Bonde Bunderson

Son of Sjunne and Kjersti Bunderson. On the 1864 Monarch of the Sea manifest his name is "Bonde Bondesson." His birth date and death date are confirmed by his death certificate.

John Smith Company (1864)

   Age at Departure: Infant

Traveled with

   Sjunne Bunderson (Age: 31)

   Kjersti Monson Bunderson (Age: 30)

Boon Bunderson was born 30 March 1864 in Landskrona, Skåne, Sweden while his parents were on their way to America.. He was the third child of Sjuni Bondison and Charsty (Kjersti) Månsson. Two older girls, Sissa, who was five and Elna, three, who were born in Felestad, Sweden died and were buried at sea. Three of the Bondison brothers and their families were living in Sweden when they were converted to the Mormon faith.

As Boon was the oldest son he learned to work and to accept responsibility at an early age, but he also knew how to play and enjoy life. When Boon was twenty and Mary Hansen was seventeen they were married 15 October 1884 in the Logan Temple. She was the daughter of their neighbors and good friends Ole and Berta Marie Hansen. They lived in a log house on his father's farm (about where Elzo Bunderson lives now). Boon worked hard and acquired some land and a few cattle. He also helped his father-in-law on his farm as Ole’s son, Herbert, had died 25 June 1882 and Ole was getting old and needed help; so Boon was kept busy.

Boon and Mary had seven children: James, Hervin, Clarissa, Bert, Lydia LuDell (who died when she was seven months old), Inez, and May. The first five children were born in the log house but just before Inez was born they moved into a new five-room house across the street from their old home. Boon sold the logs in the old house for $25.00 to a friend who moved it to another lot and lived in it there.

Everything was going along fine until after May was born. Mary had pneumonia and never regained her strength and had pneumonia again and died 8 January 1906, at the age of 38. May was 20 months old when her mother died and Inez was seven. Clarissa, almost 17, with the help of her father and brothers, took over the responsibility of running the house and taking care of her two little sisters.

Ten months after his mother died, James married Verba Rich 15 November 1907 and they moved to his grandmother Hansen’s home; they lived in the west part and his grandmother lived in the east two rooms. His grandmother was happy they moved in as her husband had died 23 February 1899.

The next one to get married was Clarissa. She married George H. Ward from Bloomington, which was five miles north of St. Charles. They were married in the Logan Temple 23 December 1908. Boon wanted them to live at St. Charles with him but George had bought a home in Bloomington and wanted to live there so Clarissa took her two little sisters with her. Boon hired a housekeeper after Clarissa left.

Hervin attended college at Logan, he married Leona Linford 20 September 1911. While Hervin was in Logan he met a lady he felt would be just right for his father, Alma Augusta Pehrson, so he talked her into going to St. Charles to work for his Dad. Boon and Augusta were married 26 June 1912 in the Logan Temple. Hervin took credit for this marriage and he did a good job as Augusta was a special, lovely lady. We all loved her and she and Boon had a happy marriage

Just before his father’s second marriage, Bert, the youngest son who had been living at home with his father, went to Sweden on a mission for the L.D.S. Church. He met many of the Bondison relations but was unable to convert them; however, he obtained a lot of genealogy from them. After his return home he married Myra Findlay 11 June 1914 in the Logan Temple.

As soon as Boon and Augusta were married they brought Inez and May back home. The next year 15 May 1913 Virginia was born to them. They had five more girls: June, Rula, Evelyn (who only lived a few days), Velma, and Elaine. Aunt Augusta (as we all called her) was an excellent housekeeper, a good mother, and a choice companion to her husband.

Boon prospered financially and bought more land, more cattle, and built a new modern home for his wife and family. When it was time for Inez to go to high school she went to Brigham City, Utah for four years and lived with her brother, Hervin, who taught in the high school there. She enjoyed her life there with him and his family. She graduated from Box Elder High School. May continued to live at home with her father and Aunt Augusta. There was always a close bond between her and Augusta and she loved the children and liked to sew for them.

Boon was a good businessman and a good provider, but he always found time to go fishing and hunting and to go to Bear Lake for the summer holidays. He loved recreation and being with his family. Every summer his family and his brothers and his sister, Emma’s families would go up St. Charles Canyon and have a barbecue. Nels, Boon’s brother, would go up the day before and dig a pit and start barbecuing the lamb. This was a special treat, along with all the good food each family took. They'd all eat together. Then they would run races, there were always prizes for this. The kids would climb trees and get sap all over their clothes, they would even chew this gum that would stick to their teeth. This was a fun day; we always looked forward to seeing our cousins again, especially Hervin’s children as that was about the only time we would see them except when we would go to Salt Lake Conference and stay a night at their home on the way down and back.

Grandpa and Aunt Augusta decided to go to Yellowstone Park. I am not sure what year we went, but it was before Aunt Inez married Alma Findlay 7 April 1921, as Aunt Inez was "keeping house" for Uncle Nels and Jack as his wife had died and Nels, Jack and Inez went along with Hervin’s family, Clarissa’s family, and Grandpa and Aunt Augusta. The bigger children went from each family but the smaller ones stayed home and family mermbrrs ook good care of them.