THE BONNER FAMILY TREE
THOMAS BONER
Thomas Boner married Mary Sims by banns at Frensham church 4th February 1777, neither could sign their name and left their mark. Children may include Isaac son of Thomas Bonner baptised 9th June 1777, Isaac died aged 6 and was buried at Frensham on 18th February 1784, Thomas son of Thomas Boner was baptised 1st April 1779, Elizabeth baptised 8th November 1780, Sarah daughter of Thomas Boner of Chert was baptised 7th May 1782, Sarah sadly died in infancy and was buried at Frensham on 17th July 1782, Richard was baptised 2nd May 1783, Mary was baptised 20th March 1785, James was baptised 25th December 1786. Isaac born 1790, William son of Thomas & Mary Bonner was baptised in 1792.
RICHARD BONNER 1783 -
Richard Bonner son of Thomas Boner and Mary Sims, was baptised at Frensham church 2nd May 1783. He married Charlotte Collyer by banns at Frensham church on 14th May 1808. Charlotte was the daughter of John Colyer, she was baptised 5th March 1786. They had one child Mary baptised on 23rd April 1809, aged 23 days. Charlotte died 3 years after her marriage age 24 and was buried on 3rd January 1811 at Frensham.
Three years later Richard married Sarah West on 12th February 1814, witnessed by Ann West. Sarah had a son James whom she baptised in December 1813, Richard brought him up as his own son giving him the name Bonner. Richard and Sarah had 5 more children, William (2) baptised 12th March or April Good Friday 1816, Jane baptised 15th November 1818, she married John Loveland 10th August 1844. Caroline baptised 26th August 1821, Richard baptised 30th May 1824, Henry baptised 5th October 1825. The family appear on the 1841 census for Frensham, living at Peirpoint, Richard age 55 is an Agricultural Labourer, Sarah his wife age 54, son James age 24 a Gardener, son William age 20 and son Richard age 15 both Agricultural Labourers.
Richard died age 61 and was buried 30th May 1844.
JAMES BONNER 1813 -
James Bonner was the illegitimate child of Sarah West, he was baptised James West on 26th December 1813 at Frensham church. 2 months after his baptism his mother married widower Richard Bonner by banns on 12th February 1814, witnessed by Ann West. No one signed their own names. James became the eldest of 6 children. James's father Richard died in 1844. He married Mary Aldred daughter of Thomas Aldred and Harriet Remnant, at Frensham on 3rd June 1847, James was a Gardener and neither he or Mary could sign their names. They settled in Frensham and their first son Frederick James was born the following year on 10th June 1848, followed 2 years later with William Charles, but tragedy struck, Mary became very ill after the birth of William and died. William Charles was baptised on the 7th June 1850 the same day his Mary was buried. James sent his son Frederick James to live with Mary's parents Thomas and Harriet Aldred, and infant William Charles was sent to live with Mary's brother James Aldred and his wife Ann. I do not know what happened to James from here.
FREDERICK JAMES BONNER 1848 -
Frederick James was the first son of James Bonner and Mary Aldred, he was born 10th June 1848 and was baptised 30th July 1848 at Frensham. His mother died just before his 2nd birthday, so he went to live with his grand parents Thomas Aldred and Harriet Remnant. The 1851 census shows this, he became known as James, presumably because of his uncle Frederick who was still living at home during this time. Thomas Aldred died in 1855 leaving young F. James in his wife Harriets care, she was still working as a School Mistress age 61, 1861 census.
Frederick James moved to Wimbledon where he worked as a plasterer, and married Mary Hatcher daughter of John Thomas Hatcher and Matilda Chandler. They had a daughter Mary Matilda born 31st January 1870 and baptised 29th May 1870 at Wimbledon. The 1871 census shows Mary Bonner and daughter Mary Matilda living with her parents at South Road, Wimbledon. There was no sign of F.James, but he couldn't have been far away as the following year another child Albert Edward was baptised at Wimbledon on 27th August 1871. After this the family moved to Chiswick where F.James became a Brewers Servant, stories from the family say there were more children. Mary died from Cancer on 1st April 1879 at The Cottage, Mansion Lane, Chiswick, attended by her aunt Jane Chandler, she was only 27 years old. F. James like his father sent his children to relatives and never saw them again.
MARY MATILDA BONNER 1870 - 1951 (TILLY)
Mary Matilda was the eldest child of Frederick James Bonner and Mary Hatcher, she was born 31st January 1870 and baptised at Wimbledon on 29th May 1871. She was close to her grand parents Thomas and Matilda Hatcher, as a baby she spent quite a bit of time with them. She moved to Chiswick where her father F. James worked as a Brewer's Servant. When Mary was 9 years old her mother died of Cancer after giving birth. Tilly related her story to Iris Barton in the 1940's as follows " It was April Fools day and Tilly was taken to the room where her dead mother lay in her coffin with the dead baby by her side partly hidden by her long hair. Some children saw her crying at the gate, and called her an April Fool, not knowing the reason for her tears. Tilly and her brother Edwin and sister Maud were sent to live with cousins in Chiswick, and then she went to live her uncle William Bonner (her fathers brother), who had a Pub the Bucks Horn Oak at Bentley, Farnham , Surrey on the border of Hampshire which later became the Half Way House. Mary Matilda said she had a very happy childhood. Mary Matilda's siblings were sent to relatives in America and she never saw them or her father again, but they both wrote to her."
It's a very sad story, her Mothers death certificate only mentions the cancer not the child birth, and the census returns show that Mary Matilda actually went to live with her grand parents Thomas and Matilda Hatcher who had the Duke of Cambridge Beer House in North Road, Wimbledon. Her grand mother Matilda died age 54 in November 1880. The 1881 census shows John T Hatcher a Beer Retailer, with a Servant and 2 Boarders and grand daughter Matilda Bonner age 11. After this I'm not sure why or how she came to live in the Farnham area, but she did, and this is where William Charles Bonner fits into her story supposedly owning the Bucks Horn Oak Pub at Bentley. Also her fathers uncle Thomas Aldred owned the Blue Bell at Batts Corner a pub, and Arthur Aldred owned the the Half Way House at Binstead.
Mary Matilda met Charles William Stallard a gardener from Ash, she fell in love with his dark eyes. They married at St James's church Rowledge, on 5th March 1892. William Charles Bonner and Alice Aldred were witnesses. (there are two Alice Aldred's and I'm not sure which one was the witness).
Charles worked as Gardener and Coachman to Colonel Gleuny who lived at Fairview, College Lane, Ash Common. It was a large house, and they became caretakers and lived there whilst Colonel Gleuny was abroad. Their first four children were born here, when the owner returned they moved to Fairview Villas, Alexander Road, Ash. The other 5 children where born here. Charles died in 1931 and Mary Matilda died 23rd January 1951.
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