on what I knew about my nationalities. He would say, "Now, tell me, what nationalities are you?" Of course, I knew what I was suppose to say. I would smile, bend down and touch my knees, then throw my hands in the air and say, "I'm Indian, French and Irish". It was really fun and he was proud of me when I did that. The Indian and French origins I knew, but the Irish I didn't know and guess I was too young to ask. Probably from that little quiz, I have always remembered Irish things. Like in grade school, we always celebrated St. Patrick's Day. The nuns must have all been Irish. We did what we called "The Irish Jig". A fun dance of jumping, hopping, criss-crossing your legs and lots of clapping. I remember that my Godmother was Kathleen O'Connor and her daughter was Suzanne O'Connor. One of my good friends in grade school was Sharon Fitzpatrick. Then in college at the University of Oklahoma, there was a local spot known as O'Connell's Irish Pub where you could get lunch and a beer.

All those things seem minor now compared to knowing that I really am of Irish descent. Watched a PBS show last evening about Irish music. It was called "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling". All those songs also had a different meaning. Today I went to my bookshelves and found my favorite book. It is called Angela's Ashes by Frank McCort. Published in 1996 and winner of the Pultizer Prize in 1997, it is about Mr. McCort's life as a child of an immigrant Irish family and the hardships his family endured.

So, today just a few days before St. Patrick's Day, my eyes are smiling. Here's a link to a vintage video of the song, "Irish Eyes Are Smiling" for you to enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIsduCQ7ByE

Edward Bonnar and Louisa Hines-New Brunswick, Canada

Edward Bonnar was born in 1842 in York, New Brunswick. He was the son of James Bonnar and Margaret Chalmers and the brother of my great grandfather, Thomas Henry Bonnar. Like Thomas Bonnar, Edward Bonnar enlisted in the US Army in Maine in 1861. Edward was in the Maine 7th Infantry Regiment, Company I. The 7th Maine was on the battlefields until October 1862 when they returned to Maine to recruit more troops. They stayed in Maine until 23 Jan 1863. Before departing with his fellow soldiers, Edward married Louisa Hines on 17 Jan 1863. Records show that Edward Bonnar deserted the 7th Maine on 7 April 1863. In 1867 Edward applied and was awarded a military pension for his service with the 7th Maine. I found it interesting to learn that pensions were awarded for service whether the soldier fulfilled his duty or even if he deserted.

In 1870, Edward and Louisa Bonnar are living in Danforth, ME with her parents, William Hines age 74 and his wife Hepzibah age 63. Edward and Louisa have two children, Willie age 3 and a child listed as "no name", female, age 1. As it turns out, Willie was William Edward Bonnar and the unnamed child was Cora Bonnar. In 1880, Edward and Louisa remained in Danforth and have four children in their household. The children are William age 13, Cora age 11, Beverly age 9 (son), and Gertrude age 4. Additionally, Louisa's mother Hepzibah Hines age 73 is also living in their household.

In 1900, Edward and Louisa have remained in Danforth, ME. Edward is 56 and the record indicates that he immigrated to Maine in 1861. That was the year he enlisted in the military. Louisa in 51. Their children in the household include Fred A. age 14 and Cristilla age 9. Also in the home was Orrin Larrabee, age 40, a servant. The census record in 1900 shows that Edward and Louisa had been married 36 years, gave birth to 8 children and had 4 children still living. In 1910, still in Danforth ME and Edward is 68, Louisa is 62, daughter Cristilla is 21, their son Fred is 24, and his wife Myrtle is 26, grandson Edward is 10 months old.

In 1920, Edward is widowed as Louisa died 10 April 1916. Edward is 78 and he is the head of household that included Fred, who is also widowed, and Fred's children, Edward A. age 10, Milo age 6, and Claude age 2. Fred's wife Myrtle Nelson Bonnar died 11 June 1919. Fred's mother in law, Elizabeth Nelson age 78 is also living in the household. They have remained in Danforth, ME. I could find no census record for Edward Bonnar in 1930, but found his son Fred with his three children Edward, Milo and Claud in Danforth, ME.

Among the children of Edward and Louisa Bonnar was William Edward Bonnar. William was born in 1867. He married Cora E. Hamilton 21 April 1888 in Danforth, ME. Census records for 1920 show William E. Bonnar, age 52, a railroad foreman living in Penobscot, Bangor, Maine with his wife Cora E. age 48 and his daughter Lena, age 30. In 1930, in Bangor ME, William Bonnar is age 63, works in railroad construction and lives with his wife Cora and their daughter Lena Saunders and her husband Frank A. Saunders. Lena is 41 and Frank Saunders is 44.

Fred A. Bonnar was born Frederick Alonzo Bonnar 14 April 1886 in Danforth, ME to Edward and Louisa Bonnar. Fred married Myrtle Nelson and they had three sons, Edward, Milo and Claude. Myrtle died in 1919. Their son, Edward Artemus Bonnar was born 9 July 1909 in Danforth and he married Dorothy Curran on 18 April 1935. Edward died 1 Sept 1993 and is buried at Houlton, Aroostook, ME. Edward is buried at the Maple Cemetery in Danforth. Milo A. Bonnar was born 26 Sept 1913 and died 21 May 1999 in Ashland, Aroostook, ME. Milo married Abbie Randall on 19 Aug 1933. According to city directories, Milo and Abbie lived at 1020 Frenchville Rd. in Ashland, ME. Claude Bonnar was born 9 Sept 1918 and he died 3 Feb 1988 in Danforth ME. Frederick Alonzo Bonnar died 15 Aug 1968 and he is buried at the Hilltop Cemetery in Danforth, ME.

Christella Bonnar was born in 1889 in Danforth ME. She married Everett Lee on 12 Aug 1910 in Danforth ME. Christella and her son Paul G. Lee appear on a 1920 census. Paul was born in 1913. Christella, listed on her death certificate as, Estella Lee, died 16 Sept 1920. She had pernicious anemia. Her husband Everett remarried to Alice and in 1930, Christella's son Paul is living with Everett and Alice. Everett Lee died 1 Aug 1966 in Hancock ME.

The other children of Edward and Louisa Bonnar were Cora, Beverly and Gertrude. I found nothing for a male child named Beverly or Bevely Bonnar. There is a marriage record for Gertrude A. Bonnar who married Mark T. Butterfield on 24 Dec 1882. I'm just not sure it was the correct Gertrude. Also found a marriage record for Cora B. Bonnar who married John C. Speed on 12 Nov 1884. Again, I'm not sure it was the correct person.

