Baby Shari

Another picture from 1970, this time of me and my little sister Shari. The picture was taken at Granddad and Grandma Smith's house.

Granddad and Jason

Here are two pictures of Granddad and his grandson Jason Smith, taken April, 1970.

Me 1967

This picture was taken shortly before my first birthday (maybe late 1967).

175th birthday

Amanda Chaney was born in Butler County, OH on Sep 28, 1831 to James and Zilpha (Ayers) Chaney, the oldest of their four children. She married Seneca Bunnell in Clinton Co, IN on Sep 12 1854. They had eleven children. Amanda died Oct 29, 1875 in Wayne County, IL at the age of forty-four.

Sep 25 - Isaac Smith

Sep 25, 1832 was the birthday of Isaac Smith. Isaac was first married to Sarah McIrvin. After her death he married a widow, Emma (Yearian) Crooks. Isaac died athte age of 93 years and one day on Sep 26, 1925. My grandfather was named after him and recalled that Isaac once gave him five dollars. This past year another Isaac Smith entered the world - my cousin's new baby.

Colorado kids

Here is a picture of the kids taken last spring out in Colorado.

Sep 22 - Gracie Smith

Sep 22, 1888 was the birthdate of Gracie Araminta Bunnell. She was the oldest daughter of Harve and May Bunnell and second of six children. She married Fred Smith on Oct 1, 1905. They had six children. She died Dec 1, 1967 and is buried int he Cisne Cemetery. Click here to see her onlinne memorial: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=501&GSmid=46530842&GRid=12887388&

Sep 21 - Isabelle Fairleigh

Sep 21, 1823 was the birthdate of Isabelle (Ramsey) Fairleigh. She was married to Alexander Ramsey, a blacksmith, and they were the grandparents of Bertha Farleigh Shelton. Isabelle died on Mar 18, 1907 and is buried in the Yohe Cemetery in Mt. Erie, IL.

Jeannie

Here is a picture taken just last night of me and my good friend Jeannie at the St. Louis Gast Haus. I've known Jeannie for about four years, I guess - a really sweet person.

Find-a-Grave Project

I'd like to tell you all about a new project I am working on. Find a Grave is a great website is a website created to save both old and new gravesites online. It was created by a fellow named Jim Tipton. Jim was born in Michigan but spent most of his youth in Denver, Colorado. As a kid, when he wasn't solving the Rubik's cube with his feet or juggling fire, Jim was figuring out how anything electronic worked. The arrival of the personal computer brought a whole new outlet for Jim's nerdy tendencies. Jim attended Grinnell College in Iowa and earned a degree in music. He now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah (non-Mormon) with his wife, daughter and three cats.

Jim created the Find A Grave website in 1995 because he could not find an existing site that catered to his hobby of visiting the graves of famous people. He found that there are many thousands of folks around the world who share his interests. What began as an odd hobby became a livelihood and a passion.

Building and seeing Find A Grave grow beyond his wildest expectations has been immensely satisfying for Jim. Every day, contributors from around the world enter new records, thousands use the site as an educational reference tool, long-lost loved ones are located and millions of lives are fondly remembered. In what other line of work would Jim have met one of the last living munchkins, spoken to a gathering of grave enthusiasts in a Hollywood mausoleum and acquired treasures like his antique coffin screwdriver (it only screws in)?

I have started entering into Find-a-Grave every person laid to rest in the Cisne Cemetery. I had entered a few relatives already, but the more I thought about it the more I wanted to save the entire cemetery for other geneaologists. I began a couple of weeks ago and thus far have entered in (with photographs of the stones) almost 300 graves - I am estimating that there are about 3,000 people buried there. You can access the Cisne Cemetery by clicking here and then searching the interments:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=105135&CScn=Cisne+Cemetery&CScntry=4&CSst=16&

Sep 10 - Isaac Smith

Granddad would have been 87 today. Grandma gave me this picture a couple of years ago. It was taken in early 1959. Granddad worked long days on the farm and I think he looks so comfortable on the couch - relaxing. That's how I like to remember him.

73rd Anniversary

Harry and Leone Shelton, married in Fairfield, IL September 9, 1933.

