9. David³ Bonner (John², ??¹) was born in Juniata Co., Pennsylvania 15 Jul 1776. In the 1920's William Thompson Bonner mailed a Christmas card which depicted four generations of Bonners with pictures of David, James Taylor, William Thompson, and William Thompson, Jr. That card has been duplicated and copies widely circulated among the Bonner descendants. The card states that David was Born 4 July 1776 and consequently that date has become a strong family tradition. However, David's tombstone says died 31 Mar 1853 77 y 8m 15d. That calculates to 15 Jul 1776. The date of 15 July is also cited by Carmen Ghormley in her "The Ghormley Story". I have not been able to find any colloborating evidence for the 4 July 1776 date. David died 31 Mar 1853 in Greenfield, Highland Co., Ohio. His body was interred in Greenfield, Highland Co., Ohio, Old Burying Ground.

He married twice. He married Eleanor "Nelly" Johnson in Mifflin, 11 Sep 1798.⁽²⁶⁴¹⁾ Eleanor was born in Juniata Co., PA 3 Aug 1777.⁽²⁶⁴²⁾ Eleanor was the daughter of Nathaniel Johnson and Sarah ??. Eleanor died 25 Nov 1838 in Greenfield, Highland Co., OH.⁽²⁶⁴³⁾ He married Jane Woods in Ross Co., Ohio, 13 Mar 1841.⁽²⁶⁴⁴⁾ This was her second marriage. First husband's name is unknown. Although the Woods family publication says it's source for the marriage date is the Ancestral File, the Ancetral File actually gives the marriage date as 1 Apr 1841.

Jane was born in Franklin Twp., Warren Co., OH 21 Jul 1798.⁽²⁶⁴⁵⁾ Jane⁽²⁶⁴⁶⁾ was the daughter of Alexander Woods and Mary (Polly) Robinson. Jane died 17 Oct 1862 in Greenfield, Highland Co., OH.⁽²⁶⁴⁷⁾ She was the defendant in a lawsuit in Greenfield, Highland Co., Ohio, 14 Jan 1854. The lawsuit was brought against Jane Bonner and the estate for a portion of the inheritance. Important to note that Louisa is not part of the lawsuit and Ellen had already died.

He sold property in Greenfield, Highland Co., Ohio, 28 Aug 1839. He was the defendant in a lawsuit in Greenfield, Highland Co., Ohio, 14 Jan 1854. The lawsuit was brought against Jane Bonner and the estate for a portion of the inheritance. Important to note that Louisa is not part of the lawsuit and Ellen had already died. David was an expert wool carder, cotton spinner, farmer, millwright, and engineer. He moved to Chillicothe, Ohio in 1798 and took an active part in the construction of the Ohio canal and public buildings of that date (including the Old State House in Chillicothe,built 1801-2 of native stone, two stories tall).

Chillicothe had been laid out by Nathaniel Massie and founded in 1796. It was part of the 6,570 square miles of territory between the Scioto and the Miami rivers set aside by Virginia to reward war veterans. Chillicothe was the site of a ferry across the Scioto and became a major center. In the early 1800's the town had 100 homes and a population of 1,982. By 1815 Ross County as a whole had 18,000 inhabitants. This is partly attributable to an Act passed in 1800 which allowed individuals to purchase tracts of 320 acres. This size was later reduced to 160 acres and the price was set to $2 per acre with five years to pay.

He then moved to Greenfield, Ohio, where he and his wife were among the earlist permanent settlers. David began negotiating in land at an early date and succeeded in putting over one oft he largest land deals ever to take place in Greenfield. In 1813 he purchased 50 inlots in the eastern section for $2.00 a lot (Purchased in Cincinnati District, Union County, 160 acres, SE 1/4-S33, 7 December 1813 at $2 per acre with 5 years to pay). Within four years he sold four of the lots for $750. For that era it was a tremendous land deal.

On 17 Nov. 1855, David acquired the northeast corner of Washington and Jefferson Streets where he erected a carding mill. The farmers around Greenfield brought wool here to be carded, saving a somewhat longer trip to Chillicothe. He operated the mill until 1822 when a new owner moved it to a new location on Jefferson Street. The old mill building became a grocery and hotel. At the new location he built a factory for wool and cotton. The factory's machinery was operated by horses, oxen, and cows which were worked on a horizontal wheel sweep nearly forty feet in diameter. He added a pair of millstones to grind corn and burrs to make wheat flour.