In obtaining the pension file of great grandfather, Thomas Henry Bonner, I obtained transcripts of interviews that pension examiners completed with Edward Bonnar and Louisa Bonnar. After the death of great grandfather, the pension board was trying to determine the eligibility of great grandmother Edna Bonner to receive Thomas Bonner's Civil War Pension. Below is an overview of the comments made by Edward and Louisa made about Thomas Bonner.

June 27, 1904-Danforth, ME
Edward Bonner (brother of Thomas), age was 62, occupation was farmer and city was Danforth. He identified himself as the brother of Thomas Bonner who served in the 6th Battery, Light Artillery and that he had no other service after his discharge. Thomas returned to Fredericton after his discharge and stayed about 2 months and then came to Danforth where he stayed about two years. From Danforth he went to Augusta ME where he lived about one year and then he went to Texas where a new rail road was being built. Edward said that three or four years ago (1900), Thomas came to Portland, ME and sent him a telegram asking if his mother was living. He intended to come home and see her if she was. Edward replied and told Thomas that his mother was dead and so Thomas didn’t come to Danforth, ME. He said Thomas never corresponded with his folks in New Brunswick much and they would write to him to ask if he had heard from Tom. Edward said Thomas was not married when he lived in Danforth, but that when he went to Augusta he thought he might have married and his wife died.

June 27, 1904-Danforth, ME
Louisa Bonner, wife of Edward, age 56, occupation housewife. She and Edward married in 1863. She stated that Thomas was her husband’s brother. She said she knew Thomas before he went into the Army and that she use to hear from him while he was in the Army. After the war, Thomas came to Danforth and from there he went to Augusta. From Augusta he went off to work on some new railroad. She said she could not tell where he lived after Augusta until he turned up in Louisiana. She supposed he was dead. He wrote to her after he was married in LA, but then they didn’t hear from him until he telegrammed asking if his mother was living.

Louisa said Thomas was not married while in Danforth and repeated several times that he was a “young fellow”. She saw him often while he was in Danforth as she did his washings for him. She knew he had married in Augusta because his wife wrote to her telling her they had married and that he had gone off to work on a railroad. Not long after getting the letter from his wife, his wife’s father wrote them that Thomas’ wife had died. She knew the wife’s maiden name was Phillips and she thought her given name was Georgia. She stated that Thomas “was very odd”.

June 28, 1904-Danforth, ME
Louisa Bonner- This interview with Louisa consisted of 9 specific questions regarding Thomas and his marriage after he left Danforth. In summary, she responded that she did not know exactly where he went in Augusta ME or what his business was there. She stated, “he said he was going to get out of this place and see what he could do”. She knew he went to Augusta only after receiving the letter from his wife. She wasn’t sure if the letter from the wife came from Augusta or Farmington, ME. She was sure the woman’s father’s last name was Phillips and that his letter came from Farmington. She said she never heard again from the Phillips family after Thomas’ wife died.

June 29, 1904-Danforth, ME
The examiner sent a letter to Louisa Bonner asking her if Thomas’ name was Thomas Bonner or Henry Bonner. Also he asked if Thomas’ wife’s last name was Crocker or Phillips. She responded that his name was Thomas Henry and that his wife’s last name was Phillips.

The testimony given by Edward and Louisa Bonnar was an important piece of evidence contained in the pension file that allowed great grandmother and her five children to receive a pension.

I do not know the burial place of Edward or Louisa, but assume it is in Danforth, ME. In defense of Edward's desertion from his Civil War unit, I have learned that many thousands of soldiers deserted. The soldiers were young, the conditions were extreme and some just were not able to tolerate the situations in which they were placed.

Ann Bonnar and James Good- New Brunswick, Canada

Ann Bonnar was the fourth child of James Bonnar and Margaret Chalmers. Ann Bonnar was born in 1838 in York, New Brunswick. Ann Bonnar married James Good. Ann and James Good were neighbors. Ann lived on lot #31 and James lived on lot #34 in Upper Durham. On the 1851 census, James Good is shown living with his wife Ann on lot #34. James is 27 years old and Ann is 23 years old. James Good was born in Ireland as were his parents Thomas and Ann Good. Thomas and Ann Good lived on lot #33. The Good Road runs along the western edge of lots #31, 33 and 34, even to present time.

Ann and James Good had six children: Isabell born in 1861, Maggie born in 1863, Annie born in 1865, Eliza born in 1866, Thomas Lankford born in 1867 and James E. born in 1870. It has been difficult finding information about all of the children of Ann Bonnar and James Good. James Good died in 1871, just shortly after his son James E. was born. Ann Bonnar Good remarried to John Clarke in 1871.

Ann and John Clarke had four children. The Clarke children were: George Clarke born in 1874, Johnnie Albert Clarke born in 1877, Charles Clarke born in 1879 and Cora May Clark born in 1882. So, all together Ann Bonnar Good Clarke had ten children.

On the 1881 census in York, New Brunswick, Ann and John Clarke are living with all ten children in the household. On the 1891 census, only Annie Clarke and her sons Albert age 15 and Charles age 12 are in the household. In 1901, Annie Clark, son Charles age 21 and Joseph Clarke are in the household in New Brunswick. Joseph Clarke was the brother of Ann's husband John. It appears that John Clarke died between 1881 and 1891. In 1910, Ann Good is living with her son James E. Good and his family in Malden, MA. In 1911, Annie Clark is living in New Brunswick with her son Charles and his wife Louise.

I didn't find information about Annie Good and Eliza Good related to marriage records or death records. They do appear on the 1881 census among the ten children of John and Ann Clarke. After sorting and searching, I believe that Isabell Good married Sewell Richardson 13 Oct 1886 in Fryburg, ME. Sewell Richardson was born 28 July 1857 and Isabell Good was born 1 May 1861. Isabell and Sewell had three children that I have been able to identify. Clarence Lewis Richardson was born 28 July 1889 in New Brunswick. Clarence married Eliza Cowperthwaite on 18 Sept 1912 in New Brunswick. Clarence died in 1977 and Eliza died in 1958. They are buried at St. Peters Anglican Cemetery in Durham, New Brunswick.
Byron Sewell Richardson was born in 1897. Byron married Thelma Delong on 6 June 1926 in York New Brunswick. The third child of Isabell and Sewell Richardson was Dorothea Isabell Richardson. Dorothea was born 6 Sept 1899 in Marysville, New Brunswick.

Thomas Lankford Good was born 7 Feb 1867. He married Charlotte May McKenzie on 19 Oct 1900. Charlotte McKenzie was born 2 March 1879. Thomas Lankford Good signed the Delayed Birth Certificate of Cora May Clarke 30 June 1945. He was attesting to her birth date and that she was his step sister and knew her correct birth date. Also on Cora May's birth certificate, her father John Clarke's occupation was noted to be a tanner. Thomas Lankford Good died 9 Jan 1949 in New Brunswick.

