BOOK of BONAWITZ and BONEWITZ
Part 2           Chapter 18           Page 1           Feb 1969

DAVID R. BONEWITZ, (1/9/1831-3/11/1910)   Buried at Van Wert, Ohio 
m. Katherine Richey, Jan. 9, 1866 (3/17/1837-9/27/1907)   "     " 
David was born in Fayette County, Pa., grew up in Wayne County, 
Ohio, and was farming near Tully, Ohio when he became a private in 
Co. G, 20th Regt 0 V 1. He served from October 1862 to July 1863. 
He became a merchant at Convoy for 8 years and later became the 
leading merchant of dry goods at Van Wert, Ohio Katherine was a 
daughter of Mirabeau Richey and his wife Sarah Baton. David signed 
his name as Bonewitz but the children adopted the spelling Bonnewitz. 
1. Lee R. Bonnewitz,  (4/21/1867-9/27/1947)   Buried at Van Wert, Ohio. 
   m. Nellie Edith Towey, (1872-1921)
   Lee graduated from Van Wert High School and took a business course 
   in the East, then took an active part for many years in the manage-
   ment of his father's store. He developed a hobby of growing peonies 
   and irises and after World War I he established the Bonnewitz Peony 
   Gardens where he grew peonies commercially. He became president of 
   the American Peony Society. He once published a seed catalogue. 
      1. Alice Bonnewitz, born December 22, 1905. 
         m. Earl S. Caldwell,             No children 
2. Van J. Bonnewitz,  (2/2/1869-10/7/1958)     Buried at Van Wert 
   m. Mary Elizabeth Klein, May 22, 1898 (7/9/1875-2/13/1958)  " 
   After the death of his father. Van and his brother Horace went 
   into the automobile business. They had agencies for Ford, Auburn and 
   Studebaker cars, and for horse drawn Elkhart Buggies and Studebaker 
   Wagons, later. Van assisted Lee in the Peony and Iris business. 
   Mary was a daughter of John Peter Klein (1841-1884) born Germany, 
   and his wife Anna Haudensheld (1845-1920) born Switzerland, both 
   deceased at Van Wert.
      1. Horace Paul Bonnewitz, born March 15, 1904 at Van Wert. 
         m. Jane Rolfe, October 11, 1930. Born May 24, 1905.
         Paul graduated from Purdue University, School of Agriculture, 
         in 1928. He became a Second lieutenant in the Army Reserve. 
         In World War II he was Adjutant General of the Tenth Air Force 
         in Burma, India and China, later he was Adjutant General in 
         Okinawa, the Philippines, Germany and at home. He retired as 
         a Colonel in 1958 and lives in Orlando, Florida. He collected 
         information for chapter 18.