Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1921-03-07
49,
lAuGF|IE R. GIVES
funeral TALK
Harriet M. Cl0sz Delivers
Funeral Address of
Father, Thomas B.
B0nebright.
WAS PIONEER HERE
Came to Hamilton County in
1856 With Early
Pioneers.
WAS PIONEER HERE

The funeral Of Thomas 3. Bone.
bright was held Saturday afternoon
at the family home in the southeastern
part of the city. Harriet NJ. ClOsz
daughter, delivered the fulieral ora
ton. She spoke as follows:
Friends: We are assembled today
to look for the last time upon the re-
mains of a fellow citizen who had made
his home in this community for more
than three score years.
Thomas Blackwell Bonbright was
born in Lycommon county, Pennsyl-
yania, in 1885, Had he lived until
September %, next, he would have been
S., years of age. When but small
child his parents moved westward, and
pioneered near the town Of Freeport,
Illinois. He was the eldest of eleven
children.
A young man of twenty, Thomas
Bonebrieht, with the courage and ply
steal prowess possessed by all early
settlers, came to Hamilton county in
1856, where he has lived and labored
and at last has left us. Here he was
married in 1858 to Sarah Brewer, and
here We children were born and grew
to maturity. Posterity must list to him
six children, sixteen grandchildren and
six great grandchildren.
Thomas Bonebright, during the early
days of this community, was physical
parsonage to be reckOned with. He was
unafraid of bodily harm and his agility,
strength and endurance were the war
rant for his safety among men. The
meaning of the word danger could not
lie understood by him. Midnight held
10 greater menace to his mind than
midday, hence he could not realize the
t:midity Of the cautions or the terror
Of the fear-stricken individual. He was
among the leaders in all the sports Of
our towns early days, and was prodigal
of his strength. Running, jumping. lift
ing, climbing, wrestling, swimming
no feat for such tests was too difficult
for him to undertake. Wood chOpping
and rail splitting developed the pio-
need athlete and such work, in album
dance, insured the physical efficiency
which carried forward the heavy labor
of the frontier. ~
Pioneer Tean,ster.
The wild beasts of the woods were
stalked boldly by him, and the domes-
tic brute was cowed by his attentions.
Winter weather or high waters did not
duunt or delay the performance or
duties undertaken by him, and he never
shirl.cd the work assigned to him by
an employer. For several winter sea
sons after his arrival in Webster City,
he teamed to and from Iowa City,
Dubuque and Des MOincs, and during
the time of billiards. and floods
teamster imperiled his ife, with every
trip through the trackless swamps or
across the white wastes of lOwa's
snow fields, but our fathers tenacity
Of purpose, his physical stamina and
courageous persistence brought to the
carly settlers their provisions anl
other necessities of life. These hard
ships, however, did not impair, but
rather augmented his courageous en-
DURANGO, and trust that at least a
measure of this physical quality has
been transmitted to his children.
In Spirit Lake Expedition.
Thomas BOnebright secuted for Il
short time or the northern frontier,
and was a member of the relief expedi-
ton for the settlers at the time of
the Spirit Lake massacre OF white
settlers by the redmen. The perils and
Eardships of this expedition are gen
orally well known, but it was the work
q. I'rivatc Boncbright to carry upon
his shoulders Ma;oc Williams during
til, cJ..!M..y i.roGro Is through frozen
S.. n.p5 ard wolfe! streams. His
80, icrs. il ne relief work, were
recognized b. the state and pension
granted His name is inscribed on the
memorial tablet in our Hamilton county
court house.
Thomas Bonebright was not parti-
san in politics. and lists of names
meant little to him. He belonged to
neither lodge nor church, hence we
could not, consistently. procure a minis
Ter for the services of these last rites.
He was not given to speculation on n
future life. or the continuity of exist
cuce after death. He neither affirmed
nor denied the possibility or the fact
of Immortality. He did not know the
origin and destiny of man, but he has
fulfilled his destiny in life. He came
into being, he grew to maturity, he
reached the zenith Of his development,
lie gave life to his children, he contri-
blted Eis force and activity, lie served
according to his understanding, and