Margaret Jane (Maggie) Good married Henry McSorley on 10 Aug 1914. Henry was a widower. Henry died in 1930. There is no other information I could find about Margaret Jane except an unverifiable death date. There were two Margaret McSorley death records on file with the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. One indicated that Margaret died in 1921 and the other showed her death as 1924.

James E. Good was born in 1870 in New Brunswick. He married Mabel Murry on 21 June 1894 in New Brunswick. James and Mabel had three children, Leroy born in 1896, Florence L. born in 1898 and Percy born in 1904. Mabel Good died before 1910 and James E. Good married Celeste E. Atkinson. Celeste was born 20 Oct 1889 in Nova Scotia. James and Celeste had one daughter, Marion Good.


There are census records on file for the James E. Good family. In 1900, James and Mabel were living in Malden, MA with their children Leroy C. and Florence. In 1910, Mabel is not on the census. James is living in Malden MA with his children Roy C., Florence and Percy. His mother Ann Good, age 60, is living with them. James married Celeste Atkinson around 1912. On the 1920 census in Malden, MA, James does not appear. His wife Celeste Good is living with his children Florence and Percy, their daughter Marion and a sister and cousin of Celeste's.

In 1930, Celeste Good is living with Florence, her step daughter, and Marion her daughter in Malden, MA. I haven't yet tracked census records for Leroy Good and I found an interesting one for Percy Good. In 1930, Percy Good, age 26 and born in 1904 in MA, is listed as a patient at the Danvers State Hospital.


It appears that Mabel Good died before 1910 and James Good died between 1910 and 1920. Celeste Good died 2 May 1962 in Malden, MA. Florence L. Good, who never married, died in Jan. 1993 in Barnstead, NH. Florence was 95 years old. Marion Good Henderson died 27 Sept 2010. Marion was 98 years old. Marion had married Elliot Henderson who died in 1986 in NH. I have found no death records for Leroy or Percy Good.

Among the Clarke children, Cora May Clarke who was born in 1882 married Mr. Dorian. She was widowed and later married Henry Lehr on 25 June 1930. Henry was 62 and Cora May was 39. There are two versions of her marriage certificate, on one she is Cora Dorian and on the other she is Cora Clarke. On both certificates, her parents are John Clarke and Ann Bonnar.

Charles Clarke married Louise. They are seen on the 1911 New Brunswick census with his mother Annie Clarke living with them.

I found a marriage certificate for George Clark and Floella Murdock on 5 June 1905 in York, New Brunswick. I was able to track them through the 1930 census in Maine. George and Flora had 12 children. Because the birthdate for this George was different by about six years, I am still trying to determine if this was George Clarke, the son of John Clarke and Ann Bonnar. Several things make me think it is. One is that on the 1910 census in Kennebec, ME, George and his wife and three children are listed. Also listed is George's father John Clarke, age 71. This John Clarke indicates he was married, but no wife is listed. Another issue is that George Clarke named his first son Percy and his step brother James E. Good named a son Percy. For now, I will not atttribute this George Clarke family to John Clarke and Ann Bonnar. I will keep searching.

I found no records for Johnnie or Albert Clarke that seemed to match for this family. I feel like I am leaving several things a bit vague for the children of John Clarke and Ann Bonnar. Just don't know where else to look right now. I welcome all suggestions and clues.

Celebrating Mother's Day on March 1, 2011

Happy Birthday Kristin

Kristin

I know Mother's Day is in May, but today I'm celebrating Mother's Day. Today is my daughter's birthday. She was born in 1968. While reflecting on her birthday, I just couldn't help but think of the other Mothers on the Maternal side of her family. The picture above is a picture of my daughter, Kristin, when she was about three months old.




Next is a picture of me, her Mother about the time Kristin was born.

Sharon

Then, there is my Mother, Naomi. She is Kristin's Maternal Grandmother.

Naomi

Following Naomi, is Mary Harris. Mary was Kristin's Maternal Great Grandmother.

Mary

Following Mary, is Mattie Hurst Alexander. She was Kristin's Maternal Great Great Grandmother.

Mattie

Except for Mattie Hurst Alexander, all the Mothers pictured had the pleasure and honor of holding and cuddling Kristin as she was growing up. Great Grandmother Mary lived to age 100, so she got to wish Kristin many Happy Birthdays.

Prayers in the US Senate

I decided to give the Bonnar's of New Brunswick a few days before I wrote more about them. This is the time of year when I go through many of the old books in my collection to remind myself why I bought them and to enjoy revisiting them. Just yesterday, in the very back of my office closet among other old books, I found "Prayers Offered by the Chaplain, Rev. Frederick Brown Harris at the Opening of the Daily Sessions of the Senate of the US During the 87th and 88th Congresses, 1961-1964". I recalled immediately why I purchased the book. The years 1961-1964 were very important to me. I graduated from high school, got married and started college. I was young and impressionable and extremely impressed by President John F. Kennedy. It was of course in 1963 when President Kennedy was killed.

As I went through the book, I looked for the prayers surrounding November 22, 1963, the day he was shot. There was a prayer offered in the morning before news of the shooting was reported. After receiving the news, Rev. Harris offered this, "Our Father, Thou knowest that this sudden, almost unbelievable, news has stunned our minds and hearts as we gaze at a vacant place against the sky, as the President of the Republic goes down like a giant cedar green with boughs goes down, with a great shout upon the hills, and leaves a lonesome place in the sky.........
Hold us, we pray, and the people of America, calm and steady and full of faith for the Republic in this tragic hour of our history........."

The prayers of the next few days were speaking to the loss the Nation felt with the death of President Kennedy. On November 27, 1963 the prayer was refocused, ".....We beseech Thee to strengthen the heart and mind, the hands and lips of our colleague, Lyndon Johnson, as this day to a listening world he sounds the trumpet of his inaugural hope and purpose......"

As I went through the book, I saw a pattern that Rev. Harris offered in his prayers. The first was one of focus. He was asking Senate members to focus for the day on a particular item of significance. Next, he was presenting an upbeat and optimistic approach to thinking. Because he was a man of faith, he was seeking strength for the Senate members from God or whomever each member might reach out to. It was an encouraging and motivating journey I made through the book.

After reading it, I did an internet search for "Prayers in the US Senate". I found many comments, most were negative. There were comments about separation of church and state, comments stating that the legistlative day should not be started with prayer and many comments about having had Hindu prayer in the Senate and other comments about states that have banned prayer in their Senate. Instead of being called "Prayers" perhaps if the message presented by the Chaplain of the Senate was called, "Food for Thought" or the "Thought of the Day" without the reference to God, those who are displeased with the daily focusing of the thoughts of US Senators might find the ritual more acceptable. Then if one wants to offer those words and thoughts to God, they could do that privately.

