History of Fulton County, Illinois; together with
Sketches of its Cities, Villages and Townships, Educational, Religious,
Civil, Military, and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons
and Biographies of Representative Citizens. Chas. C. Chapman & Co.,
Peoria, Illinois, 1879, page 421, Astoria Township
Rev. J. G. Bonnel, pastor of the M. E. church, was born in
Batavia, Clermont county, Ohio, in January, 1843. In 1850 he
accompanied his parents, Henry and Amelia Bonnel, to Griggsville, Ill.,
where, when Joseph attained his twentieth year of age, he determined to
devote his time to the ministry, and accordingly proceeded to Evanston,
Ill., where he entered the Theological Institute; he was admitted to
the Ill. Conference in 1869, and was appointed to preach. In 1873
he was ordained minister and entered upon his ministerial duties in the
town of Barry, Ill., where he labored for two years, then came to
Astoria. During 1874 he entered in partnership with W. R. Bonnel
in the drug business, and in 1877 they completed their present
commodious and handsome brick building. In 1875 he build one of
the best residences in Astoria.
