August Bondi (Jewish name Anshl; July 21, 1833, in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria – September 30, 1907, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, United States) was an Austrian-American Jew involved in the Border War (

Bleeding Kansas Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...

) and later the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. In Kansas, he was a part of the

Pottawatomie Rifles The Pottawatomie Rifles was a group of about one hundred abolitionist (or free state) settlers of Franklin and Anderson County, Kansas, both of which are along Pottawatomie Creek. The band was formed in the fall of 1855, during the Bleeding Kan ...

and fought alongside abolitionists

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

and James Lane. 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 the Pottawatomie Creek valley in

Franklin County, Kansas Franklin County (county code FR) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 25,996. Its county seat and most populous city is Ottawa. The county is predominantly rura ...

in 1855 with his business partner, Jacob Benjamin and began homesteading. The Bondi and Benjamin homesteads were near the forks of Mosquito Creek northwest of Dutch Henry's Crossing (

Lane, Kansas Lane is a city in Franklin County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 241. History The first temporary settlement near what would become Lane occurred in 1838 when Rev. Robert Simerwell establishe ...

). Some sources claim that, as Free Soilers who hated slavery, their farm was attacked and burned by "Border Ruffians" (pro-slavers), and that a neighboring farmer, John Brown, rushed to their aide with his sons. However, Bondi recounts in his autobiography that he first met Brown's sons when their herd of

Devon cattle The Devon is a traditional British breed of beef cattle. It originated in, and is named for, the county of Devon in the West Country of England. It is a deep rich red in colour, and so may be known as the Devon Ruby or Red Ruby; it may also be ...

wandered onto his farm, and he first met John Brown while traveling to elect a delegate to the 1855 Free State Constitutional Convention. The Brown family did help to evict a pro-slavery squatter from Bondi's claim while he was in St. Louis in January 1856, and Bondi's farm was burned while he was away guarding pro-slavery prisoners captured during the Battle of Black Jack in June 1856. Bondi, along with several other Free Staters, laid out the town of

Greeley, Kansas Greeley is a city in Anderson County, Kansas, Anderson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 273. History Early History Nomadic Native Americans in the United States, Na ...

in December 1856. Bondi became Postmaster, served as town constable and lived on a farm south of Greeley until enlisting in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

in November 1861. Bondi enlisted in the 5th Kansas Cavalry and served until he was seriously wounded three years later. Bondi settled in

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...

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 Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

. Bondi died September 30, 1907, while visiting St. Louis.

Lloyd Alexander Lloyd Chudley Alexander (January 30, 1924 – May 17, 2007) was an American author of more than 40 books, primarily fantasy novels for children and young adults. Over his seven-decade career, Alexander wrote 48 books, and his work has been tran ...

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

References

External links

Kansas Historical Society The Kansas Historical Society is the official state historical society of Kansas. Headquartered in Topeka, it operates as "the trustee of the state" for the purpose of maintaining the state's history and operates the Kansas Museum of History, Kan ...

August M. Bondi Papers, 1884-1952''Oygusṭ Bondi'', a biography

The Abolitionist Jew who fought to free the American Slaves
(20 pp.) by the

Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation The Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation (JASHP) is an American non-profit 501(c)(3) volunteer historical society. The society locates sites of American and Jewish historical interest and importance. It works with local community org ...

. See als
"August Bondi – Louis Farrakhan"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bondi, August 1833 births 1907 deaths Conflicts in 1859 American abolitionists Bleeding Kansas Austrian Jews John Brown (abolitionist) People of Kansas in the American Civil War Emigrants from the Austrian Empire to the United States People from Vienna Jewish refugees Jewish American anti-racism activists American anti-racism activists Jewish American military personnel Kansas postmasters 19th-century American Jews 20th-century American Jews American Freemasons County judges in the United States Jews from Kansas Jewish abolitionists