Where to bury A Dog

Where To Bury A Dog

There are various places within which a dog may be buried. We are thinking now of a setter, whose coat was flame in the sunshine, and who, so far as we are aware, never entertained a mean or an unworthy thought. This setter is buried beneath a cherry tree, under four feet of garden loam, and at its proper season the cherry strews petals on the green lawn of his grave. Beneath a cherry tree, or an apple, or any flowering shrub of the garden, is an excellent place to bury a good dog. Beneath such trees, such shrubs, he slept in the drowsy summer, or gnawed at a flavorous bone, or lifted head to challenge some strange intruder. These are good places, in life or in death. Yet it is a small matter, and it touches sentiment more than anything else.
For if the dog be well remembered, if sometimes he leaps through your dreams actual as in life, eyes kindling, questing, asking, laughing, begging, it matters not at all where that dog sleeps at long and at last. On a hill where the wind is unrebuked and the trees are roaring, or beside a stream he knew in puppyhood, or somewhere in the flatness of a pasture land, where most exhilarating cattle graze. It is all one to the dog, and all one to you, and nothing is gained, and nothing lost -- if memory lives. But there is one best place to bury a dog. One place that is best of all.
If you bury him in this spot, the secret of which you must already have, he will come to you when you call -- come to you over the grim, dim frontiers of death, and down the well-remembered path, and to your side again. And though you call a dozen living dogs to heel they should not growl at him, nor resent his coming, for he is yours and he belongs there.
People may scoff at you, who see no lightest blade of grass bent by his footfall, who hear no whimper pitched too fine for mere audition, people who may never really have had a dog. Smile at them then, for you shall know something that is hidden from them, and which is well worth the knowing.
The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of his master.

Leone and Edna

This is an interesting photo of Edna Walker and Leone Shelton, two duahgters of Willard and Mattie Rogers. I'm fairly sure I copied it from Uncle Raymond's collection. Harry Shelton is seen pumping out out a tune at the organ. Not sure where it was taken, or whose home is in the picture? Any ideas?

A bit about Nathaniel Bonnell

Here is abit about Harve Bunnell's great-great-great grandfather. It was written by Alvy Ray Smith, who's website can be linked here:http://alvyray.com/Family/
Nathaniel Bonnell1,2 (M)b. 1648, d. 1696Pedigree

Nathaniel Bonnell His surname spelled Bunnell, then Bonnel, then Bonnell. Day Upon Day, p 42:"Our ancestor Nathaniel was born in New Haven in 1648, and died at Elizabeth, N. J. in 1696. He came to New Jersey as one of the Elizabethtown Associates in 1664. On January 3, 1665, he married Susanna Whitehead, b. New Haven, Aug. 5, 1650. Her parents were the Rev. and Mrs. Isaac Whitehead. Isaac Whitehead was born about 1624 in Kent, England. He was one of the founders of New Haven, a planter in 1643, taking the oath of fidelity on Marfch 7, 1647. He was the first known Clerk in New Haven [I think this should be Elizabethtown]. He also was one of the Elizabethtown Associates. On March 22nd, 1679, he was appointed Captain in the militia at Elizabeth. He was a Judge of Small Causes in 1683 and Coroner in 1686. This information comes from the History of Elizabeth, by Edwin Hatfield.From Genealogical Dictionary of First Settlers of New England by Savage, Vol. IV, 1862:-The children of Isaac Whitehead:1. Susanna b. Aug. 5, 16502. Isaac b. Nov. 20, 16523. Mary b. Nov. 20, 16544. Sarah b. Jan. 3, 16565. Samuel b. June 15, 16586. Joseph b. Apr. 20, 16617. Grace b. Nov. 12, 1663Along with the other Elizabethtown Associates, Nathaniel Bonnel was granted a farm of sixteen acres and a six-acre town-house lot.About 1670, nathaniel I, with his skill as a carpenter and builder erected a residence on his town house lot which was so strong and beautiful that it is still standing at 1045 East Jersey St., the oldest house in Elizabeth, N. J. It has been restored and is now the headquarters of the New Jersey Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
These are the children of Nathaniel and Susanna Whitehead Bonnel: -
...1. Nathaniel II, born about 1670
2. Isaac 1673
3. Samuel 1675
4. Lydia 1677
5. Jane 1680
6. Benjamin 1682
7. Joseph 1685

In the New Jersey Archives, Vol. XXI, p. 159, NB. I, Nathaniel is referred to as a member of the General Assembly from Elizabeth in 1692 and in 1696 he signed a petition of the inhabitants of Elizabeth asking relief from oppression of the Lords Proprietors. This is the last mention of his name in the records and he probably died soon after.
After his death, his wife Susannah Witehead Bonnel moved to Springfield, N. J. where she died on February 13, 1733 and was buried in the cemetery at Connecticut Farms (now Union, N. J.) near Elizabeth."I visited the Nathaniel Bonnell - Susannah Whitehead house in Elizabeth NJ on 4 Oct 2000 and took photos of it. It also now houses the East Elizabeth Development Corporation. It has two historical signs in its front yard. It faces another home built by another relative, the Belcher-Ogden home, across East Jersey St. Both houses are surrounded with not so pleasant slumming Elizabeth buildings. They are only a block or two from the Elizabeth City Hall.

