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History · Bonney

Bonney dates to 1873

Most of Bonney was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1943 on and the census since 1980.

1873founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Djmaschek · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Bonney began, and where its name came from

When was Bonney founded?

1873

Bonney dates its founding to 1873 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1980.

First census: 94 in 19802020 census: 180153 years

How did Bonney get its name?

Bonney was named after a conductor who worked on the Houston Tap and Brazoria Railway.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1889. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bonney’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Bonney are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 384 in 2000; 180 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bonney’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bonney’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Bonney, census by census

0100200300400198020002020Peak: 384

Peaked at 384 in 2000; 180 people lived here in 2020.

5 censuses, 1980–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bonney’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Bonney came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bonney.

Read it all →

Bonney was founded in 1873 as a station on the International–Great Northern Railroad. It was named after a conductor who worked on the Houston Tap and Brazoria Railway. In 1889 a post office opened and the following year a new general store was added. The next six years saw the opening of a school, three more businesses, a cotton gin, and a telegraph office. In 1895 there were 75 persons living in Bonney. In 1906 the school had one teacher and twenty students. The post office closed in 1920. By 1955 the village had one business and 25 residents. In 1988 the population was 99. Two years later the census recorded 339 residents and in 2000 the number increased to 384.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bonney, 1873 to 2000

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1873
    FoundingBonney is established
  3. 1889Post officeThe Bonney post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1920Post officeThe Bonney post office closes
  6. 1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 21st century
  8. 2000CensusPopulation peaks at 384
By decade

Bonney, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Bonney TX Municipal Bldg2018Bonney TX Municipal BldgBonney TX AS Johnston Marker2018Bonney TX AS Johnston MarkerTXMap-doton-Bonney2004TXMap-doton-Bonney
On the map

Bonney on the map, 1943 to 1974

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bonney. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Bonney on the 1943 USGS mapBonney on the 1963 USGS mapBonney on the 1974 USGS map1943Rosharon sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bonney.

Famous people

Famous people close to Bonney

Nobody well known was born in Bonney itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
R
Ross RobinsonAmerican record producer · b. 1967
B
Bryce DeadmonAmerican sprinter · b. 1997
Ronnie PriceAmerican basketball player · b. 1983
Randy WeberAmerican politician · b. 1953
Cam WardAmerican football player · b. 2002
Cameron ReynoldsAmerican basketball player · b. 1995
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Bonney had its own post office from 1889 to 1920.

Bonney
1889–1920
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Bonney’s history

What year was Bonney founded?

In 1873, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Bonney’s post office opened in 1889, and the census of 1980 counted 94 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.