Representative John C. Bonwell View All Years

JOHN C. BONWELL

MR. SPEAKER: Your committee, appointed to prepare a suitable resolution commemorating the life, character and public services of the Honorable John C. Bonwell, a former member of the General Assembly of Iowa, begs leave to submit the following memorial:

John C. Bonwell was born on November 6, 1842, in Hillsboro, Highland county, Ohio, the son of Nathaniel and Charity Bonwell, and passed away at his home near Viola, October 3, 1943, at the age of one hundred years, ten months and twenty seven days.

Mr. Bonwell’s education was acquired at the district school, supplemented by a course at Professor Holbrook’s Normal College at Lebanon, Ohio. At the age of nineteen years he enlisted in Company F, Sixtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served in Virginia, was taken prisoner at Harper’s Ferry in 1862, was paroled and sent to Ohio, where he served with the State militia and participated in the pursuit and capture of John Morgan in his raid through Ohio. In 1864 he again enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Seventy-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served in the South until the close of the war.

On December 27, 1866, Mr. Bonwell was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Miller. Mrs. Bonwell passed away in 1918. They moved to Marion county, Iowa in 1869 and from there to Jasper county where Mr. Bonwell was employed in teaching for some years. In 1875 he moved to Exira, Audubon county, later moving to the northern part of the county where he spent the remainder of his life. To this union were born seven children, four of whom preceded their father in death. He is survived by three daughters: Mrs. H. E. Jewell of Coon Rapids, Mrs. Fred Herschel and Mrs. Earl Jewell of Viola.

Mr. Bonwell was a life long member of the Methodist Church. He was a member of the Thirty-second and Thirty-third sessions of the General Assembly. He served on the Viola school board and was Audubon county supervisor for seven years. He was very active in republican work. He also was Audubon county’s last civil war veteran.

Mr. Bonwell took an active part as a member of the Masonic lodge. The Knight Templar lodge honored him by holding a birthday party at his home each year since his eightieth birthday. One of his desires was to live to celebrate his one hundredth birthday.

Therefore, Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Fifty-first General Assembly, That in the passing of Honorable John C. Bonwell, the state has lost a valued and honored citizen and the family a loving father, and the House would tender, by this resolution, its sincere sympathy, to the surviving relatives in their sorrow; and

Be It Further Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be spread upon the Journal of the House and that the Chief Clerk be directed to send an enrolled copy to each member of the family of the deceased.

PETER A. JESSEN,

G. T. KUESTER,

JAY C. COLBURN,

Committee.

Unanimously adopted,