Major James Bonner

• General Notes
  • Conflict -
    Bonner Family History book lists James as born Jul 11, 1830 while the
    Wilcox County, Alabama book lists James as born on 8/9/1830.
    
    Died at his home.  Only sick a few days.
    Rev. H.M. Henry his pastor officiated at the graveside.
    ===================================================
    Clipping from a Wilcox County, Alabama newspaper.
    
    Tribute of Respect
    Major James Bonner
    
    "It is with unmeasured grief that we chronicle the death of this
    highly esteemed, useful, and well known citizen.  We pen these words
    with the painful sense of personal bereavement.  We can scarcely
    believe that Maj. Bonner is dead, although we witnessed the sad
    interment of his remains.
    
    He was born and reared in this county.  He was one of a large family
    of brothers and sisters.  His father was William Bonner, who lived
    many years and massed a great fortune in the prairies east of Camden.
    His father sold his landed estate in 1857 in this county and moved
    that year to Texas and there lived to the date of his death a few
    years ago.  He died in his 90th year.  Maj. Bonner's grandmother was a
    Miss Lee, from the city of Charleston, S.C., a relative of that great
    family in Virginia.  His father was a pioneer in Alabama; and was a
    man remarkable for his sound judgment, great energy and incorruptable
    integrity.
    
    With such antecedants, Maj. Bonner had the ground work for the man
    indeed that he was and that we all know him to be.  He married Miss
    Julia Newberry and she lived to share all his joys and all his
    sorrows; she sat by his death bed, and crushed with grief, witnessed
    the last heave of that great bosom on which she had so long reposed in
    joy, in peace and in rest.  He died in his 63rd year.
    
    He took a broad and liberal interest in everything that concerned his
    people, his county and his church.  He was a volunteer Confederate
    soldier and gave brave service to his county in the War Between the
    States.  When he returned from the war broken in fortune, he did not
    sit down with grief for what was lost, but put on the armor of a wise,
    energetic, patriotic citizen and bent his energies to rebuild the
    waste and ruin of the war.  In this he was signally successful, and
    had up to his death around and about him the abundant evidence of his
    wisdom in the management of the affairs of his life.
    
    But his large and successful business interests did not engross all of
    his time and attention.  He was active and decided in the affairs of
    state and country.  In politics, as in everything else, everybody knew
    where to find Maj. Bonner.  He was always selected as a representive
    man when delegates to Democratic conventions, whether county or state,
    were to be made up.  He was an ardent supporter of the idea that the
    Caucasian had and should maintain the right to rule this country.  He
    was not a man of many but clear words.  His politics, like his
    religion, was more active than wordy.  He was made, against his will,
    a member of the Board of our County Revenues, but after he was
    elected, he served willingly, and we believe lived to see the county
    out of debt.
    
    He was an Associate Reformed Presbyterian as were his fathers before
    him.  He loved his church and gave liberally to her support.  He was
    regular from Sabbath to Sabbath in his seat in the house of God to
    hear the Pastor's words to his flock.
    
    Though beyond the average in years, he took a profound interest in
    what concerned the young.  He was a member of the Wilcox Mounted
    Riflemen and no one was more regular and took more pleasure in the
    stated drills and annual encampments of hte State's Military force.
    He was a companion and counselor for the young.  The young men loved
    and respected him.  Were we called upon to name the man who held the
    highest place in the love, confidence and respect of all our people,
    we would name the deceased.  As his pastor said as he stood by the
    remains of the deceased, in the house of God, before that great
    congregation of mourners, the state, the county, the widows, the
    orphans, the poor and the colored people, in the death of Maj. Bonner
    sustained great loss.
    
    His death was sudden; he was only sick a few days; the annoucement of
    his death was a great shock to this community.  He died on last
    Thrusday the 25th August, at his home ten miles east of Camden
    surrounded by his family and friends.  He was buried on Friday in the
    graveyard at his church on Oak Hill.  Rev. H. M. Henry, his pastor,
    officiated at the grave and held solemn and impressive services in the
    church.  The Wilcox Mounted Rifles sent up a platoon to escort his
    remains to their final rest and to pay a last tribute to a worthy and
    beloved comrade.  Fully five hundred friends and relatives and
    neighbors from a distance of fifteen miles, came to render the last
    service of love and friendship for the lamented dead.  And over one
    hundred colored people, many of them the former slaves of the
    deceased, were present and their sad countenances betokened that they
    felt that they had lost a friend.
    
    To his heart broken widow and grief stricken children, we search in
    vain for words of man to comfort them.  They must all look to the
    Rich, look unto the hills of God from which came their aid and
    comfort.  All that can come from the sympathy and love of friends is
    theirs.  May they remember the high and noble example of their
    lamented dead, to follow it, and thus honor him and do themselves
    good.  Peace to his ashes; honor and love to his memory.
    
    http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/al/wilcox/cemetery/bethelarp.txt
    
    James Bonner
    Aug. 9, 1830 - Aug 24, 1892
    CSA Marker
    Julia N. Bonner
    March 30, 1840 - Nov. 14, 1920
    
    Rev. James P. Pressley
    
    Book - The Hertiage of Wilcox County, Alabama.  Hertiage Publishing
    Consultants. 2002.
    p. 115.
    
    "Member of Co. B, Hood's Escort, 3rd Alabama Cavalry."
    ===================================================
    CSA as courier.
    
    Wilcox Mounted Riflemen (State Military Police)
    
    Lived 10 miles east of Camden according to his obit.
    
    ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/al/wilcox/census/1850/pg00772.txt
    
    1850 US Census for Wilcox Co., AL.
    
    PAGE  LN     FM   LASTNAME            FIRST NAME AND INI.  AGE  SX CLR
          OCCU.            VLU    BORN   MRD  SCH  DDB AFFLICTION  REMARKS
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    -----------------------------------------------------
    773    2    598  BONNER, Wm               60    M  Farmer  18000  SC
    773    3    598  MCCRANEY, Mary           30    F                SC
    773    4    598  MCCRANEY, Martha        19    F                AL
           School
    773    5    598  MCCRANEY, Susan         15    F                AL
           School
    773    6    598  MCCRANEY, Kesiah         13   F                AL
    773    7    598  MCCRANEY, Josephine    7     F                AL
          School
    773    8    598  MCCRANEY, James         19    M               AL
    
    1870 Census for Wilcox Co., AL., Allenton Post Office
    Roll: M593-45, pg. 378, Image 477  - done on 8/11/1870
    
    264/271 Bonner, James 40 M W  Farmer 13,000 2,000 AL.
        -, Julia 30 F W AL.
    
    (carries over to next page)
    1870 Census for Wilcox Co., AL., Allenton Post Office
    Roll: M593-45, pg. 378, Image 477  - done on 8/11/1870
    
        Bonner, J. I.  12 M W At School AL.
        -, Wm. J. 10 M W AL.
        -, Samuel R. 7 M W AL.
        -, Joe Lee 2 M W AL.
        -, Jessie 10/12 M W AL.
    
    1860 Census for Wilcox Co., AL., Eastern Division
    Roll: M653_26, pg. 1052
    
    257 289 Mary Miller 62 F GA.
    Nancy Miller 29 F Farming 10,000 25,000 AL.
    258/289 James Bonner 29 M AL.
    Julia Bonner 20 F AL.
    James I. Bonner 2 M AL.
    Wm Bonner 9/12 M AL.
    Thomas Bonner 17 M AL.