August Bondi facts for kids
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August Bondi (whose Jewish name was Anshl) was born on July 21, 1833, in Vienna, Austria. He became an important figure in American history. Bondi was involved in a conflict called the Border War, also known as Bleeding Kansas. Later, he also took part in the American Civil War. In Kansas, he joined a group called the Pottawatomie Rifles. He fought alongside famous abolitionists like John Brown and James Lane. Abolitionists were people who strongly opposed slavery and wanted to end it.
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Early Life and Moving to America
August Bondi's family were Jewish refugees from Europe. They left the Austrian Empire after the failed revolutions of 1848. These revolutions were attempts by people to gain more freedom and change their governments. The Bondi family settled in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States.
In 1855, August Bondi moved to the Pottawatomie Creek valley in Franklin County, Kansas. He went with his business partner, Jacob Benjamin. They started homesteading, which means they claimed and settled on land to farm it. Their farms were located near Mosquito Creek, close to a place called Dutch Henry's Crossing (Lane, Kansas).
Fighting for Freedom in Kansas
August Bondi was a Free Soiler. This meant he was against slavery and believed that new territories should be free states, where slavery was not allowed.
Some stories say that pro-slavery groups, called "Border Ruffians," attacked and burned Bondi's farm. They say a neighbor, John Brown, came to help him and his family. However, Bondi wrote in his own story that he first met John Brown's sons when their cows wandered onto his farm. He met John Brown himself while traveling to a meeting in 1855. This meeting was to choose someone for the Free State Constitutional Convention.
The Brown family did help Bondi. In January 1856, while Bondi was away, they helped remove a pro-slavery settler from his land. Later, in June 1856, Bondi's farm was burned. This happened while he was guarding pro-slavery prisoners captured during the Battle of Black Jack.
Life After the War
In December 1856, Bondi and other Free Staters helped establish the town of Greeley, Kansas. Free Staters were people who supported Kansas becoming a free state. Bondi became the Postmaster for Greeley, managing the mail. He also served as the town constable, a type of police officer. He lived on a farm south of Greeley until November 1861.
In 1861, August Bondi joined the Union Army during the American Civil War. He enlisted in the 5th Kansas Cavalry. He served for three years until he was seriously wounded.
After the war, in 1866, Bondi settled in Salina, Kansas. There, he became the Postmaster again. Later, he served as a County Judge. August Bondi believed strongly in the idea that all people are brothers and should be treated equally. He became a high-ranking member (32nd-degree) of a group called Masonry. He passed away on September 30, 1907, while visiting St. Louis.
A Book About August Bondi
A writer named Lloyd Alexander wrote a historical novel for young people about August Bondi. The book is titled Border Hawk: August Bondi. It was illustrated by Bernie Krigstein.
See Also
