Thursday, September 20, 2012

Margaman Manning's Rifle


I have written about Margaman Manning before on August 2, 2008.  He was the son of Thomas Manning and Jane Stewart Manning and the younger brother of my great great grandfather, Dr. Thomas Jefferson Manning.  Margaman was born in January 29, 1840 in Walker County Georgia and lived most of his life there.  He married Harriet Evelyn Thornton and they lived in Dalton in Whitfield County Georgia.  During the Civil War he fought with the 39th GA Volunteer Infantry.  He was a Fifth Sergeant and was promoted to Second Sergeant around February or March 1864.

The rifle pictured above is an 1854 Harpers Ferry rifled musket.  According to a December 29, 2010 article in The Daily Citizen , the Dalton GA newspaper, it turned up at the 8th Annual Chickamauga Southern Civil Show and Sale in Dalton in 2003.  It was bought and donated to the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society.  It is currently on display at the Hamilton House in Dalton.   If you look very closely at the lower picture, you can see the name Manning engraved on the metal.  The article states that the rifle was likely issued to him in Vicksburg, MS on February 28, 1863.

Margaman was wounded and captured during the war and was sent to Camp Douglas in Illinois where he died on March 21, 1865.  You can read the article at the following link:

http://daltondailycitizen.com/local/x413849029/Confederate-trio-wind-their-way-back-home


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

James Bonnar Family from Scotland


Writing this blog has been very interesting, I've learned a whole lot and have received positive feedback from readers.  Recently, I was contacted by two different descendants of the Bonnar Family of New Brunswick Canada.   Each of them shared some very interesting information with me.  One of them, who descended from Maude Bonner Pangburn told me that in her family they were taught to never say the Bonner family was from Ireland, even though they moved to Canada from Ireland.  In fact, they were Scottish.  Maude Bonner Pangburn's father was Robert Nelson Bonner.  The descendant who contacted me said that she use to have a picture of her great grandfather, Robert Nelson Bonner, wearing his kilts.  She also said that the Bonner's were a sept of the Graham Clan and that Margaret Chambers Bonner was descended for the Cameron Clan.  In addition, she said that Johanna Harris Bonner, the wife of Robert Nelson Bonner was descended from the Sutherland Clan.  There is quite a bit of information about these Clans on the internet.
As I learn more, I will happily pass it along.

James Bonnar and Margaret Chambers Bonnar immigrated to New Brunswick in 1835 from Ireland.   Their family members had immigrated from Scotland to Ulster county Ireland at some time before then.  When I talked with the second Bonner descendant who contacted me, she verified that she too had been told the Bonners were Scotch-Irish from her great aunt, Alwilda Bonner.  I have been trying to find Bonner ancestors in records of Northern Ireland and I guess now I'll look for Scottish records.  The search continues.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Margaret Alwilda Bonnar





Alwilda Bonnar was born 4 April 1888 in Fredericton, New Brunswick.  She was the daughter of Robert Nelson Bonnar and Johanna Harris.  I wrote about their family on 20 May 2011.  Above is a photo of Alwilda.  Earlier I had learned that Alwilda was a nurse.  Guess because I am also a nurse, I became very interested in learning more about her.  She completed her nursing training at Massachusetts General Hospital.  I have come across two short articles that describe her nursing activity.  The first article is from an exhibit online at the virtual museum.ca  entitled "Ashes & Rebirth, St. Mary's Ferry North/Devon".  Credit is given to Robert McNeil & Carol Randall.

"Allie Bonner (1882-1969) graduated from the Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing, Summa Cum Laude, and became a surgical nurse for Dr. Lahey, founder of the world famous Lahey Clinic in Boston.  Allie also nursed in the Bowery District of New York City, where she must have seen the devastating results of liquor on the human liver and thus perhaps began the roots of her hatred for liquor.  At some point, Allie, described as a big woman with a ruddy complexion, returned to Devon to care for her parents and her sister Maude Pangburn, and in 1924 was awarded full ownership of this house.  She was a 'character' around Fredericton because of her strong beliefs and actions.

In an article written by John Alexander, he describes Allie Bonnar this way:  Allie was a familiar sight on the streets of the city, usually with a fur coat that reached down to her ankles.  She gave an impression of gliding along the sidewalk instead of walking.  Her cane seemed to have no medical reason except that of being used as a weapon.  She could be described as Fredericton's Carrie Nation because her one central focus in life was the elimination of strong drink from every level of society.  Those who were known to indulge in the consumption of alcohol and those whom she suspected of leaning in that direction ran the risk of receiving the sharp edge of her tongue, loudly and publicly.  When there was a liquor store at Westmoreland and Queen Streets it was not uncommon to find Allie outside the doors of the establishment, berating the customers and attempting to smash the contents of the "plain paper bags" with her cane..."

She was a superb storyteller, very dramatic and just held you attention the whole time.  She talked about everything from war, to politics, to religion, especially Roman Catholicism, for which she held an intense hatred.  She was a very intelligent lady and was on top of current events."

The second article I received from the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick.  It was estimated that the date was about 1962 and the publication was the Fredericton newspaper.

Miss Bonner
Makes Herself
Heard on Liquor

A high-pitched voice burst suddenly Thursday upon the Court House room where Canada's royal commission on health services was holding a public hearing.  "The more liquor outlets there are the more hospital beds will be needed," it shouted.

"You can put that in your report", the voice went on evidently directed at Saskatchewan's Chief Justice Emmett Hall, chairman of the commission, "and tell Mr. Diefenbaker I said so."  Mr. Justice Hall reacted by announcing that the next submission would be from the New Brunswick Dental Society.

Outside, the owner of the voice identified herself as Miss Alwilda Bonner of Fredericton, a retired registered nurse and an official of the Women's Christian Temperance Union.  Earlier this week she attended a WCTU convention in Saint John where plans were made to fight any relaxation of New Brunswick's stern liquor laws.  A commission of inquiry was recommended sweeping changes in the law.  Miss Bonner also had something to say Thursday about fluoridation.  When the N.B. Dental Society call for addition of sodium fluoride to community water supplies to prevent tooth decay, she shouted from the spectators gallery, "Rat poison".

I think these articles speak for themselves in describing Alwilda.  I recently received an email from a grand niece of Alwilda's who stated that she left her home to the Salvation Army when she died.
I also talked on the phone with another grand niece who stated she believed that Alwilda also left $250,000 to the Salvation Army in her will.  She certainly held to her convictions.  I'll bet there are more stories about her.  Although I might not agree with her approach in expressing her convictions, I now know her better and hold a good deal of respect for her.