An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Western Historical Publishing Company,
Spokane, WA. 1905, page 331.

AUGUSTUS A. BONNEY, a well known dairy man and cattle raiser of Tygh valley, was
born in Marion county, Oregon on April 14. 1849. His father, Bradford S. Bonney,
is a native of Ohio and comes from an old American family. His father, the
grandfather of our subject, was a pioneer in Ohio, Illinois, California and
Oregon. The mother, Alzina (Dimick) Bonney, was a native of Ohio and came across
the plains with her father and stepmother in 1847, settlement being made near
Woodburn, Oregon. Her father died there in 1863. Her mother had died when she
was two weeks old and her step mother died in 1860. Our subject's grandfather
died in 1868, having been a physician of the old school. The father and mother
of our subject died July 22, 1904, and April 2, 1897, respectively. The district
schools furnished his education until he entered the Willamette University
whence he graduated in 1871. Then he taught at Buena Vista and other points
until March I, 1875, when he bought a flock of six hundred sheep and filed on a
government claim where he now resides in Tygh valley. He has purchased railroad
land and other until he has an estate of fifteen hundred acres, half of which is
tillable. He irrigates one hundred and sixty acres. This is especially rich
bottom land and produces from five to six tons of alfalfa per acre annually. Mr.
Bonney continued in sheep raising for twenty-five years and as the range began
gradually to be used up, he sold his sheep and began the above business. He has
seventy-five fine dairy cows and expects soon to handle one hundred. He has some
of the finest stock in the state, among which may be mentioned, one bull,
Linour, which took first prize at The Dalles fair and one cow, Moma B., which
also took first prize. These are Jersey stock. He has several others that took
first prize in the Oregon and Washington state fairs. Mr. Bonney has been very
successful in handling stock and is one of the well-to-do and prominent dairy
men of eastern Oregon.      

On October 1, 1871, at Gervais, Oregon, Mr. Bonney married Miss Elizabeth Jones,
a native of Indiana and the daughter of Silas W.R. and Elizabeth (Allen) Jones,
natives of Indiana. The father lives in Indiana but the mother died some time
since. They crossed the plains in 1852 and settled in Marion county. On February
26, 1888, Mrs. Bonney was taken hence by death. On December 22, 1889, at The
Dalles, Mr. Bonney married Miss Emma Reavis, a native of San Fran-cisco. Her
father, William Reavis, came to the coast in the early days and was a
confectioner in San Francisco for many years. In 1885, he moved to Oregon and
now lives with his daughter in Portland. Mr. Bonney has three brothers, George,
Charles and Wisewell, and five sisters, Mrs. Sarah Hall, Mrs. Carrie M. Young,
Mrs. Esther Hall, Mrs. Laura W. Shaw and Ina. Mrs. Bonney has two brothers.
Arthur, in Australia, Walter H. and one sister, Mrs. Lillian Blue. Mr. Bonney
has four children by his first wife: Clyde T., a dairyman in Marion county; Emma
E., a bookkeeper for Mays Brothers in Hood River; Georgia, a teacher in the
graded schools at Woodburn; and Arthur, at home. By his second wife, Mr. Bonney
has four children: Bessie, aged thirteen; Dale, eleven; Loris, four; and Verl,
sixteen months.      

Politically, our subject is an active Republican and has frequently been
delegate to the county and state conventions. Since being of age, he has been
school director most of the time and is very active in promoting the welfare of
the community. His wife is a member of the Congregational church and they are
substantial and exemplary people.

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in January 2005 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. 
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.