Recipes for Living Nellie Bonham

Joel Johnson born 1800, East Tennessee; died after 1860 in Iowa. First wife unknown, believe buried Des Moines County, Iowa after the birth of their seventh child. Noble Johnson married Nancy Jane Feese: children: Mary M. Titus Bonham (Nellie Bonham's parents); Shasta Luena, unmarried; Anna M. George Winfield Crew; Frank Leslie born March 2, 1861 in Iowa, died June 10, 1939 in Kansas; M. Alice Schroeder.

Grandma Johnson (front); George W. Crew's Mother-in-law. Left: George W., Carl, Flo (Florence) Roy, Leta McNichols (holding baby, George M. Crew; Rosa McNichols Crew, Mother of George M. and Father Hallie (Earl Haldane Crew)

THREE GENERATIONS

Front Left: Earle Haldane Crew, George Whitfield Crew

Back Left: Leon Crew, Gerald Crew and George M Crew

Gertrude Crew
Nellie Bonham
Kathleen Crew
Carl Crew

Noble Johnson and Nancy Jane moved with their parents Joel and first wife, David and Lucinda Feese from Morgan County, Illinois to Flint River township, Des Moines County, Iowa in 1835. Noble was four years old, Nancy Jane two years old. Here they grew to adulthood and married. Their children were born here.

Noble, Nancy Jane and their four children traveled by covered wagon from Des Moines County, Iowa to Clarke County in 1869. After arriving in Clarke County, they camped south of Osceola on the banks of Whitebreast Creek. This creek will later provide the water for Frank Leslie's pop factory he will found in 1910.

In 1869, the creek was used to wash clothes, bathe, cook and wash dishes. For several weeks they camped while they looked for a permanent homesite. They finally decided on farm land near the little village of Leslie, no longer in existence, in Knox Township, Clarke County, Iowa.

The children grew to adulthood on this farm. Mary married Titus Bonham, the son of a neighbor. They had two children. Harry died at age nine, and Nellie Alice, who raised her uncle Frank Leslie's youngest granddaughter.

Shasta Luena (Ena) died age 19, unmarried. Anna married George Winfield Crew. Their children: Earl Holdane, Carl Johnson, Florence (Flo) Alzada, Roy Rosco. The mother died when he was about two years old and he was raised by his aunt Mary (Mollie) Bonham. Frank Leslie moved to Osceola, Iowa in 1881. He married Alice Schroeder and they had a child, Ena Paletta.

Nancy Jane loved nature and taught her granddaughter, Nellie Bonham, to love it, too. The two of them spent many happy hours together watching clouds, listening to the music of the wind and rain, picking wild flowers and singing. They also pieced quilts and quilted them. Nellie made her first quilt when she was nine years old. One of Nancy Jane's talents was canning rattlesnake meat, taught to her by an Indian.

When Mary, Titus and Nellie bought their first home and moved to Osceola, Iowa in 1898, Grandma Nancy Jane moved with them. Nellie started her second grade at the age of nine in Osceola. She graduated from Osceola High School in 1905. Nellie Bonham became known as Miss Bonham throughout her teaching career, which began in country schools before coming into the Osceola school system in 1911. The first 17 years she taught second grade and the remainder of the 54 years before she retired in 1960, she taught first grade.

A newspaper article says of her life, "Nellie's greatest love was children and her entire life was dedicated to the happiness and education of the many children who were her students and her friends." Her respect throughout the community was recognized by her being chosen as the recipient of the first community service award on record in 1950 or 1951.

The obituary of Mrs. T.F. (Armilda) Bonham, Nellie's mother, reveals that it was the family nature was to provide for several motherless nieces and nephew Roy Crew. This set a precedent Nellie who made a home for a second cousin, June (Archer) Lauvstad who came to her as a child, following the death of her parents.

Nellie Bonham died unexpectedly early Thursday morning March 7, 1962. Her death apparently was caused by a heart attack as she slept. Her obituary tells of her membership and active role in the Osceola Christian Church, particularly in the education department. She was also a member of the Sisterhood of the P.E.O.