Son of Anne Lee Joell and William Bonner. Husband of Mary Julia Newbury.

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 antecedents, 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 representative 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 the 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 announcement of his death was a great shock to this community. He died on last Thursday 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.
(from Eric Bonner Wood)