If you find a copy of this book, I recommend reading it. It was published in September 1964 by th US Government Printing Office and noted as Senate Document No. 104.

Henry Bonnar and Amanda Pond, New Brunswick, Canada

Henry Bonnar was the tenth child of James Bonnar and Margaret Chalmers. Henry was born in York, New Brunswick in 1848. I have identified some information about Henry, but I am very curious to learn more. My great grandfather, Thomas Henry Bonnar, was the brother of Henry Bonnar. Thomas was born in 1846 and Henry in 1848. It's interesting that James and Margaret Bonnar would name two sons Henry. Great grandfather, Thomas Henry Bonnar, went by the name of Henry most of his life. My father was also named Henry Bonner, so the Henry's in my family are growing.


Henry Bonnar, tenth child of James and Margaret Bonnar, married Amanda Pond around 1869. They had four children and three of the children can clearly be identified. The children are: Alfred Ernest Bonnar born in August 1869, Henry Bonnar born in 1870, and Robert Douglas Bonnar born in 1873. I came across a reference to Austin Bonnar, son of Henry and Amanda, but I have not been able to find information about Austin except his name mentioned in the obituary of his brother Robert Douglas Bonnar.

Children of Henry Bonnar and Amanda Pond:

Alfred Ernest Bonnar also used the name Ernest Alfred Bonnar. He married Belle Hazelton on 17 Sept 1897 in Rochester, NH. Belle was the daughter of William and Mary Hazelton of Newfield, York, ME. Ernest Alfred was 28 and Belle was 16, according to the marriage certificate. Ernest Alfred listed his occupation as blacksmith.
Ernest Alfred and Belle are found on the 1900 census in Newfield, York, ME. Alfred is listed as Ernest A. Bonnar, age 30, born Aug 1869. Belle is listed as age 15, born in July 1884, which differs from the marriage certificate. Were she 15 in 1900, she would have been 12 years old in 1897. On this 1900 census, Belle's mother Mary Hazelton and her sister Susie Hazelton are living with them. Ernest A. Bonnar's occupation is blacksmith. The record indicates that Ernest A. and Belle Bonnar had been married for 3 years, gave birth to one child and had no living children.

In 1910, Ernest A. and Annie Bell Bonnar are living in Newfield, York, ME and they have four children. The children are Alfred W. age 8, Austin R. age 3, Arline H. age 2 and Kenneth M. age 8 months. Alfred W. was born 4 May 1901 in Newfield, York, ME. Austin R. was born 14 Sept 1906 in Newfield, York, ME. Information for Alfred and Austin was obtained from Maine Birth Records.

Initially, I believed that Ernest A. Bonnar died between 1910 and 1920 because Belle Bonnar remarried. On the 1920 census in York, ME I found Belle H. and Charles J. Burbank with Belle's children, Alfred age 18, Austin R. age 13, Arline age 11, Kenneth M. age 10 and Belle's mother Mary Hazelton age 69. On the census in 1930, Belle and Charles Burbank are living in Portland, ME. Also on the census are children Austin R. age 24, Arline age 22, Kenneth M. age 20, Charles Burbank age 5 and Mary Hazelton age 79.

The information that has made the issue of the death of Ernest A. Bonnar between 1910 and 1920 questionable includes a Naturalization Record of 26 March 1917 in Maine where Ernest Alfred Bonnar listed his residence as Portland ,Maine. Additionally, there is a 1920 census in Portland, Maine where Alfred E. Bonnar who was born around 1870 in Canada was in a residence as a roomer. This Alfred E. Bonnar listed his occupation as blacksmith. Also, in looking back at the 1910 census, Ernest A. Bonnar and Belle are recorded as household #34 and Charles J. Burbank was recorded as household #50. The Bonnars and Mr. Burbank were neighbors. Ernest Alfred Bonnar could have died between 1910 and 1920 as I originally believed or he and Belle may have divorced.

Directories for Portland, Maine indicate that Alfred W. Bonnar (son of Ernest and Belle) and wife Annie S. lived at 21a Pine Street in 1929. Also in 1929, Arlene, Austin R. and Kenneth M. Bonnar lived at 55 Belmont Street in Portland ME. In the 1925 Portland, Maine Directory, Charles Burbank was living at 55 Belmont St. Belmont St. was obviously the Burbank/Bonnar family home in the 1920's.

The Social Security Death Index for Austin R. Bonnar(son of Ernest and Belle) shows that Austin was born 14 Sept 1906 and died 9 July 1993. He is buried at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta, ME. He served as a Corporal in the US Army in WWII. He enlisted 20 July 1942 and was assigned to the Branch Immaterial as a Warrant Officer. Kenneth M. Bonnar's SSDI indicates he was born 29 July 1909 and died 12 April 1984 in Springvale, York, ME. Kenneth enlisted in the US Army 16 Sept 1942 and he too was assigned to the Branch Immaterial as a Warrant Officer. The SSDI for Arline Bonnar showed that she was born 1 Feb. 1908 and died in April 1981 in Portland, ME.

Henry Bonnar was the second son of Henry Bonnar and Amanda Pond. He appears on the 1871 Canadian census in Kings Ward, York, New Brunswick. He is 11 months old. I have found no other census with young Henry listed. However, Henry is listed as a surviving brother of Robert Douglas Bonnar in Robert's obituary in 1933.

The third child of Henry and Amanda Bonnar was Robert Douglas Bonnar. Robert was born 19 Oct 1873 and he married Mary Louisa Greer on 15 April 1891 in York, New Brunswick. They had seven children: Naomi Adeline (Addie), Ernest Havelock, Ada May, Ellen Ida, Howard Douglas, Myrtle Lillian and Harvey. Robert Douglas Bonnar was a Sgt. in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Regiment 2303845. On his military record, he recorded his occupation as Woodman.

Naomi Adeline "Addie" Bonnar was born 12 March 1894 and she died 29 March 1953. Addie married Abram B. Bridges on 8 March 1911. Abram was 47 and Addie was 17 as listed on the marriage certificate. They had six children: Maurice Jonathan born 13 Dec. 1911, Mary Ann born in 1913 and Emerson Abram born 29 May 1914, Sidney Osgood, Vincent Bailey and Elizabeth. Young Emerson Abram died on 16 Feb 1915 in Sunbury, New Brunswick. Cause of death was listed as convulsions on his death certificate. Maurice Jonathan Bridges died 6 April 2002 and Mary Ann Bonnar Fletcher died 21 Feb 2002.

