Daniel Bonnell
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The Hanging of Daniel Bonnell in Georgia
Sometimes, things do not work out. Every generation of mankind has experienced pitfalls and consequences. The story listed below is one such instance.Anthony Bonnell, Sr. Between 1765 and 1770, some North and South Carolina people settled and received land grants near Rocky Ford, Georgia. Among the first settlers was Anthony Bonnell, Sr., who served as one of the commissioners appointed when Screven County was created. The first County Seat of Screven was established at Rocky Ford. Upon the establishment of Jacksonboro as the county seat of Screven County, it was authorized by an Act of the General Assembly on February 1, 1797. James H. Rutherford, Francis Jones, Martin Martin, Anthony Bonnell, Sr., and Stephen Pearce were appointed Commissioners to "purchase or otherwise procure not less than five acres nor more than fifty acres for the building of a courthouse and jail."
It is said that Anthony Bonnell, Sr., although commissioned in 1775 as a 2nd. Lt. (later promoted to Captain) in the Burke County Militia (later Screven County) under Captain Joseph Atkinson, never served as a Revolutionary soldier.
The unspoken truth during this war is that many Tories sided with the British Army. Too, if relatives were Tories, they were also considered enemies. Daniel and John Bonnell and their father, Anthony Bonnell Sr., were considered traitors during the war. As early as 1782, Daniel Bonnell Sr. was listed as one of the "distressed persons" who petitioned the Executive Council for reinstatement of citizenship. Stained with a bad reputation, one can only imagine the consequences of his choices.
Anthony and his two sons were charged with crimes committed during the Revolution as British collaborators. His son, Daniel, was hanged on 18 October 1784. His son, John, fled to St. Augustine, Florida, and Nova Scotia.
The Fate of Daniel Bonnell
Daniel Bonnell was listed as a son of Anthony Bonnell, Sr. in McCalls Roster of the Revolution, page 732.
" The State vs. Daniel Bonnell, the younger. Oct. 12, 1784. A Report of the Summary of the Trial, Verdict, and Sentence, in this case, being made and the same duly considered by Council, unanimously advise that the executive authority due interpose, but on the contrary leave the law to its course, which is accordingly resolved and determined upon by the board."
Revolutionary War Records of Georgia by Candler, Vol. III; The Georgia Gazette dated 10/21/1784.
The Georgia Gazette reported that Daniel Bonnell was executed for robbery on Oct. 18, 1784. However, Daniel Bonnell previously held public office, having been appointed Magistrate for St. Matthews Parish in 1776, Effingham County, Georgia, where he was also J. P. in Liberty County, Georgia. John Mikel and Daniel Bonnell, deceased executors of the LWT of James Thomson of South Carolina, gave notice to debtors and creditors.
The Consequences of Tories
With the defeat of Lord Cornwallis on September 3, 1783, and the end of the War, it was time to punish the local Tories who remained behind. The Traitor Lists were ready and waiting. Property was to be confiscated, and Tories hanged. Yet, throughout the war, Tories had left the colonies. Some of the first ones to leave were those in New York and Maryland. They went into Canada and up the St. Lawrence River. Other groups went to St. Augustine, Florida, and Barbados. Mostly, however, they settled along the St. Lawrence River and the territory of Quebec.
The Georgia List of Traitors included many Scots owning thousands of farmland.
In sympathizing with the Tories, one must remember such instances as the battle of Waxhaws, South Carolina, wherein the British cut down the surrendering rebels flying a white flag with their swords!