This advertisement appeared in the July 12, 1828 Hillsborough Gazette: "COTTON SPINNING AND WOOL CARDING" "Our cotton and woolen factory is now in good order, where common wool will be carded at five cents per pound, paid in cash at the time. Wool carding and spinning in all other respects, as to price and trade, the same as last year. Cotton yarns, assorted, can be had at our factory; as also summer and winter janes, in exchange for cash, wool, or such trade as is taken in the stores." "Greenfield, May 20, 1828 - David Bonner"

Sometime between 1820 and 1820 a David S. Bonner appears in Vincennes, Indiana Territory. A working supposition is that this David S. Bonner is the same person as David Bonner from Ohio. But this has not yet been proven. In Vincennes in 1818 he purchased the Jean Baptiste Poetevin die Arpin plantation on the Southeast corner of 5th and Main Street and built a large brick cotton mill which was torn down in 1823. Next he erected another brick building about 1831. This building had three stories, the upper two for storage and the main floor was a salesroom. The building, lalter called the "Old Cotton Factory," stood on a half square facing south west on Barnett Street between Second Street and Third Street. It is no longer standing. He also built a large Virginia style house on Main Street and Second Street. The house was one of the earliest brick hounses in Vincennes and was constructed by Jonathan Spinning, a Cincinnati contractor.

Hubbard Smith, M.D. in his early history of Vincennes, indicates that the house was built about 1822 for David S. Bonner, a Virginia financier and cotton mill operator in Vincennes. But the actual date is now known for the oldest Cincinnati Directory lists 13 Spinnings that are contractors or masons. A plaque which has been placed on the front of the house says it was built in the late 1700's but this cannot be correct. The floor beams in the four story house measure 3" by 14" and tradition has it that the lumber for the house was floated down the Wabash River. The large front porch has a sandstone floor and steps, and large ornamental fluted columns which support the roof. The original front door and large brass lock are still in use. The walls are of solid brick, 14" think. The ceilings are high. Sometime after the house was built the ceilings wer redone and they are now of ornately molded tin. The woodwork is of solid cherry and walnut, the joists are of native poplar. The wood was joined with wooden pegs and those joints are clearly visible in the door frames. The window sills are 14" deep. The original house had 33 rooms, all of which opened onto a large central hallway on each floor. Today there are only 22 rooms, the first floor staircase has been replaced, and an attached garage built in the rear. The mansion was heated by a fireplace in every room, including those in the basement. The house has had a colorful history, having served as a stage coach stop and later as a rooming house. Today (1970) it is the Gardner Funeral Home and has been in the Gardner family for many generations. It is one of the few remaining examples of colonial architecture in Vincennes.

David S. Bonner was active in the community. In July 1826 he was on a committee to receive bids and select a new site for the court house and his signature appears on many court documents of the period in connection with appraisals of estates.

On 18th April 1828, General William Henry Harrison deeded to David S. Bonner, Richard Posey, and Thomas Collins, and their successors in office, lot 132 on Buntin Street and 3rd Street paralell to the Wabash River for $50. The property to be used for the erection of a Methodist Episcopal Church. This is an interesting entry. The Bonner family for many generations was Presbyterian. The answer may be that on this same day, David's daughter Louisa married Harrison's son Benjamin, an architect.

David's business in Vincennes was not successful. A later historian said "many years ago David S. Bonner, a very wealthy man, began the manufacture of cotton yarn. He built a large mill and employed many men and women. But his venture was not successful and involved him in financial ruin."

Then in 1834 in Greenfield, Ohio, David Bonner replaced the horse and ox drawn power in the Greenfield mill with the first steam engine known in the area. This factory was completely destroyed by fire in the summer of 1837. He immediately started constuction of a new three story stone building on the northeast corner of Fifth and Jefferson (now the Odd Fellows building). Two years after the first he also constructed a beautiful manor house on Jefferson between Fourth and Fifth Street.

He later gave up the mill and opened a bookstore around 1840 in a new brick building at 297 Jefferson Street.

Both Davids (perhaps the same person?) remained active in Vincennes and Greenfield affairs. His name appears as one of the organizers of the O & M Railroad on the charter granted 14 Feb 1844 by the Indiana General Assembly for the railroad's construction.