Ernest Havelock Bonnar was born 31 Oct 1897 and he married Laura Loadon Allen 19 May 1920. They have one son Robert Havelock Bonnar born in 1925. In 1948 Robert married Eleanor Jean Seavey.

Ada May Bonnar was born 19 Feb 1899 and she married Emil S. Brooks on 27 March 1917. The next child Ellen Ida, whose birthdate I could not find, married William George Dreher on 4 May 1925.

Howard Douglas Bonnar was born 16 Sept 1902 and he married Bessie Hunter in 1928. Howard and Bessie had a son Robert Vincent Bonnar who married Ruth Finnamore. Myrtle Lillian Bonnar was born 1 March 1913 and died 17 June 1977. Myrtle married Nelson Calhoun in 1935.  Other sons were Darrel, Murray, Aubrey and Emerson. The seventh child of Robert and Louisa Bonnar was Harvey Bonnar and he was born in 1915. He married Ruth MacLellan in 1938.

A fourth child of Henry and Amanda Bonnar is Austin Bonnar. The only mention of his name is in the obituary of his brother, Robert Douglas Bonnar. I will continue to look for records of Austin Bonnar.

I came across an obituary of Robert Douglas Bonnar found in The North Shore Leader in January 1933. It is as follows:

Died - Robert Douglas BONNER of Parker Ridge died on 1 January at age 60. He was a son of Henry and Amanda BONNER, born in Durham Bridge. He leaves his wife, formerly Mary Louise GRIER; 4 daughters: Mrs. Abram BRIDGES, of Shetfield, Mrs. E. S. BROOKS, Mrs. William DREHER, of Montreal, and Myrtle, at home; 3 sons: Ernest, of Gagetown, Howard and Harvey, at home; 3 brothers: Henry, Ernest and Austin, of U. S.
Interred at Methodist Cemetery, Parker’s Ridge. - North Shore Leader 13 January 1933



Here is another obituary. This is Belle Hazelton Burbank, wife of Ernest A. Bonnar and then Charles J. Burbank. It appeared in the Portland Maine newspaper, Portland Press Herald on April 30, 1950.







I don't know exactly when Henry and Amanda Bonnar died. In McAlpine's York and Carleton Counties Directory, 1884-1885, on page 22 it reads, "Bonnar, Amanda widow of Henry". As with the other siblings of great grandfather, Thomas Henry Bonner, I will continue to gather information about Henry Bonnar and his wife Amanda. In the next blog entry, I will write about Ann Bonnar and James Good. They should not be confused with James Bonnar and Mary Ann Good.

(Addendum: May 14, 2011- I received the death certificate of Robert Douglas Bonnar and it shows that his parents were Henry Bonnar and Amanda Pond rather than Amanda Horne, as I originally had written. Amanda Pond was the sister of Henry David Pond who married Margaret Bonnar, the sister of Henry Bonnar. The death certificate shows that the wife of Robert Douglas Bonnar was Mary Bonnar (Mary Louise Greer). Robert died of heart disease on Jan. 2, 1933 and was born Oct 19, 1872, according to the death certificate.)

James Bonnar and Mary Annie Good, New Brunswick

Today I am writing about another sibling of great grandfather Thomas Bonner. I will tell you what I know about James Bonnar, the third child of James Bonnar and Margaret Chalmers. James Bonnar was born in 1836 in New Brunswick, Canada. His two older siblings, William and Matilda were born in Ireland and so were his parents. As I began organizing the information I had about James and his family, I thought I didn't have too much. But as the day went on, I gathered a good deal more information.

I would like to suggest to anyone researching ancestors in New Brunswick, Canada that the Provincial Archives of New Brunwick is an excellent resource. In the section they offer on vital statistics, when you search a name you get all birth, marriage and death records for that person. Today I found more Bonnars that I could ever imagine. I changed the spelling of the name to Bonnar for the search. I used only the surname and the results were amazing. The results of that broad search showed 69 birth records, 50 marriage records and 17 death records. Everyone one of the records were for Bonnars who are descendants of James Bonnar and Margaret Chalmers. In addition, there were records under the name Bonner and Bonar. It pays to be flexible in altering the spelling somewhat. You can also search the files and request a soundex for the name you are searching. I didn't use the soundex option. The dates that are complete dates mentioned in todays blog were verified at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick site.

James Bonnar married Mary Annie Good. Mary Annie and James were neighbors. The Bonners lived on lot #31 in Upper Durham and the Good family lived on lot #34. Mary Annie's brother James Good married Annie, the sister of James Bonnar. I don't have a date for the marriage of James Bonner and Mary Annie Good, but here's what I know about their children. They had nine children: John, William, Maggie, Annie, Alice, Lucy, James, Edward and Herbert and all were born in New Brunswick.

Children of James Bonnar and Mary Annie Good:

1. John Bonnar was born in 1862 and he married Louise Smith who was born in 1824. They had four children that I have identified. Alfred James Bonnar was born 11 April 1888. Margaret May Bonnar was born 28 Sept 1890 and she married Lewis Tims in 1908. John Medley Bonnar was born 13 March 1893.

2. William Bonnar was born in 1864 and he married Harriet Amelia Thomas who was born in 1870. It was indicated on one of his children's birth certificates in 1898 that William was a fireman at a mill. They had ten children.

Children of William Bonnar and Harriet Thomas

Thomas James Bonnar who was born 17 Jan 1888. He was noted on his marriage license to be a railway worker. Thomas James Bonnar married Florence Jane Phillips in 1910. They had two children, Ethel Lucille Bonnar and Ora Bertram Bonnar. After Florence died, Thomas James Bonnar married Sadie Alberta Bonnar in 1949. Sadie Alberta was the widow of Bertram Roy Bonnar who was the brother of Thomas James Bonnar.

Bertram Roy Bonnar. Bertram was born 17 Jan 1890 and he died 16 Sept 1948. Bertram married Beatrice Webster in 1911. After Beatrice died, Bertram Bonnar married Sadie Alberta Wilkins in 1940. On their 1940 marriage certificate, Bertram is listed as a widower and was age 50 and Sadie Alberta was age 31.

Annie Gertrude Bonnar who was born 26 Dec 1891. Annie Gertrude married Martin Carten in 1910.

Helen May Bonnar who was born in 1894. Helen May married Bert Banks in 1914.

Vera Hazel Bonnar who was born 5 April 1896. Vera married Frank Byers McMinniman.

Mary Emma Bonnar who was born 7 Feb 1898 and she married Joseph Toner.