Descendants spell the name "Bonnell".
i Nathaniel, b c. 1670, d 4 Sep 1736; m Mary ____.
ii Isaac, d Jan 1712; m Elizabeth _____.
iii Samuel; m Abigail _____, step-daughter of Samuel Rose.
iv Lydia; [m Ephraim Price].
v Jane.
vi Benjamin, d 17 May 1760; m Sarah Potter.
vii Joseph, d 14 Mar 1748; m (1) c. 1711 Rebecca, wid. Samule Riggs; m(2) Martha _____."

NHV = New Haven Vital Records. I don't know why "[m Ephraim Price]" above is enclosed in square brackets. Nathaniel was born at New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, in 1648.3 He was the son of William Bonnell and Anne Wilmot. He married Susannah Whitehead at New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, on 3 January 1666. Savage gives year as 1667 ns.4,5,2,6 Nathaniel died in 1696 at Elizabethtown, Essex, New Jersey, USA.

Children of Nathaniel Bonnell and Susannah Whitehead
Nathaniel Bonnell+ b. c 1670, d. 4 Sep 1736
Isaac Bonnell b. 1673, d. Jan 1712
Samuel Bonnell b. 1675
Lydia Bonnell b. 1677
Jane Bonnell b. 1680
Benjamin Bonnell b. 1682, d. 17 May 1760
Joseph Bonnell b. 1685, d. 14 Mar 1748

More about the Bunnells

Interesting Facts(?), Bonnel/Bunnell LIST

Disclaimer: I am not insinuating that any of these folks/etc. are related,only that they are fortunate to have the same surname.

1. The BONNELL name has also been spelled as: Bonnel, Bunnell, and Bunnel when referring to the SAME people in old census lists and documents!
2.The name may have originated from French "Buenells".
3.The SOUNDEX Code for BONNELL is B540 (Buenells is B542).
4.There were 2 Bonnell's as 1st class passengers aboard the RMS TITANIC - fortunately, they were also survivors: Miss Elizabeth Bonnell and her niece Miss Caroline Bonnell.
5.The OLDEST house in Elizabeth, NJ, is the Nathaniel Bonnell House, at 1045 East Jersey Street, erected before 1682 by Bonnell, a French Huguenot. (Look under: Places To See, Historical Sites in Elizabeth)
6.There was a BONNELL on the "Hollywood Squares" TV show in August 1972.
7.Heard about the The Face on Mars? There is a Jerry T. Bonnell associated with NASA that has!
8.If you ever visit Austin, TX, stop by Mount Bonnell.
9.A USGenWeb Archive of the FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA has some BONNELLs listed as church members (1838: Abraham, Lydia H., Catherine, & Rachel).
10.More BONNELL E-mails and information can be found at Robert Bonnell's Connect with Other Bonnells site.
11. There is a BONNELL dorm at Oxford that is part of the Jolley Residential Center!
12.In the recently published book "24 Hours in Cyberspace", there are 7 Bonnell's in the Guestbook section.
13.Many in the Bonnell / Bunnell tree were LOYALISTS (or Tories), some of whom have been documented by Paul J. Bunnell. Here's some of Paul's books.
14. Not to be confused with this Paul Bunnell who has an interest in Hypnosis.
15. Interested in some information about Telegraph Keys:"... Jesse Bunell, a former field telegrapher for President Abraham Lincoln during the United States Civil War ..." J.H. Bunnell & Company. Also BUNNELL Telegraph Keys and The SPARKS Telegraph Key Review.
16. Want to change your scenery? Try Mike Bonnell's Computer Wallpaper.

