August Bondi

August Bondi[1] (Jewish name Anshl)(July 21, 1833, Vienna, Austria – 1907, United States) was involved in what he called the Border War, but is now usually called Bleeding Kansas, and latter the American Civil War. In Kansas he fought with abolitionist John Brown.[2][3][4]

August Bondi historical marker - Salina, Ks.


                                                                    Marker Text[5]
                                                                    August Bondi
                                                                     1833-1907
                                                      Jewish-American Abolitionist, Salina Resident

August Bondi was born July 21, 1833, in Vienna, Austria. The Bondis, Jewish European refugees, fled the Austrian Empire after the failed revolutions of 1848 and settled in St. Louis, Missouri. August Bondi moved to Pottawatomie Creek in Franklin County, Kansas in 1855 with his business partner, Jacob Benjamin and began homesteading. As Free-Soilers who hated slavery, their farm was attacked and burned by “Border Ruffians” (pro-slavers). A neighboring farmer rushed to their aide with his sons. His name was John Brown. Bondi joined with Brown and fought alongside of him at the Battle of Black Jack in 1856, defeating the pro-slave forces, and helping enable Kansas to be admitted to the Union as a Free State on January 29, 1861. Bondi enlisted in the Fifth Kansas Cavalry and served until he was seriously wounded three years later. Bondi settled in Salina, Kansas in 1866 becoming Postmaster and later a County Judge. A believer in the brotherhood of all men, he rose to be a 32nd degree Mason. 

                                                           City of Salina Heritage Commission
                                                                   Smoky Hill Museum
                                            Donated by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation  
                                                                         2017


Lloyd Alexander wrote a historical novel for young people titled, "Border Hawk: August Bondi", illustrated by Bernie Krigstein.

References

  1. ↑ [Some sources give his name as August Mendel Bondi, including his grandfather's name as a middle name]
  2. ↑ From the March 2004 issue of Jewish Currents, August Bondi and the Abolitionist Movement by Yankl Stillman
  3. ↑ Excerpts from the Autobiography of August Bondi (1833–1907) Archived May 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ http://www.jewish-american-society-for-historic-preservation.org/images/August_Bondi-pdf-2.pdf
  5. ↑ http://www.salina.com/news/20180830/salina-dedicates-marker-to-local-abolitionist


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