Harriet Beatrice Bonnar who was born in 1901 and married Gordon Cumming.


William Herbert Bonnar who was born in 1902 and died in 1975.


Irene Eldora Bonnar who was born 31 May 1904.

Josephine Arabella Bonner who was born 23 July 1905.

Eldon Harold Bonnar who was born in 1911 and died in 1970.
(Children of William and Harriet Bonnar edited  14 March 2012)


3. Maggie Bonnar was the third child of James Bonnar and Mary Annie Good. Maggie married Bert Timmons. Nothing more has been found about Maggie.

4. Annie Bonnar was the fourth child of James Bonnar and Mary Annie Good. The only information found on her was her name appeared on the 1881 New Brunswick Census and she was 12 years old. She would have been born about 1869.

5. Alice Bonnar, the fifth child, was born in 1870 and she married James Pickard on 16 July 1892.

6. Lucy Bonnar was the sixth child of James and Mary Annie Bonnar and she was born in 1873. She married James Young.
7. James Robert Bonnar was born 1 Aug 1876 and was the seventh child. James was first married to Elizabeth, last name unknown 5 March 1906. He then married Bessie May Manzer. Bessie was previously married to Edwin Oldenburgh. James Robert Bonnar died 25 Oct 1938. After his death, Bessie May married Andrew Andrews in 1946. James Robert Bonnar served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force during WWI and was in Regiment #817975.

8. Edward Franklin Bonnar was born 29 Jan 1879 and he died in 1950. Edward served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force during WWI and was in Regiment #817893. After the war, he married Elizabeth M. Humphrey 21 June 1919.

9. Herbert Bonnar was born 25 July 1883 and he died 15 Oct 1917. Herbert was killed in France during WWI and he is buried there. He served in Regiment #817974 with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Herbert married Jennie Helena Manzer before 1906. They had three children. Alice Beatrice Bonnar who was born 4 Nov 1906 and she married Perley Harkness Lewis on 24 Dec. 1925. Mabel Helena Bonnar was born 27 Oct 1908 and she married Lee Roy Lewis in 1931. Milster Carvell Bonnar was born 29 June 1912 and he married Annie Elizabeth Lewis.
After Herbert died in 1917, his wife Jennie remarried in 1919 to Bliss Alfred Lewis. It's interesting to see all of the Lewis spouses in this family. Annie Lewis who married Milster Carvell Bonnar was the sister of Bliss Alfred Lewis. So, Milster Carvell married his step-aunt. Then Perley Lewis who married Alice Beatrice Bonnar and Lee Roy Lewis who married Mabel Helena Bonnar are brothers. Their father was Silas Lewis. I couldn't find a connection between Silas Lewis and Bliss Alfred Lewis.

All of the names, dates and relationships can get very confusing. I'll just keep working on it. The really good thing about learning all of this genealogy is that I am gaining more kinfolk every day. Just in this blog I have named my great uncle James Bonnar, 9 of his children and 16 of his grandchildren. Then, I must add in Matilda Bonnar Ross and her 8 children from the previous blog. That's 35 Bonnars whom I now know. I didn't even name all of the grandchildren of James and Mary Annie Bonnar or those of Matilda Ross. So, in the next blog I'll introduce you to some more of my newly found relatives.

Matilda Bonnar and David Ross, New Brunswick Canada

As I begin to describe what I know about the siblings of great grandfather Thomas Bonner, I will start with his sister, Matilda Bonnar. Matilda was born in Ireland or perhaps on the voyage from Ireland to New Brunswick. The record from the New Brunswick Genealogical Society's First Families, indicates she was born in 1835. It also indicates that her parents, James and Margaret Bonner arrived in New Brunswick in 1835. Other records where her birth is recorded, such as census records, show her born in 1834 in Ireland and one record indicated Scotland. I have found nothing to suggest she was not born in Ireland or Scotland.

On September 19, 1854, Matilda Bonnar married David C. Ross in New Brunswick. David was born in 1836 in Scotland as indicated on his census records. After their marriage, Matilda and David remained in New Brunswick until about 1865. They appear on the 1861 New Brunswick Census. Three of their children, William, Edward and Margaret Ross, were born in New Brunswick. After leaving New Brunswick, they moved to Nova Scotia where their next four children were born. On the web site of Nova Scotia Vital Records, I found birth records for two of their children. George Henry Ross was born November 17, 1867 in Kemptown, Colchester County, NS. Then on September 7, 1869 a daughter, Matilda Ross was born in Kemptown. I found no birth records for the next two daughters, Ann and Alma Ross, who both appear on future census as having been born in Nova Scotia. The last child for whom I found a birth record was Charles G. Ross who was born August 11, 1874 in Portland, Maine.

On the 1880 Portland, Maine census David and Matilda are living on Clark Street with their children: Edward, Margaret, George, Ann, Alma, and Charles. William, who was born in 1858, may have remained in Nova Scotia and Matilda who was born in 1869 may have died as a young girl. David's occupation is working in a carriage factory.

In 1900 David and Matilda and two children are living in Chelsea, MA. The two children are Mary A. (Ann) age 23 and Charles age 20. The dates don't quite seem to fit the two children. They are living on Ellsworth Street and David is a wheelwright. I have not been able to find a 1910 census for any of the Ross family. However, I came across a 1912 Directory of Chelsea MA that listed "Matilda Ross, widow of David" and also listed Charles G. Ross. Both Matilda and Charles were living at 59 Blossom Street in Chelsea, MA. The Blossom Street address is consistent with Thomas Bonner's Pension File as recorded in 1904 by the examiner who went to Chelsea to interview Matilda Ross. The examiner listed her address as 58 Blossom Street.

Two other official records that I located were for Charles G. Ross. The first one was his World War I Draft Registration in 1917. His name is listed as Charles Grom Ross and his date of birth is August 11, 1874. He lists his next of kin as Mrs. O'Brien, which seemed interesting. Then on the 1920 census in Suffolk, MA, Charles Ross age 45 is a boarder in the home of Mary O'Brien, age 40. Mary was born in Ireland. I tried searching for Mary O'Brien on prior census records and found hundreds of Mary's, all born in Ireland. The 1920 census for Charles Ross is the last record I have been able to locate for any of this Ross family.

