Orville Bonner
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Orville Roland Bonner (1910 - 1998)

Orville Roland Bonner
Born in Norfolk, Nebraska, USAmap
Son of and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married 14 May 1938 (to Sep 1958) in Floridamap
Husband of — married about 1959 (to May 1978) in Pascagoula, Jackson, Mississippi, United Statesmap
Husband of — married 13 Aug 1979 in Montgomery, Alabama, United Statesmap
Descendants descendants
Father of , , and [private son (1950s - unknown)]
Died at age 87 in Mobile, Mobile, Alabama, USAmap
Problems/Questions Profile manager: Alicia Taylor private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 30 Oct 2018
This page has been accessed 632 times.


Contents

Biography

Early Childhood

Orville was born on 16 Aug 1910 in Boyd, Lynch Nebraska. He passed away 15 Jan 1998 in Mobile, Alabama. According to his stepson, he grew up in Father Flanagan's home for boys (which later became Boys Town) and left the orphanage at age 16. He traveled the country putting his carpentry skills to work and eventually joined the military. [1] According to a different step-son, he worked there - and wasn't raised there. According to that step-son, he wasn't in the Navy.

Appearance

On October 16, 1940, he registers for the draft in Pensacola, Florida. He lists his father-in-law ( John Henry Armstrong) as his next of kin. He is 5'6, has a ruddy complexion, gray eyes and brown hair. [2]

Marriages

Marriage to Ida Pearl

He married Ida Pearl Armstrong on 14 May 1938 in Escambia Country, Florida. [3]
During their marriage, they had three children, David Roland , Michael Paul, and Sandra Jean. Sadly, Sandra Jean died at birth.
In 1950, Orville worked as a woodwork instructor for a vocational school. They had two children living at home, Michael and David. [4] However, that same year, he also appeared on the census living as at a room and board. [5]
They later divorced in September of 1958[6] in Escambia County.

Relationship: Ophelia F Bonner

In 1953, while still married to Ida Pearl Armstrong, the phone book lists him living with "Ophelia F Bonner" in Columbus, Georgia. He is working as a cabinet maker there, as well.[7]

Emma Augusta Lee

According to conversations with her son, Orville Bonner marries Emma Augusta (Lee) Bonner (1918-1978) in early 1959 in Pascagoula, Mississippi. They have a son the following November in Mobile, Alabama.
During their marriage, they lived in Baton Rouge, Lousiana where he applied his carpentry skills. Emma was badly hurt in an automobile accident and received compensation. They used the money to purchase a house and moved back to Mobile. Sadly, their marriage ended when Emma succumbed to cancer before her son graduated high school in 1978.

Marriage to Ernestine Ryals

He marries Ernestine Ryals on 13 Aug 1979 in Alabama. [8] They lived in Mobile, Alabama together until his death from cancer.

Occupations

In 1940, he lived in a rented house on Government Street in Pensacola with his wife, Ida Pearl, and newborn son, David Roland. He worked as a meat packer [9] According to that same census, he previously lived in Houston, Texas around 1935. However, on his 1940 draft card, he says he is working for Transportation Inc, which was a general commodities trucking company. So he was probably driving a truck for the meat processing plant he worked for.
He appears with Hattie (Ida Pearl) and his son on the 1945 census working as a laborer, and still residing in Pensacola, FL. [10] By this time, he'd also built his house on North S street.
In 1956 and 1957, he uses his well-honed carpentry skills as a cabinet maker. Carpenter in Pensacola, FL[11]

Education

According to the 1940 census, he had graduated high school.

Death

He died on January 15, 1998, in Mobile, Alabama, at the age of 87. [12] He is buried in Serenity Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Theodore, Alabama in the Garden of Gethsemane plot (347-A1) [13]

Research Notes

Through an extensive conversation that I, Alicia (Bonner) Taylor, had with Orville's step-son (son of Emma Augusta (Lee) Bonner (1918-1978)), I discovered that Orville was NOT a child-resident of Father Flanagan's Home for Boys. As a young man, Orville left Nebraska for Chicago, Illinois, where he resided for a couple of years.
He was hard-hit by the depression and returned to Nebraska where he met Father Flanagan who admired Orville's carpentry skills and hired him to teach the boys at the orphanage.
I have found divorce records from a Louise E in Jan 1953[14] but he is married to Ida Pearl Armstrong at that time. He and Ida do not divorce until 1958. An Orville R Bonner also appears in Columbus Georgia in 1953 public records, married to an "Ophelia" [15], also during his marriage to Ida. However, I can find no records of marriage or divorce from Ophelia or Louise. The record to an Orville R Bonner and Ophelia lists that Orville as a cabinet maker. It seems an unusual unlikely coincidence. Currently, I can find no records of him in Pensacola in 1953 where Ida Peal resided.

