Prentiss Franklin Bonney
Pioneer, Farmer, and Gold Rush Adventurer (1805-1853+)
Prentiss Franklin Bonney (1805-1853+)
Missouri Pioneer and Gold Rush Adventurer
Prentiss Franklin Bonney was born on April 2, 1805, in New York, and died after 1853 in White Plains, Utah Territory (now Nevada). He was a farmer, pioneer, and adventurer who played a significant role in the westward expansion of the Bonney family from New York to Missouri and ultimately to California during the Gold Rush era.
Prentiss married twice in Washington County, Missouri. His first marriage was to Hannah Logan on November 27, 1828, with whom he had two children: James Logan Bonney (1829-1901) and Alida S. Bonney (1832-). After Hannah's death in 1832, he married Emmelia "Emily" Hayden on July 7, 1836, and together they had nine children, including Henry Clay Bonney Sr., who would continue the family line in Missouri.
According to the 1850 census, Prentiss was a farmer with land worth $200 in Washington County, Missouri. The family was active in the Bellevue Presbyterian Church, where both of Prentiss's marriages took place. He named one of his sons (Donald Cowan) after two ministers of that church, indicating the family's strong religious connections.
Bellevue Presbyterian Church, Caledonia, Missouri - circa 1830. This image shows the congregation's first building where Prentiss Bonney's marriages took place. It was the first Presbyterian church west of the Mississippi River.
The Gold Rush Adventure
In 1853, Prentiss embarked on a journey to California during the Gold Rush, accompanied by his eldest son, James Logan Bonney. This was a perilous undertaking that took travelers along the Humboldt River through what was then Utah Territory. Prentiss' journey took him to White Plains, located along the old Gold Rush Trail in what is now Nevada. White Plains was described as being in the heart of the "40-Mile Desert," the most grueling stretch of the Gold Rush Trail, 68 miles east of Reno between Lovelock and Fernley.
The area was known for its harsh conditions: "surrounded by a white alkali desert, covered in places with salt and alkali deposits" with "evidence of volcanic action and lava formation everywhere visible." This treacherous landscape claimed many lives during the Gold Rush era, including Prentiss Bonney's. His journey was cut tragically short when he died of cholera there at White Plains.
However, his eldest son James Logan Bonney survived the journey and went on to establish the Bonney family in California, creating a new branch of the family on the West Coast. The rest of the family in Missouri never joined him in California, perhaps due to the untimely death of Prentiss, which may have discouraged further westward migration attempts.
Family Connections and Legacy
Prentiss was the son of Luke Bonney (1774-1819) and Eunice Hinman (1779-), making him part of the broader Bonney family lineage that traces back to Thomas Bonney of Duxbury, Massachusetts. His father Luke served in the War of 1812, and Prentiss petitioned the U.S. Senate in 1841 for bounty land due to his father's military service, though the petition was ultimately denied.
Prentiss's children went on to establish themselves throughout Missouri and beyond. His son Henry Clay Bonney Sr. named his eldest son "Prentiss Franklin" in honor of his father, continuing the family tradition of naming children after ancestors. The family's migration from New York to Missouri and the Gold Rush adventure represents the broader westward expansion of American families during the 19th century.
Genealogical Research
Extensive research by Gregory N. Bonney has clarified many details about Prentiss's life and family connections. Census records, marriage certificates, and administrative bonds provide a clear picture of his life in Missouri. The research also resolved earlier confusion about his place of birth (New York, not Virginia) and confirmed his connection to the broader Bonney family lineage.
Read More: Complete genealogical research on Prentiss Franklin Bonney - Missouri Bonney Family
Sources: Missouri Bonney Family genealogy research by Gregory N. Bonney; U.S. Census records (1850, 1860, 1880, 1900, 1910); Washington County, Missouri marriage records; U.S. Senate Journal records (1841); FamilySearch IGI records; "The Pacific Tourist" by Henry T. Williams (1876).