The interview of Matilda Ross that was conducted in 1904 by a US Pension Examiner showed a straight forward, clear spoken woman. The examiner asked her many questions about Thomas and his past. Matilda was 11 years older than Thomas. She clearly stated that Thomas ran away from home in 1862 and enlisted in the US Army. She said he was a "wild kind of guy". She told the examiner that she did not see him when he was discharged from the Army in 1865 because she was living in Nova Scotia. She learned about Thomas' whereabouts from her brother Edward Bonnar who lived in Danforth, ME. He gave her Thomas' address in Texas and she wrote him. Edward also told her that Thomas married in 1867 to Georgianna Phillips in Augusta ME. He said Georgianna died in 1868 and never joined Thomas in Texas. Matilda told the examiner that after she wrote to Thomas, he came to visit her around 1900 and he stayed for two weeks. She said Thomas told her he was living in Louisiana and had a wife and small children, but she didn't know any more than that. She also said Thomas had never been in touch with any of his family in New Brunswick, and according to brother Edward he had inquired twice over the years about the welfare of his mother. She had learned about the death of Thomas because his wife Edna Bonner had written to her after he died in 1903. Matilda said that Edna told her she was very poor and had 5 small children. Edna asked Matilda if she could help her. Matilda told her she could not help her.

I will continue to look for more information about the family of Matilda Bonnar and David Ross. I have probably not looked in all the right places for Massachusetts information.

Thomas Bonner's Family of New Brunswick, Canada

The initial information that I gathered about Thomas Bonner and his family came from the New Brunswick Genealogical Society in a special project named First Families of New Brunswick. The link for the index to all of the first families is:
http://www.nbgs.ca/firstfamilies.html

The link for the "B" section where the Bonnars are found is the following:
http://www.nbgs.ca/firstfamilies/FAMILY-B-2006.pdf

I was pleased to find this much information on the first look at New Brunswick records. Here is the Bonner information from First Families.

BONNAR: James Bonnar b. 1806 Ireland: came to NB in 1835 settled at Nashwaak, Saint Mary’s Parish, York County: m: Margaret b. 1807 Ireland

Children:

William Bonnar b. 1832
Matilda Bonnar b. 1835, married 14 Sept 1854 David Ross
James Bonnar Jr. b. 1836
Ann Bonnar b. 1838
Edward Bonnar b. 1840
Isabelle Bonnar b. 1842
Margaret Bonnar b. 1844, m. David Henry Pond
Mary Bonnar b. 1845
Thomas Bonnar b. 1846
Henry Bonnar b. 1848, m. Amanda- settled in Durham, NB and had two children
Robert Bonnar b. 1854, m. 15 Apr 1891 Louisa Greer

Since obtaining the original information about the Bonners from First Families, I have gathered additional information. A very helpful person, who happened to be a professional genealogist, inquired about some Bonner information I have on my family tree at ancestry.com and as we began our email chats, I learned that she has specialized in Irish genealogy for over 30 years. She said that the given names of the children in my Bonner family were very typical of families in Ulster Province in Northern Ireland. She also made some other suggestions that included looking into the Tithe Applotment records for each county in Ulster Province. I have just begun that process to see if I can locate the family of great great grandfather, James Bonner. It will take a while to learn my way around the Irish references and sources. Another great suggestion she made was to focus on the children of James and perhaps find a death certificate that might show exactly where James and Margaret were from. I am looking more closely at the children and have learned very little about some and a good deal more about others. Here's a short overview of the children of James and Margaret Bonner, Thomas' siblings.

I have found something about most of the siblings of Thomas Bonner, except William. Just found an 1851 New Brunswick census which included William and nothing more. There are several William Bonners in the records of the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, but they are much younger than William.

Matilda Bonner married David Ross and they first moved to Nova Scotia and then to Chelsey, MA. I have the names of some of their children. I also found a listing for the Directory of Chesley, MA for 1912 that showed Matilda was widowed and she and her son Charles G. lived at #59 Blossom Street in Chelsea. Matilda and her brother William were born in Ireland. All of the other children were born in New Brunswick. Matilda Bonner Ross was interviewed by the pension examiners in 1904 for information about Thomas Bonner. I will include that later when I tell more about Matilda.

James Bonner Jr. married Mary Ann Good and they remained in New Brunswick. I have also learned about some of his children. On the census in 1861, James Jr. was age 25, married and living with his parents on lot #31 in Upper Durham. His wife is Ann and she is 19.

Ann Bonner married James Good and they had six children. The Bonner family and the Good family were neighbors. The Bonners lived on lot #31 and the Good family lived on lot #34 in Upper Durham. James was born in Ireland. After James Good died in 1871, Ann married John Clarke. After John died, Ann went to Massachusetts for a while and lived with her son, James. The information about the lot numbers came from the book, And The River Rolled On.... Two Hundred Years on the Nashwaak published in 1984 by the Nashwaak Bicentennial Association. The book is a wonderful reference.

Edward Bonner married Louisa Hines. Edward also enlisted in the US Army about the same time that Thomas enlisted in 1862. Edward was in the artillery. Edward and his wife Louisa lived in Danforth, ME. Both Edward and Louisa were also interviewed by pension examiners in 1904 for information about Thomas Bonner. I will review that very interesting information in a later blog posting.

I haven't found information about Isabell, as of this time. Margaret Bonner married Henry David Pond and they stayed in New Brunswick their entire life. They had 15 children. Their property was also near the Bonner family. The original Pond homestead was Lot G East containing 40 acres. Henry Pond and Margaret stayed there and built a large two story house. Their daughter Eva lived there after her parents died in the 1920's. Eva died at age 93 in 1959.

Mary Bonner married John Wesley McConnell. That's all I know about her right now. Henry Bonner married Amanda Horne and they stayed in New Brunswick also.

I found that Robert Bonner (brother of Thomas) did not marry Louisa Greer as stated on the First Families site. Instead it was Robert, a son of Henry Bonner who married Louisa Greer. Robert Bonner, brother of Thomas, stayed in New Brunswick and lived on the original homestead, known as lot #31. He sold the homestead in 1911 to a member of the Estey family.

In the next blog, I will tell you more about several of the siblings of Thomas Bonner. As I have gathered information on these families, rather than just being another search for information, it is truly a search for family. Thomas' siblings were my great aunts and uncles and are now looking much like other aunts and uncles that I have.

(Addendum: May 14, 2011- I received the death certificate of Robert Nelson Bonnar, the son of James Bonnar and Margaret Chambers rather than Chalmers. Robert was born in 1855, was 72 when he died in 1928. The certificate noted that he was the husband of the late Johanna Harris. His daughter, Alwilda Bonnar was the informant. This death certificate clarifies that it was Robert Nelson Bonnar and not Robert Douglas Bonnar who was the son of James and Margaret Bonnar. Now I can go on to write about the family of Robert Nelson Bonnar in another blog entry.)