Conflicts

He was not in the Navy. The Orville R. Bonner appearing on the Sixola and the USS Mobile is Orville Richard Bonner - not Orville Roland Bonner. He relayed to his step-son (son of Emma Augusta (Lee) Bonner (1918-1978)) that an injury he received while his father was teaching him to be a carpenter prevented him from joining the service.
His marriage certificate to Ernestine Ryals lists Emma Lee as his mother. However, she was his wife. He and Emma Lee sire one son together.

Sources

  1. ↑ As told personally to Alicia Taylor by his step-son, whom he raised.
  2. ↑ Ancestry Record 2238 #12490385 Name: Orville Roland Bonner Race: White Age: 30 Relationship to Draftee: Self (Head) Birth Place: Norfolk, Nebraska, USA Birth Date: 16 Aug 1910 Residence Place: Pensacola, Escambia, Florida, USA Registration Date: 16 Oct 1940 Employer: Transportation Inc Weight: 140 Complexion: Ruddy Eye Color: Gray Hair Color: Brown Height: 5 6 Next of Kin: John Henry Armstrong
  3. ↑ "Florida Marriages, 1830-1993," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRZZ-69R : 7 December 2017), Orville Roland Bonner and Ida Pearl Armstrong, 14 May 1938; citing Marriage, Florida, United States, Liberty County Clerk of Courts, Florida; FHL microfilm 2,115,726.
  4. ↑ 1950 Census: "United States 1950 Census"
    citing Page: 25; Line: 6; Digital film/folder number: 108808893; Image number: 26
    FamilySearch Record: 6XK1-W9JP (accessed 27 August 2023)
    FamilySearch Image: 3QHN-GQH7-YD52
    Name: Orville R Bonner; Occupation: Wood Work Distributor; Race: W; Marital Status: Married; Census Date: Aprild 14, 1950; Census Place: West Pensacola, Escambia, Florida, United States; Birth Date: 1911; Birth Place: Nebraska; Residence Date: 1949; Age: 39 years; Household Continued: No; 3Plus Acres: No; Occupation Industry: Vocation School; Institution2To Line1950Census: 1; Image Folder1950Census: 43290879-Florida-132304; Relationship To Head: Head; Misc Worker Class: G; Lived On Farm: No; Occupation Category: Wk; Enumerator Name: Viorla Rully; Misc Code B1950Census: 046; Misc Code C1950Census: 093; Misc Hours Worked: 40; Image Dimensions: 3933,4617; Misc Code C21950Census: 2; Misc Code C11950Census: 888; System Of Record: SLS.
      • Orville R Bonner M 39 years Married Head Wood Work Distributor Nebraska
      • Ida P Bonner F 34 years Married Wife Florida
      • David R Bonner M 10 years Never married Son Florida
      • Michael P Bonner M 1 years Never married Son Florida
  5. ↑ 1950 United States Federal Census: National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Pensacola, Escambia, Florida; Roll: 3531; Page: 17; Enumeration District: 17-42 Ancestry Record 62308 #81027494 1950 United States Federal Census:
    Name:Orville R Bonner
    Age:39
    Race:White
    Birth Place:Nebraska
    Marital Status:Married
    Relation to Head of House:Roomer
    Residence Date:1950
    Home in 1950:Pensacola, Escambia, Florida, USA
    Street Name:N Spring
    Occupation:Instructor
    Industry:??? Vocational School
    Occupation Category:Working
    Hours Worked:40
    Household Members
    NameAgeRelationship
    Vora E Wilkinson62Head
    Duglas R Jones44Roomer
    Jack P Campbell26Roomer
    R O Wheeler25Roomer
    Bill Griffin25Roomer
    Orville R Bonner39Roomer
    Joe Weaver29Roomer
    Reeves Reeves23Roomer
    Tillis Palmer39Roomer
    O Lee Carter33Roomer
    Pickett54Roomer
    Everitt Everitt31Roomer
    Stanley Powell28Roomer
    Leona Cunningham43Cook
    Billy Brewton18Roomer
    Nate Richie21Roomer
  6. ↑ Ancestry Record 8837 #598925 Name: Orville R Bonner Gender: Male Spouse's name: Ida Pearl Bonner Divorce Date: Sep 1958 Divorce Place: Escambia, Florida, USA Certificate Number: 12147
  7. ↑ Ancestry Record 2469 #694849326 Name: Orville R Bonner Gender: Male Residence Year: 1953 Residence Place: Columbus, Georgia, USA Occupation: Cabinet Maker Spouse: Ophelia F Bonner Publication Title: Columbus, Georgia, City Directory, 1953
  8. ↑ "Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1Q-4P8F : 28 November 2018), Orville Roland Bonner and Ernestine Ryals Willcutt, 13 Aug 1979; citing Montgomery, Alabama, United States, County Probate Courts, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,893,766.
  9. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTHN-ZQD: 14 March 2018), Orville R Bonner, Ward 3, Pensacola, Election Precinct 12, Escambia, Florida, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 17-28, sheet 14B, line 76, family 313, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 585.
  10. ↑ https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/15507819?h=828585 Ancestry Record 1506 #3998479 Name Arville Bonner Age 34 Gender Male Race White Birth Place Nebraska Est. Birth Year abt 1911 Census year 1945 Locality Precinct 2 County Escambia Page30 Line16 Archive Series #S1371, Roll 16 Household Members NameAge Name Arville Bonner Age 34
  11. ↑ (1956 and1957 Pensacola City directories)Ancestry Record 2469 #671704353 NameOrville R BonnerGenderMaleResidence Year1956Street Address715 N S IResidence PlacePensacola, Florida, USAOccupationCabinet MakerSpouseIda P BonnerPublication TitlePensacola, Florida, City Directory, 1956Household Members NameAge Name Ida P Bonner Name Orville R Bonner
  12. ↑ Ancestry Record 3693 #5718084 Name: Orville R. Bonner SSN: 454-05-9610 Last Residence: 36606 Mobile, Mobile, Alabama, USA Born: 16 Aug 1910 Died: 15 Jan 1998 State (Year) SSN issued: Texas (Before 1951)
  13. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/198592688/orville-r-bonner : accessed 07 October 2021), memorial page for Orville R Bonner (1910–1998), Find a Grave Memorial ID 198592688, citing Serenity Memorial Gardens, Theodore, Mobile County, Alabama, USA ; Maintained by Jill Wave (contributor 48865354) .
  14. ↑ Ancestry Record 897 #113700 Spouse 1: Orville R Bonner Gender: Male Spouse 2: Louise E Bonner Gender: Female Divorce Date: Jan 1953 County: Russell,
  15. ↑ Ancestry Record 2469 #694849326 Name: Orville R Bonner Gender: Male Residence Year: 1953 Residence Place: Columbus, Georgia, USA Occupation: Cabinet Maker Spouse: Ophelia F Bonner Publication Title: Columbus, Georgia, City Directory, 1953




