I travel this issue through the early history of a German immigrant family named Bonsell. The stories from 1846 to the present have been shared with me by third-generation Bonsell family member George and his wife, Bella (Phillips) Bonsell. This colorful couple resides in a secluded little village south of the Tyrone railroad station called Thomastown.
George III’s great-grandparents, John and Anna (Zeilinger) Bunzel, emigrated from Bavaria, Germany in 1846; their ship ported in Baltimore. John met (and married!) his German-born Anna on their trip across the ocean. They traveled to central Pennsylvania, settling in Tyrone Forge to begin their new life in America.
The last name Bunzel had been spelled differently many times in the early years; some examples are Bonsel, Bonsal, Bonsall, and Bansal. On December 25, 1855 an employee of the Blair County Court House gave the family the Bonsell spelling.
John’s first employment was at area iron furnaces, working as a “filler” at Tyrone Forge, Huntingdon, and Colerain. He was working at Colerain when he became a Pennsylvania Railroad employee, being hired as a night watchman walking the tracks from Spruce Creek to Shoenberger.
John worked for the railroad for over 30 years until his death on July 2, 1889. On June 30, 1889 while at work, John was struck by one of the hurling rail splices from the fast-line, eastbound train. His leg was fractured just above the ankle and he was ordered to bed. When John was allowed to get out of bed, he suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 63.
All of John’s sons followed in their father’s footsteps, working for the PRR. Henry was an engineman, George a fireman, and Leonard and John P. were brakemen at the time of John’s death. The Bonsell men all enjoyed fishing in the Spruce Creek and often boasted of the large native trout they caught.
George Washington Bonsell (Bella’s father-in-law) married Delilah Miller on July 22, 1872. George worked as a fireman for the PRR for more than 49 years, retiring on July 1, 1920.
The tradition of the Bonsells working for the railroad was very evident in the early 1900s. A steam locomotive was kept near the Gray tower, just down the hillside from Thomastown; in 1915, there were seven Bonsell family members working from this location.
In 1928, George Jr. and Carrie moved to Thomastown. The Bonsell home had a well with a handpump for their water supply and a spring on Brush Mountain, if needed. The house was heated by two wood and coal stoves — one in the kitchen and the other in the dining room.
The Bonsell family bought most of their other food and supplies at Schmittle’s Clover Farm Store at Orchard Crossing, in Grazierville. The Bonsell home in Thomastown didn’t have electricity until 1929.
The Bonsell children went to a one-room school in Thomastown that had grades 1 through 8. The school was located on the property owned today by Bob Wilson. George III attended only one year, 1931, and recalls that his teacher was Bill Barr.
In 1932, the school was closed and the Thomastown children went to the Grazierville School. They walked from Thomastown, across the footbridge over the “Little J,” into Grazierville near the Fagley store.
Marbles was a favorite recess pastime for most of the boys. A circle was drawn in the dirt and each player put the same number of marbles in the center of the circle. Every player had a “shooter,” which was a large, glass marble that they used to shoot the marbles in the middle to outside the circle. Every marble you shot out of the circle became yours to keep.
George noted that he walked to school only until the March 1936 flood, which washed out the footbridge; it was never replaced. The Thomastown kids were then bused from the Tyrone railroad station to Grazierville. The bus was owned by Ira Grazier — a hearse converted into a bus by putting seats along each side and a bench down the middle.
Another pastime of George’s was to hike, and one of his favorite places was on top of Brush Mountain, behind his home. He often hiked over the mountain to the farm in Plummer’s Hollow. He had a friend, Ed Smith, who lived in the Plummer caretaker’s house with his family. Ed’s father was the caretaker of the Plummer property.
In the late 1930s, Waple’s Dairy, on 9th St., gave away skim milk. The kids from Thomastown took buckets and jugs over the 9th St. bridge to the dairy. They’d line up, get their milk, and take it home every day.
Another place the kids liked to go was to the Betsy Ross Bakery, which was located behind today’s Paul’s Amoco & Tire service station. At the bakery, the kids got day-old bread and baked goods for free at the end of each day from the truck that ‘Farmer Aults’ drove.
George attended school until the ninth grade and then went to work. In 1941, he started work at the local F&F Dry Cleaners, at 117 W. 10th St.
One of the favorite spots was Annabelle’s Soda & Sweet Shop, located at 10 W. 10th St. The shop was the first one in Tyrone to sell soft ice cream. George often went to Annabelle’s. While there one day, he noticed a good-looking girl named Bella Phillips sitting with her family.
Bella’s parents were William ‘Bill’ and Ruth (Hastings) Phillips. Bella had been born in her grandparents’ home, at 110 Meade St., in Northwood.
George and Bella began dating. During World War II, many soldiers passed through Tyrone on their way home because the railroad lines north to Centre and Clearfield Counties weren’t yet constructed. Many soldiers went to the Waring Canteen, on Pennsylvania Ave., for food and rest en route home. The local policeman, Bill Tonkay, checked with the passing soldiers to get their final destinations. Then he’d go to Al Baroner’s pool hall to see who was available to drive the soldier home instead of having to hitchhike north. George often closed the pool hall at midnight for Al. Bill would stick his head in the door and announce where the soldiers needed a ride.
In 1942, George obtained a job at the PRR shops in Altoona. George and Bella married on February 10, 1943 and moved into George’s home in Thomastown. World War II was gearing up, and in 1944, George was drafted into the Army.
For a short time, Bella worked at the John R. Wald Co. plant, in Black’s Garage on Pennsylvania Ave. Bella, like many other women, wanted to work for the war effort. At the Wald plant, she was a driller, drilling holes in bomb fuses.
The only contact George and Bella had with each other during this time was by letter. The mailboxes for Thomastown were located along the main road down the hill from the Bonsell home. Bella timed her walk each day to the mailbox to meet the mailman at 10 a.m.
George spent one and a half years in Naples, Italy. His unit was sent home in 1945. When he was discharged in 1947, he had the rank of Technician 5th Grade.
In June 1947, the Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. started a business at the Wilson Chemical Co. building, across the railroad tracks from the Tyrone station. George applied for work and was hired in September. In 1949, the company relocated into a new building on the back road to Vail. In 1987, George retired with 40 years service.
The Bonsell family was blessed with six children: Ruth (Estright), born in 1943; George IV, in 1946; Donna (Carlucci), in 1950; Connie (Sessamen), in 1951; Harry, in 1953; and Joyce (Sims), in 1954.
In 1953, George’s neighbor, George Gates, a retired carpenter, had his house for sale, located just two houses away from the Bonsell homestead. George and Bella bought the house and put in indoor plumbing and a bathroom.
George IV didn’t carry on the family tradition of working for the railroad but has inherited the love of trains. One only has to travel to the end of Thomastown and you are greeted by a homemade caboose in his yard. He has one huge room with a layout of G-gauge steam locomotive trains.
In 1968, Donna went to work as a secretary at the State Department, in Washington, D.C. She later became one of the seven personal secretaries for Henry Kissinger, traveling the globe with him on occasion.
This couple is perhaps the most humble and loving one I’ve ever interviewed. Their home is like a museum with the artifacts of their family and its history.
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