Nathanial Bonnell's Tombstone

This article is from 1997, but thought it would be of interest to any Bunnell ancestors looking in on this site. Nathaniel Bonnell was a brother to Harve Bunnell's great-grandfather.
Loder, Christopher M.
"Cops let 1740s headstone rest in peace once more". Newark Star Ledger, Oct. 17, 1997, p. 21. [Newark, NJ]

Nathaniel Bonnel's tombstone, which has been in Union Township police custody since December, returns today to the church cemetery where it stood for 252 years.
The return of the brownstone marker- used to identify a member of one of New Jersey's oldest families, dating back to the mid-1600's- ends a saga that began last year when it was stolen from the cemetery of the Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church.
"It is a religious and sacred marker not for sale in the marketplace," township historian Michael Yesenko wrote in a letter to police. "On the black market, it could have a value or price of $10,000 because of its scarcity and historic significance to Elizabeth and the township of Union.
Police became aware of the stolen gravemarker in late December when Detective Joseph Dilginis went to an Evergreen Parkway house during an unrelated investigation. Dilginis saw the tombstone leaning against the wall on the floor in the dining room.
Marc Work, 31, was arrested for receiving stolen property. In July, he pleaded guilty and paid a $650 fine. "I thought it was stolen from a cemetery," Dilginis said. "He (Work) said he bought it from a garage sale in Pennsylvania." Dilginis knew otherwise. "It was because of the name Bonnel that I knew it could be from here," he said. "It has a lot of historical significance."
The Bonnel family was among the first families to settle Elizabethtownin 1664, which is considered the first permanent English settlement in New Jersey.
"They are among the first associates and they decided how to map out the locations, settlements, churches and common grounds of the area known as Elizabethtown and its uplands," Yesenko said.
Those uplands included Connecticut Farms, which was settled in 1667 and became Union Township in 1808 and then Westfield and Plainfield.
"The Bonnels are a very important family," Yesenko said. "How many people can say they are connected with the first associates to settle Elizabethtown?"
Joseph Bonnel, who is also buried in the cemetery and whose relationship to Nathaniel is not immediately known, was the first mayor of the "borough" of Elizabeth, Yesenko said.
"Joseph lived in Connecticut Farms and was a lawyer and magistrate," he said. "He was among the leaders to petition the King of England to create a borough of Elizabeth and give them the right of self-government."
Nathaniel's tombstone is chiseled in old-stype English and does not contain the word "the", reflecting the change between the Gregorian and Julian calendars. The date of his death reads March 22, 1744/45. Bonnel, the tombstone says, was 32 when he died.
Other family members buried in the church cemetery include Hannah Bonnel, who died in 1740; Stephen Bonnel, 1757; and Aaron and Phoebe Bonnel, who died in 1793 and 1799, respectively.

Wayne and Bertha

Wayne and Bertha shelton siting in their front yard. Grandpa is seen to the far left and Bryon's wife, Beatrice, is in the background.

Rhoda and Dwight

This is Rhoda Bunnell with baby Dwight.

Granddad

Here is a picture of Granddad taken just north of my house, discing and planting grass seed. The photo was taken five years ago - August 29, 2001.

Grandma's Mums

It time for Chysthanthimums. these are Grandma Smith's Mums - Very pretty from the road - about 1987.

Me and Grandma 1984

Backyard photo from 1984 of Grandma Shelton and I. Grandma is now 91 and still ful of fun. I'm am taking her some flowers and getting a good visit in tomorrow. If she is up for a drive, it should be a good day for it.

Cricket - 1969

A random picture of Dad and I on Cricket, Marshall Place, Carmi, IL 1969

Sep 4 - Raymond Shelton

Happy birthday to a super uncle! Hope it was great!

Japanese Festival

Here are some pictures taken this afternoon (Sep 3, 2006) at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. It was the thrid time I had attended the festival - always a lot of fun. This year I bought a Japanese fan and block puzzle (made in Italy - haha!) of Asian art.
This is the Japanese Garden
The Zen Garden
This display is made entirely of glass - reminded me of birds.
Here are a couple of beautiful ladies I met at the garden.




These are floating pieces of glass artwork that is also on display at the Botanical Garden. They are lighted at night time - You have to see them at night! Beautiful! Hope you all enjoyed the pictures

Sep 2 - Harry Shelton

Harry shelton was born Sept. 2, 1911. this photo was taken about 1971 in Fairfield, IL. Grandpa died all too soon the following year on Aug 3 at the age of 59.

Happy 15th Birthday Cameron Noone!

Happy Birthday Kiddo! Hope you're having a great time! Uncle David