Martin Bonnlander/Bonnlender was born 23 or 28 Oct 1823 in Germany to Michael and Barbara (Mueller) Bonnlender.

He arrived in the US in 1847.

He shows up living with his brother Joseph** in Wayne, Washington county, Wisconsin, in the 1850 census. That same year he made a claim on 80 acres near what would become New Holstein, Calumet county, Wisconsin, at the Milwaukee Land Office.

He was married to Katherina Weier not long after; assuming they were married before their first child, Magdalena was born in October of 1852, in Charlesburg, Wisconsin.

In order, their children included: Magdalena (married Antone Steiner), Regina (married Robert Heimann), Gertrude (married William Hein), Egidius (married Peronella Hall), Joseph (died young in 1871), Catherine Theresa (became Sister Crispina), Victoria Dora (married Alvin Huebuschmann), Mary Catherine (became Sister Hilaria), Elisabeth (fate unknown to this researcher), Anna (fate unknown to this researcher), Joseph (named after the first son Joseph who died, also died young in 1877 ), Mary Anna (married Sebastian Senger), and Adam (married Mary Elizabeth Pethan).

Martin was naturalized in 1856.

In 1863 he shows up on a draft list for the civil war; a 40 year old farmer from Bavaria, living in New Holstein.

The 1870 and 1880 censuses show him still living in New Holstein.

For many years his death date was recorded as 6 Nov 1877, but he was clearly still alive for the 1880 census and newspaper reports related to his daughter Gertrude's engagement indicate he was still alive in late 1886. The headstone photo originally here in Find a Grave did not include the death date. Regional online genealogy resources list his death date as 6 Nov 1894 without documentation. Larry's photo of the headstone in Sep 2017 provides solid evidence for 1894.

**Without a Find a Grave memorial to his parents, there can be no link to his brother, Joseph. Joseph's Find a Grave memorial is at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11117556/joseph-bonlaender