Thomas Bonner Civil War Pension File

I received a copy of the Civil War Pension File for my great grandfather on December 24, 2010. It is 267 pages and full of information. The Veterans Administration must have spent quite a bit of money determining whether Thomas and his wife Edna were eligible for a pension. Among the 267 pages I found depositions, statements, and interviews of many people. The Pension Examiners traveled through Louisiana, to Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Maine and Massachusetts to interview the many people for their statements. It appears the Pension Examiners were trying to determine if Thomas and Edna were really married, had Thomas been married before, what the actual birth dates were of the children and were the children Thomas' children.

To start summarizing the pension file, I prepared a highly edited version of the file and mailed it to my uncle, who is the only living grandchild of Thomas and Edna Bonner. Uncle Buddy is 89 years old. He never knew much about his grandfather except that everyone referred to him as Henry. What follows is the letter that I mailed to Uncle Buddy on January 21, 2011.

January 21, 2011

Dear Buddy,

Hope you are doing well and are still a champion poker player. I am coming to OKC in February and weather permitting, will come and see you.

I wanted to tell you what I have learned about your grandfather Thomas Henry Bonner. I have gathered some information on the internet, but the best source of information has been his Veteran's Pension File. I requested the file from the VA about six months ago and it finally arrived. There are 267 pages and it has taken a while to go through them and figure out who's who. Here's a summary of what is in the file.

Summary or Pension File of Thomas Henry Bonner

Thomas Henry Bonner was born in New Brunswick, Canada in Feb. 1845. His parents were James and Margaret Bonner who immigrated to Canada from Ireland in 1835. Back then they were trying to get people from Ireland and England to move to Canada by giving them free land. There were eleven children in his family. He was the 9th child of the eleven. When he was about 16, he ran away from home and went to Augusta, Maine. It was there he joined the US Army. He joined the 6th Battery of the 1st Maine Light Artillery in 1862. He served until July 1865. He saw battle in all of the major battles around Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania including Antietam and Gettysburg.

When he got out of the Army in 1865, he lived about a year near his brother Edward in Danforth, Maine. In 1867 he moved to Augusta, Maine. In Augusta in June 1867 he married a woman named Georgianna Phillips. In August 1867, he left Maine and moved to Texas to help build rail roads, leaving his wife in Maine. Soon after he left, his wife died. They had no children. According to statements in the file, he had planned to have her and her father join him in Texas and then she died in Maine. His whereabouts aren't really known for sure from 1867 until 1885. In the pension file, people gave testimony to the fact that Thomas said he went West to fight the Indians. One person even said Thomas said he fought with Gen. George Custer at Custer's Last Stand. However, the record of the 7th Cavalry who fought with Custer is well documented and Thomas Bonner's name is not on the roster. Also, all of his pension records state that after his discharge in 1865 that he did not serve again in the military.

One witness giving testimony in the file said she first met Thomas in 1885 when he was living in Atoka, Indian Territory, Oklahoma. She said he had a "woman", but he never said that she was his wife. The woman giving testimony was Lizzie Pursley and said her father gave her to Thomas to raise because her mother had died and her father was very ill. Lizzie said she went with Thomas and the woman to Missouri and Arkansas for a short while before they went to Louisiana. Thomas was in Louisiana in 1887.

Your grandmother "Granny Edna" met Thomas in Louisiana because he lived only about a mile from her home. The woman who lived with him, wife or not, was sick and Edna helped to take care of her. The woman whose name was Susan Brooks died. About three months after Susan Brooks died, Edna and Thomas Bonner got married. That was in Sept. 1888. They then had children Addie and Edward in Louisiana. They moved to Laurel, Mississippi where Ross Bonner was born and then to Brooklyn, Mississippi where Robert and Maude Bonner were born. While in Brooklyn, Mississippi, Thomas Bonner was elected Justice of the Peace.

Much of the Pension File contains testimony of people that the Pension Board is asking to verify that Edna and Thomas were married, whether or not Thomas had been married before and whether the children were the children of Thomas. Thomas didn't file for a pension until 1890. He was claiming his disability to be rheumatism and decreased eye site. He said he acquired the rheumatism during the Civil War at the Battle of Mine Run Virginia because he was exposed to harsh weather for a long time. When I read about the battle I learned that in November 1864 the Union troops were going to charge at Mine Run, but the weather turned bad. They delayed the attack for 48 hours and the soldiers were out in the rain and November weather for two days.

Thomas was awarded a pension of $6.00 per month. He received that amount until 1900. He reapplied wanting to have it raised to $8.00, but it was denied. In the section about his application, there are medical records. The records show that he was light skinned, black hair, blue eyes, about 145 pounds and about 5ft 7 inches tall. So, he wasn't a very big man. In 1902 Thomas and Edna and the children moved back to Louisiana. They went to Winona, Louisiana. Thomas worked in a sawmill. In January 1902, their youngest son Thomas was born. In February 1903, Thomas Henry Bonner died in Winona. An examiner states in the pension file that was "killed in a drunken row". I'm not quite sure what that means.

Edna began her application for a widow's pension in 1903. She had 5 small children, couldn't work and had no money. The government spent a whole lot of time and money intervieweing people to determine if she was eligible for the widow's pension. The examiners traveled to Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Maine and Massachusetts and all over Louisiana asking people what they knew about Thomas and Edna. Edna gave testimony several times about their life together. After about a year, she was awarded $30.00 per month plus $2.00 per month for each child. So in 1904, Granny Edna was getting $40.00 per month in a widow's pension. Doesn't seem like much. She did laundry and took in boarders to make more money.

About 1910, Edna and the children moved to Wilson, Oklahoma. Her pension dropped by $2.00 each year that one of her children turned 16, so by 1919 she was back to $30.00 per month. Daughter Maude died about that time and the four boys all worked at the sawmill in Bismark, Oklahoma which is now Wright City. In 1919, Edna remarried a man named Jasper Flowers, but that only lasted two years and she divorced him.

As you know, the four sons scattered about. Ed went to New Mexico, Tom to California, Ross and Robert to OKC. All the mail sent to Edna by the Pension Board, until the day she died, was sent to her in Wilson, Oklahoma. Except for the time Edna went to OKC to help take care of Poppy after your mother died, she was down there in Wilson, Oklahoma. She continued to get the $30.00 per month and was eligible for $40.00 when she turned 70. Because the Pension Board had her birth date wrong, she didn't get the $40.00 per month until she was 76. I just wonder how she ever had enough money to live on. Guess that might be why her house had cracks in the walls and Poppy said that she made sheets out of tobacco pouches by sewing them together.

That's about all to summarize about the Pension File. Sure gives a look at the hardships they had. Look forward to seeing you soon.

Love,
Sharon Kay

I have found the Pension File of Thomas Bonner very revealing. There are many more details that I will include in future blog posts.