John Bonney and Second Wife Anne Vanderhoff
Bonney
January 4, 2012.
JOHN BONNEY FAMILY by Cindy Phillips
My granddad was William Frederick Bonney Sr. The pictures I sent you are of his dad and granddad. John & Josephine Bonney were his grandparents. John was the son of Ferdinand Bonney and was raised on Knotts Island. He and Josephine are buried at Charity Church in Princess Ann County. Anne Vanderhoff Bonney, 1860 – 1948 was John’s second wife. She is in the 5 generation picture along with Emily Bonney, my cousin born in 1942, her mom, Marjorie Bonney, my grandmother, Mildred Lucile Williamson Bonney, our great grandmother Minnie Ayers Bonney and of course Anne Vanderhoff Bonney. Lettie Bonney Morris, Eva Bonney Whitehurst, Linwood Bonney, and William Joachim Bonney were all children of John Bonney.
I remember my cousin and mom talking about Grandpa Jake. Emily was scared to death of him. I’m sure he was an imposing figure for a 5 year old. She and her cousin Albert Lee Bonney stayed at Minnie’s a lot. Both of their dad’s were working in the store so Great grandma would babysit. She told the story once that the preacher came to visit. Grandma sent Emily & Albert Lee out of the house while the preacher was there. To amuse them, she gave each of them some bubble gum. Now what do kids do with bubble gum? No different today then 60 years ago. They tried to see who could blow the biggest bubble. Unfortunately, everyone knows happens when they get to big. They pop. And Albert Lee’s did just that. When they pop they can go all over your face, which it did on Albert Lee. Unfortunately, Albert Lee had the Bonney ears and that bubble gum was in his hair and behind his ears. They go running to the house to Grandma and the preacher sees this kid with bubble gum all over his head. Needless to say, Grandma Minnie was not pleased.
Mom told me a story once of when she was staying with Jake & Minnie. There were 2 bushes outside the door which had become overgrown. Grandma Minnie told mom she could trim them back. Well, mom cut one almost down to the ground. Grandpa Jake came home for lunch, saw the bush and had a fit and started getting after mom. Grandma Minnie told him to leave her alone it would be ok. Mom told me that the next spring it came back great. She never did loose her knack for cutting back bushes. And they always came back better.
The picture of Jake & Minnie Bonney
was taken around the time of their 50th Wedding Anniversary which would
have been in January of 1947. The picture of Granddad and his
1st wife Emily Lucille Kelly was probably taken soon after their
marriage.