My Great Grandfather - Stephen Harrison Bonham

From the "History of Luzerne County Pennsylvania"

Stephen Harrison BONHAM, farmer, P.O. Prichard, was born April 24, 1841, in Union township, where he was educated at the common schools. He is a son of Nelson and Barbara A. (Wilkinson) Bonham, the former born in Union township February 18, 1821; the latter in Ross township in 1818. He worked at home on his father's farm until the war of the Rebellion; the Civil War; broke out.  In the following year he volunteered to defend his country's honor at the price of life, if need be, and was mustered into the United States service as private in Company F, One Hundred and Forty third P.V.I., for the term of three years. He displayed fortitude and patriotism in such battles as Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Gettysburg and many other well-contested battles. (From the words of his daughter Elizabeth) “Bullets passed through his hat and clothing but he was never wounded.  His younger brother Henderson was taken prisoner by the Confederates at the Battle of the Wilderness and starved in prison.  While in the war father sent his money home and his father bought a rough stony farm of 110 acres and after the war he settled on it.” He was promoted to sergeant and discharged as such. On his return from the army he engaged in agriculture on his own account, in what is now Hunlock Township, on one hundred acres of native soil. He displayed his energy and pluck in subduing this wild land and producing out of it a beautiful and productive farm, equipped with buildings of modern style and finish. Mr. Bonham was twice married, first time in 1867, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Amos and Lydia A. Kittle, and she bore him one child, Amos D. This wife died in 1873, and Mr. Bonham, for his second wife, married, in 1874, Miss Frances, daughter of John P. and Elizabeth Wagner, by which union were born four children: Elizabeth, Josiah, May and Hugh. Mrs. Frances (Wagner) Bonham died in August 1890. In 1889 our subject purchased a house and lot in Nanticoke, to which place he removed, and there remained one and one-half years. He is a worthy gentleman, a practical farmer and a loyal citizen. Politically he is a Republican, and in religious faith he is a consistent member of the M.E. Church.

(To conclude with words of Elizabeth) “Father was first married to Sarah Elizabeth Kittle September 30, 1867.  October 1, 1868 a son, Amos Daniel Bonham, was born.  His first wife died August 28, 1873 and the 26^th of April 1874 he married Frances Ann Wagner, my mother.  She had been a schoolteacher.  They had four children, myself, Josiah Wagner, Mattie Mae, and Hugh Wilmer.  They worked hard on this farm and cleared it of debt.  About 1884 they built an eight-room home on it.  In 1889 they leased the farm and moved to West Nanticoke for schooling for the children.  Father was never happy away from the farm.  After my mother’s death in 1890 they moved back to the farm and stayed there until his death March 19, 1911.”

Frances Louise Selleneit

Obituary for Frances Louise Selleneit - Mattie Mae's daughter

Hugh Wilmer Bonham - Mattie Mae's Youngest Brother

Hugh Wilmer Bonham born 19 March 1886, youngest child of Stephen Harrison Bonham and Frances Ann Wagner.

Written by himself

I was born on my mother's birthday and my father passed away on my birthday in 1911. My youth memories are not too pleasant, losing my mother when I needed a mother's loving care is pretty hard to endure. I was 4 1/2 when she died. Our first stepmother, Rose Leteer was an old maid and not used to children and I being the youngest gave her a bad time. She caused me to get many spankings.

I attended elementary and grammar schools in Roringbrook, Pennsylvania and a teachers school in summer at Pleasant Hill Academy and in 1903 went to Strondsburg Normal school. In the fall of 1904 started at Bloomsburg Normal, after one month I quit school and left for Pittsburg, Pennsylvania where I found employment and stayed there till April, 1905. In the meantime a pal of mine, John Austin, joined me and full of wanderlust we left Pittsburg for Detroit, Chicago, Peoria, and St. Louis for about six weeks then went to Granite City, Illinois where I stayed, working at American Steel Company as an overhead crane operator until the depression of 1907-08 when I returned home to Pennsylvania until sometime in 1908. Was called back to my old job at the foundry. After a few months I met Grace Orrick at an amusement part. After a brief courtship we were married in Alton, Illinois on January 1, 1909. On November 1, 1909 our son Worth Orrick was born.

We each liked to travel so in 1911 we decided to seek a new location. We sold our accumulation of furniture. Grace stayed with her mother at Ironton, Missouri while I looked for that ideal spot. I went to Phoenix, Arizona and worked as an auto mechanic at New State Auto Areal Company. Of course it was pretty hot there. Grace thought it would be bad for our baby so we decided to go to San Diego, then Los Angeles, next Seattle and then to Vancouver, British Columbia. I obtained employment there and sent for my wife and son. We stayed until the following summer then came to Portland in June during the Rose Festival celebration. Found a furnished house in a nice district for $12.00 a month. On August 2nd of that year 1914 our daughter Winefred was born in Milwaukie, Oregon. That next spring we bought some suburban acreage. One acre for $1,250.00 and built a shack and moved to the country. Over the years as time went on we accumulated more property and decided to try farming. We had 8 1/2 acres and three houses to sell. One a three bedroom dutch colonial on 1 1/2 acres, and two smaller places, one acre each and a five acre unimproved tract.

In 1942 we bought our 40 acre farm that we very much enjoyed.

We have three grandsons, our daughters one son and our son has two sons. We enjoy them and are proud of them and their families.

Josiah Wagner Bonham - Brother of Mattie Mae Bonham

Written by Hugh W. Bonham (brother)

Josiah Wagner Bonham was born 5 January 1811, the first son and second child of Stephen Harrison Bonham and his second wife Frances Ann Wagner in Hunlock Creek, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA.  

Josiah went to business college and worked in Wilkes-Berre bookkeeping and did some selling.  He married Harriet Lanning 26 May 1908 and started a brokerage business.  They had one daughter Carroll.

Matte Mae Bonham was born in the old house in Hunlock Creek, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, on 27 March, 1883.  

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Grandma Mattie Mae's birthday has always been special to me because my own daughter, Brenda Hixson Francis was also born on March 27.

This beautiful pencil sketch of the old home was done from a small photo in very poor condition, by my dear cousin, Dennis Orgill.

My Grandfather - Louis Charles Selleneit

Louis Charles Selleneit was born on 13 November 1879 in Tintah, Traverse, Minnesota, USA. He died on 28 Oct 1948 in Centerville, Davis, Utah, USA.

Louis married Mattie Mae Bonham daughter of Stephen Harrison Bonham and Francis Ann Wagner on 26 May 1908 in Denver, Lincoln, Colorado, USA.

They bought a homestead farm, where they had a dairy. They lived there about five years and had two children, Francis and Paul.