David was a very pincipled man and his efforts were not always appreciated. For example, he was veyr conscientious in enforcing the observance of the Sabbath and many traveling through Chillicothe on the Sabbath were arrested at his insistence. He also opposed drinking and his signature appears on a petition to the Court on 4 February 1839 asking that a license not be granted to Samuel Wasson for dram drinking. He was an abolitionist and owned a large farm north of Greenfield where slaves were often hidden.

Elsie Johnson Ayres in "Hills of Highland" relates the following story. "One Sunday morning Bonner met three men, new to the area, on the Public Square. He talked to them and became aware that they were hunting the fugitives who were hidden in his own basement. He asked if they had been to breakfast and upon learning that they had not, he boldly invited them to participate in the family worship hours. They consented and their host proceeded to read one of the longest psalms in the Bible. Bonner's prayers were never longer than on that particular morning. In the meantime, the slaves had been carefully removed from their cellar hideout and conducted to another station."

Who did David marry? The tombstone in the Greenfield cemetery gives David's wife as Elinor, and the records of the Recorders Office of Highland Co., Ohio 1805-1850 have six entries with Elinor the wwife of David. However, a clipping from the Cincinnati Mercury states "1806, Mar 24, married on Tuesday last by the Reverend John Sale, David S. Bonner of Greene Co., to Miss Elizabeth Reynolds". An additional name appears in the Walter Daniel Bonner entry in the [ul:National Cycclopedia of American Biography:ul]. It states that David's wife was CAroline McIlroy. It is the only source with that name and the underlying sources is not noted.

David Bonner and Eleanor "Nelly" Johnson had the following children:

13 i. Sarah Ann⁴ Bonner was born in Mifflin, PA 11 Jan 1800.⁽²⁶⁴⁸⁾ She married Rev. John Graham in Greenfield, Highland Co., OH, 2 Apr 1823.⁽²⁶⁴⁹⁾ John applied for a marriage license in Highland Co., Ohio, 3 Feb 1823. i0 John was the first pastor of New Presbyterian Church erected in 1835 in Greenfield, Highland Co., Ohio.

Sarah applied for a marriage license in Highland Co., Ohio, 3 Feb 1823. She was the plaintiff in a law suit in Greenfield, Highland Co., Ohio, 14 Jan 1854. The lawsuit was brought against Jane Bonner and the estate for a portion of the inheritance. Important to note that Louisa is not part of the lawsuit and Ellen had already died.

She resided in Greene County, Ohio 1854.

+ 14 ii. Henry J. Bonner was born 1 Dec 1801.

15 iii. Judith Bonner was born in Chillicothe, Ross Co., Ohio 13 Feb 1804.⁽²⁶⁵⁰⁾ Judith died 13 Jul 1806.⁽²⁶⁵¹⁾

+ 16 iv. Rev. John Henry Bonner was born 27 Dec 1808.

17 v. Nathaniel J. Bonner was born in Chillicothe, Ross Co., Ohio 30 Jun 1811.⁽²⁶⁵²⁾ Nathaniel died 17 May 1813 in Chillicothe, Ross Co., Ohio.⁽²⁶⁵³⁾

+ 18 vi. James Taylor Bonner was born 14 Jul 1814.

David Bonner and Elizabeth Reynolds had the following children:

19 vii. Margaret Bonner was born in Chillicothe, Ross Co., Ohio 10 May 1806.⁽²⁶⁵⁴⁾ Margaret died 14 Sep 1884 in Lafayette.⁽²⁶⁵⁵⁾ She married twice. She married Rev. Joseph Claybough in Greenfield, Highland Co., OH, 25 Oct 1825.⁽²⁶⁵⁶⁾ Joseph was born 1803. Joseph died 9 Sep 1855. He resided in Oxford, Butler Co., Ohio. (See Rev. Joseph Claybough for the continuation of this line.) She married Rev. James Kimball.

She was the plaintiff in a law suit in Greenfield, Highland Co., Ohio, 14 Jan 1854. The lawsuit was brought against Jane Bonner and the estate for a portion of the inheritance. Important to note that Louisa is not part of the lawsuit and Ellen had already died.

She resided in Butler Co., Ohio 1854.

20 viii. Eleanor (Ellen) Jane Bonner was born in Greenfield, Highland Co., OH 26 May 1817.⁽²⁶⁵⁷⁾ Eleanor died 26 Apr 1846 in Greenfield, Highland Co., OH.⁽²⁶⁵⁸⁾ She married Joseph M. Toy 12 May 1840.⁽²⁶⁵⁹⁾ (See Joseph M. Toy for the continuation of this line.)

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