Von Bonhorst

[Tim Twiss]

I just posted a tune from the Buckley 1868 Book called "Von Bonhorst Jig". Who was he? I found somebody named Julius A. Von Vonhurst who spent his entire career playing banjo with Sanford's Minstrels in Philadelphia (according to "Monarchs of Minstrelsy")? Maybe a misspelled name? He retired from the profession in 1857.

[Tim Twiss]

Von Bonhorst had a few more great tunes. He wrote the great "Kate Kearny Waltz" invluded the Buckley 1868, as well as "Scotch Jig" which I added tonight (1/23/2010). I do believe it was misspelled in Monarchs of Minstrelsy. I found this on a website
http://www.circushistory.org/Cork/BurntCork4.htm

VON BONHORST, JULIUS A.: died in Reading, Pa., on February 15, 1869, after a brief illness of inflammation of the bowels. He had a brother, Charles, at one time a popular banjoist, and who originally performed with Dan Rice and the Pig Show. He retired from the profession and practiced dentistry in Pennsylvania. Von Bonhorst joined S. S. Sanford’s Minstrels in 1851 as a banjoist and remained with him three years, when he married Miss Luther of Philadelphia clandestinely; and quite a fuss was made over the affair when it became known to the lady’s family. He then retired from the profession and went into the mercantile business in Pittsburgh. One year sufficed and he again engaged with Sanford. He next took charge of a store in Alexandria, Va., and was afterwards removed to Reading, Pa., where he became clerk in the Revenue Department, his father-in-law being the collector there. In the meantime, his wife was sent to the insane asylum for lunacy, where she died. This worked so upon Von Bonhorst that he died as stated above. He was generous to a fault and as a banjoist was good.