J. J. Bonnar


John James Bonnar was a schoolteacher and lawyer in the early days of the colony of South Australia.

History

Bonnar emigrated to South Australia aboard Warrior, arriving in South Australia on 17 April 1840. He married Lucy Anderson on 2 September 1848 at St James Church, Blakiston, South Australia. She had arrived in the colony aboard Anna Robertson with her parents and siblings on 20 September 1839. The Bonnars opened a school at Mount Barker in 1846 His schoolroom was used for Sunday services by Rev. James Pollitt in the absence of a Presbyterian church building in the town.
In the early 1850s or perhaps earlier, Bonnar began practising as a solicitor in Mount Barker. When or how he was admitted to the bar is not known, but it is clear that he had a training in a lawyer's office. In 1865 he transferred his head office to Strathalbyn, and took as a partner Joseph James Whitby to handle the Mount Barker office.
A year later the partnership was dissolved, and Bonnar took into partnership William Steele, who died in August 1868. By this time other lawyers, T. Goddard and William Walker had opened offices in Mount Barker, and Bonnar allowed this side of his business to lapse.
After practising in Strathalbyn for ten years he moved to Gladstone, where he stayed for some time. He then moved to Armidale, New South Wales at the time of the mining boom, and practised there before retiring to Manly. He died at "Dunreath", Manly, New South Wales and his remains were interred in the Manly Cemetery.

Other interests

  • He was Secretary of the Mount Barker Agricultural Association in 1850

Family

John James Bonnar age 27, married Lucy Anderson, age 22 on 2 September 1848 at St.James Church, Blakiston S.A. She was a daughter of William Anderson and Catherine Lindsay Anderson née Lintott, who arrived in South Australia aboard Anna Robertson on 20 September 1839. Their large family included:
  • Margaret Catherine Bonnar
  • William Bonnar
  • James Bonnar ; buried St James Anglican Cemetery, Blakiston
  • James Pillans Bonnar was a notable citizen of Armidale, New South Wales married Mary Winnifred Trim in 1892. He was mayor of Armidale for part of 1907. He was licensee of Armidale's Central and Royal Exchange hotels, found insolvent, later a representative of Silk Bros., fruit merchants of Sydney.
  • Hannah "Dottie" Bonnar married Thomas Alsop Brock on 25 April 1876
  • Lambert Bonnar married Catherine "Kitty" or "Katie" Sleep on 9 December 1884. He was manager Oladdie Station, later of Perth, W.A., died in Kalgoorlie.
  • John James Bonnar was mayor of Gladstone in 1885, married Mary Cornelius on 26 March 1887; lived Renmark then Unley.
  • Lucy Lindsay Lenlot Bonnar
  • Robert Wright Bonnar married Lillian Skewes on 28 December 1909.
  • George Lindsay Bonnar, miner, married Annie ??, died Greenbushes, Western Australia
  • Kate Bonnar married Francis G. Dawson in 1907