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Illinois, USA

Frederick Aime Bonjour

This story is from Alvin Edward Bonjour, born July 1, 1921, in a letter from him dated April 6, 1994 to myself, Frederick E. Bonjour. Frederic Aime was his Great Grandfather.

Frederick Aime Bonjour (born October 17, 1818, died February 1869) was married had around nine children when he came to the United States about 1855. He left his family in the old country because he didn't have enough money to bring all of them over. Some of the older children were big enough to scrape up enough money, by working, to support their mother and those remaining in the old country. He got a job in Jo Davies County helping to float lead bars down to New Orleans on the old Mississippi River with flat barges they made out of logs. They would leave their old barges or floats there and come back on a ship. In New Orleans they would use the barges, which were made out of logs, for firewood to re-melt the lead to make bullets and different things, lead was used for a lot of things in those days. The lead isn't used much any more, the mines sit idle now. Frederic saved his money for a couple years, then sent for his family to come over. But he did liked to drink too. His family came up the Mississippi River up the Galena river into the town of Galena. When they got off the ship some older men were sitting on the dock and they started laughing at the way they were dressed. He didn't like that so he threw a couple of them into the river.
After they were over a few years, he started drinking more and started miss-using his wife and got mean too. She had water in a wash basin to do her clothes washing. He started to act up, she finally had all she could take and threw the boiling water on him. He was burned very bad, and not too long after that he died from it. She remarried but didn't have any more children from him.
He also was arrested for stealing horses, but nothing was proven because the horses were long gone by then. But Frederic was a well-liked man he helped everybody and wasn't afraid of any thing. He helped a lot around sick people with contagious diseases but kept himself really clean and never did bring it home to his family.

Fred Bonjour


Copied from an unknown newspaper, unknown date.
FRED Bonjour KILLED
Old Resident Killed by Fall From Load of Hay Last Friday
KNOCKED OFF BY A WIRE Fell From the Top of the Load And Struck on Top of His Head
Fred Bonjour, a well known and pioneer citizen of this community, was accidentally killed near his home just northwest of town last Friday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock. Death was caused by falling from a load of hay, while trying to dodge a telephone wire as he passed under it. With his son, A. G. Bonjour, the two men were hauling hay from the T. H. Whitehead place northwest of town to the A. G. Bonjour place just across the road from his father's home. As they were about to drive thru the gate into the yard the elder gentleman called to his son to look out for the wires. There are two telephone wires down below the other string of wires running along the road at that place, one of them being twelve feet from the ground and the other fourteen feet. A. G. Bonjour dodged under the first wire and as he looked around to see if his father got under all right the old gentleman was not to be seen, having already fallen off when he tried to dodge the wire he was pulled off by the wire.
Will G. Stonebraker, rural carrier, who was just coming in from delivering his route, was evidently the only person who saw the accident, and says that Mr. Bonjour was pulled off by the wire and when he fell he struck on his head, the fall crushing his skull and killing him instantly. Assistance was soon at hand and a physician called, but life had already gone out, and another sprit had suddenly taken its flight.
Mr. Bonjour was born in Paris France, (strike through was in pen by someone prior to the articles delivery to me. FEB) February 14, 1845. He came to America with his parents, when he was five years old, settling with them in Joe Daviess county, Illinois. In 1870 he was married to Emma Townsend, of Gratiot, Wisconsin. Thirty-four years ago he came to Franklin county, residing for a few years in Geneva township, then for seventeen years in Westfork township, and for the last twelve years on his little place northwest of town. Mr. Bonjour was a member of the Seventh Day Advent church for thirty-three years. He was a kind father and husband and a good neighbor. To his family and his many friends his many friends his loss is keenly felt and made doubly hard to bear at this season of the year when so much joy and good cheer are aboard. The suddenness and tragedy of his death was a severe shock, taking him when in good health and going about his work as usual.
He leaves a wife and eight children to mourn his death. The children are I. F. Bonjour, of Chapin; Herman W. Bonjour, of Geneva; Archie G. Bonjour, of Hampton; Mrs. R. A. Hartwell and Mrs. C. I. Hance, of Hampton; Mrs. E. W. Wilkinson, of Geneva; Mrs. Will Frederickson, of Kensett; and Mrs. Reid Johnson, of Geneva. Three sisters, Mrs. Anna Seck, of Galena, Illinois; Mrs. Sarah Raymond, of Savannah, Illinois; and Mrs. Sophia Fitzsimmons, of Dundee, Illinois; and two brothers, Henry Bonjour, of Elizabeth, Illinois; and Charles Bonjour, of Apple River, Illinois, also survive him.
Funeral services were held , Monday afternoon from the Seventh Day Advent church and were conducted by Elder A. R. Ogden, assisted by Elder J. W. Beams, both of Nevada. The church was crowed to the doors with the many friends who had gathered to pay a last tribute to their friend and neighbor. Interment was made in the Hampton cemetery. There was nearly twenty-five automobiles in the funeral procession.
Those from out of town who attended the funeral were: Mrs. Anna Seck, of Galena, Illinois; Henry and Paul Bonjour, of Elizabeth, Illinois; Charles Bonjour and James Bonjour, of Apple River, Illinois; Mrs. Sarah Raymond, of Savannah, Illinois; Mrs. Sophia Fitzsimmons, of Dundee, Illinois; Ed Posey, Thomas Bonjour and Tom Bonjour, of Stockton, Illinois; William Bonjour, of Woodbine, Illinois; and George Renderneck, of Parkersburg.


Fred Bonjour
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