Life History

Notes

• Several genealogies report Mary Inez Bonner as the wife of James Theodore Poston.  Their memorials on Find a Grave of their burial in Hockenberry Cemetery, Tichnor, Arkansas, link their memorials as spouse.  But other genealogies report James' wife as Lena Hall, and reference a marriage record in DeWitt, Arkansas County, Arkansas, for their marriage on 27 July 1924.
  
  Two sons and a daughter of Mary Bonner Poston are linked on FAG with birth dates in 1924 and 1925.  But they may be her stepchildren.  Some genealogies report a marriage of Mary Bonner and James T Poston in 1922, which would put their marriage 2 years before James' marriage to Lena, but the births of the two Poston children reported to be Mary's sons are Charles Thomas on 20 Jan 1924 and Harry Mack on 25 Jan 1925, both in Arkansas County.  No marriage record has been found.
  
  No marriage record is found for Mary and James, but the Hawpe Family Tree reports they were married in 1922.  No documentation is included.  Charles Thomas Poston, age 16, matches the surviving son reported in Mary Bonner's obit (included in the FAG memorial below), and reports daughter Dorothy Poston, age 17.  Harry Mack Poston reported as a son of Mary's who died at age 1 would have been born after the reported marriage of Lena Hall to the James T Poston of DeWitt who seems to be the same person, and who is so reported in many genealogies.  The 1930 record for Jim Poston and Lena match birth state and age for James Theodore Poston who was married to Mary Inez Bonner.
  
  These ages would match Charles' reported birthday on his grave of 20 Jan 1924, and mean Dorothy was born about 1923.  Dorothy and Charles are ocnsistently reported by genealogies as the children of James and Mary.
  
  Mary Inez Bonner is included in the Hawpe Family Tree, has reconstructed the family to include over 15, 000 descendants of the original ancestor Rudolph Hawpe, German immigrant to Pennsylvania, born in the 1700s.  The Hawpe Famliy Tree incldues many details, but does not document each fact presented in the traditoinal way in tree format.  The VanHorn famliy is one branch of the Hawpe line.  Mary Inez Bonner's mother was a Vanhorn.
  
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  Sallie Ann Vanhorn was born April 01, 1868 in Tichnor, Arkansas Co., AR, and died December 11, 1911. She married William Harvey Bonner December 04, 1892 in Arkansas Co., AR, son of Wesley Bonner and Sarah Rowland. He was born November 11, 1860 in KY, and died July 01, 1944 in Dewitt, Arkansas Co., AR. Children of Sallie Vanhorn and William Bonner are:
  
  Ruth Randall Bonner, born May 12, 1893 in Tichnor, Arkansas Co., AR; died November 1978. She married (1) Edward Wilson Belden December 11, 1916 in Arkansas Co., AR; born December 17, 1882 in LA; died August 16, 1920 in Tichnor, Arkansas Co., AR. She married (2) James Bert Ogle.
  William Wesley Bonner, born September 1894 in Tichnor, Arkansas Co., AR; died May 31, 1939 in Little Rock, Pulaski Co., AR. He married Daisy Simmons Abt. 1925; born in MS.
  Erah Kate Bonner, born March 04, 1896 in Tichnor, Arkansas Co., AR; died January 28, 1981. She married Lee Crafton Connor February 19, 1917 in Arkansas Co., AR; born October 14, 1894 in Arkansas Co., AR; died August 29, 1992.
  John Franklin Bonner, born March 17, 1898 in Tichnor, Arkansas Co., AR; died May 1984.
  George Hargrove Bonner, born December 25, 1899 in Tichnor, Arkansas Co., AR; died August 13, 1976 in Dewitt, Arkansas Co., AR. He married Thelma E. Coose July 28, 1923; born 1903 in AR; died 1960.
  Sallie Mae Bonner, born February 13, 1903 in Tichnor, Arkansas Co., AR; died April 23, 1958 in Little Rock, Pulaski Co., AR. She married Godfrey Thomas.
  Mary Inez Bonner, born January 31, 1904 in Tichnor, Arkansas Co., AR; died June 21, 1983. She married James Theodore Poston April 16, 1922 in Arkansas Co., AR; born January 05, 1903 in St. Charles, AR; died February 1983.
  Chester D. Bonner, born January 07, 1905 in AR; died August 07, 1909 in AR.
  Nina Virginia Bonner, born 1909 in AR. She married Kenneth Earl Shireman June 06, 1927 in Arkansas Co., AR; born 1907 in IN; died September 02, 1967.
  --  Hawpe, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hawpe/GenVanhorn.html#5
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  1940 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 9 April, DeWitt, District 1-16, Page 8A, Court Square, Hse #212, Rents $10
  Postum, J T Head M W 37 Married Grade 8 b Arkansas same place in 1935 Cafe Manager [b abt 1903]
  Postum, Mary Wife F W 36 Married Grade 8 b Arkansas same place in 1935 Cafe Helper [b abt 1904]
  Postum, Dorothy Dau F W 17 Single Grade H3 b Arkansas same place in 1935 [b abt 1923]
  Postum, Charles Son M W 16 Single Grade H3 b Arkansas same place in 1935 [b abt 1924]
  
  U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
  Mary Poston
  Last Residence De Witt, 72042, Arkansas, Arkansas
  Born 31 Jan 1904
  Died Jun 1983
  SSN 432-36-1812 issued Arkansas - Before 1951
  
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  Mary Inez Bonner Poston
  Birth Jan 31, 1904 Tichnor, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  Death Jun 21, 1983 De Witt, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  
  MARY INEZ BONNER POSTON
  
  DeWitt -- Mrs. Mary Inez Bonner Poston, aged 79, of DeWitt, widow of James Poston, died Tuesday. She was a retired school cafeteria employee.
  
  Survivors are a son, Charles T. Poston of Miami, Fla.; a daughter, Dorothy C. Sherwood of Fairfax, Va.; a brother Frank Bonner of DeWitt; a sister Nina Vassil of Clearwater, Fla., five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
  
  Graveside service will be at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in Hockenberry Cemetery in Tichnor by Essex Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to Hockenberry Cemetery.
  
  Arkansas Gazette -- Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas -- June 22, 1983 -- Wednesday.
  
  Parents:
  William Harvey Bonner (1860 - 1944)
  Sallie Ann Vanhorn Bonner (1868 - 1911)
  
  Spouse James Theodore Poston (1903 - 1983)
  Children:
  Charles Thomas Poston (1924 - 2010)
  Harry Mack Poston (1925 - 1926)
  
  Siblings:
  Ruth Randall Bonner Belden (1893 - 1978)
  William Wesley Bonner (1894 - 1939)
  Erah Kate Bonner Connor (1896 - 1981)
  John Franklin Bonner (1898 - 1984)
  George Hargrove Bonner (1899 - 1976)
  Sallie Mae Bonner Thomas (1903 - 1958)
  Chester D Bonner (1905 - 1909)
  Nina Virginia Bonner Vassil (1909 - 1994)
  
  Burial Hockenberry Cemetery, Tichnor, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  
  Maintained by Sgt Daxter, Originally created by George Morgan Apr 21, 2009
  --  Find A Grave Memorial #36151714, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=36151714
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Sources

• 1. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
• 2. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
• 3. 1940 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 9 April, DeWitt, District 1-16, Page 8A, Court Square, Hse #212, Rents $10
• 4. RootsWeb Trees