Memories: 1
Enter a personal reminiscence or story.
Alicia (Bonner) Taylor
He was my grandfather, but I never met him. My father had very few memories of him, but I got to talk to a step-son he did raise. He grew up in Father Flanagan's home for boys (which later became Boys Town) and left the orphanage at age 16. He traveled the country putting his carpentry skills to work and eventually joined the military. On his marriage certificate to Ernestine Ryals he listed his parents as John Roland Bonner and Emma Lee. I found this information on 12/6/2018 and it was groundbreaking because I'd been trying to figure out who his family was for years. Now, I've hit another roadblock. If you have any information on this family, I would greatly appreciate it.
posted 8 Dec 2018 by Alicia (Bonner) Taylor   [thank Alicia]
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Orville by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Orville:

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Images: 2
Orville Bonner and his dog
Orville Bonner and his dog
Orville Roland Bonner
Orville Roland Bonner


Comments: 3

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G. (Bartomeo) Borrero
He was on the S.S. Sixaola on 16 May 1942 sailing from Cristobal, Colon, Panama to New Orleans, Louisiana on 27 May 1942. Just a month later, the ship was attacked with two torpedoes - talk about lucky timing on your ancestor's part! Gives his birth place as Lynch, Boyd County, Nebraska and his birthdate as 16 Aug 1910.

Source:

"Louisiana, New Orleans Passenger Lists, 1820-1945," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZQK-5KG : 12 March 2018), Orville R Bonner, 1942; citing Ship Sixaola, affiliate film #181, NARA microfilm publications M259 and T905 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 2,311,531.

posted by G. (Bartomeo) Borrero
G. (Bartomeo) Borrero
1940 Census gives his birth state as Nebraska, previous residence as Houston, Texas. Misgives his wife's given name as Hattie, but correct middle name of Pearl.

Source:

"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTHN-ZQD : 14 March 2018), Orville R Bonner, Ward 3, Pensacola, Election Precinct 12, Escambia, Florida, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 17-28, sheet 14B, line 76, family 313, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 585.

posted by G. (Bartomeo) Borrero
G. (Bartomeo) Borrero
Married his wife Ida Pearl Armstrong on 14 May 1938 in Escambia County, Florida.

Source:

"Florida Marriages, 1830-1993," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRZZ-69R : 7 December 2017), Orville Roland Bonner and Ida Pearl Armstrong, 14 May 1938; citing Marriage, Florida, United States, Liberty County Clerk of Courts, Florida; FHL microfilm 2,115,726.

posted by G. (Bartomeo) Borrero

Featured National Park champion connections: Orville is 16 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 25 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 19 degrees from George Catlin, 15 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 21 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 17 degrees from George Grinnell, 29 degrees from Anton Kröller, 17 degrees from Stephen Mather, 22 degrees from Kara McKean, 19 degrees from John Muir, 20 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 26 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.

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