The history of the Bon family written by François Gaspar Bon

Bon (Francois, Gaspar) born at Rheims, on June 5, 1799, of François Bon, trader, and of Sophie Bouhon, died in Smyrna, December, 1880.

Came to Smyrna, towards the end of 1821, for the study of the Eastern languages, Latinist and distinguished hellenist, legist of first order, he, until his last days, is often consulted in difficult cases, by lawyers and the successive directors of the Evangelical School, the most important Greek university of Turkey. He devotes himself to the study of Turkish, Persan and Arabic which he ends up knowing thoroughly. His affection for the Turkish people with his upright and chivalrous character and yet he does not confuse it with the controlling state which he often regrets, the methods and the backwaedness; he wishes for his country of adoption two things: facilities of communications and instruction of the people.

Without sufficient fortune, with his departure from France, he was put in charge with the care of the nation’s interests, in this Port of the Levant, of the trade house of PATURLE, Paris (later SEYDOUX SIBER and finally SEYDOUX, Poissonnière street) and of the house of BEGULE of Lyon. His business progresses, thanks to his intelligence, his uprightness, his activity and reputation. This firm later joins with the house of VAN GAVER of Tunis and later with a compatriot, in Smyrna, Mr. Déjean. The name of this union would become “DEJEAN & BON & Co” not to be confussed with DEJEAN, BON & Co, which dealt with pork-butchery!

Towards age of 60 he withdraws from businesses and lives off the revenues; and with his death, he is shown to be the owner of eight houses and two stores downtown, and of a country house at Coucloudja, a suburb of Smyrna, and a planted property of fig trees at Sultan Hissar.

He is a poet in his lost moments, and shortly after the days of July 1830, his reading at the Casino European, wasreceived with the unanimous applause of the seated ...

He is a gifted artist
that the French have recognized.

After the defeat of 1870, he remains depressed for a long time, he composes a piece of poetry whose title is “MY WISHES” and of which the last verse reads:

Could I live long enough,
To see your noble destinies,
With the realisation of my wishes coming true
To see, the enthusiasm of your merit,
People follow your steps
Towards a peaceful future!

When he withdraws from businesses, he is devoted to poetry and publishes six small volumes entitled “MY LEISURES OF SMYRNA”. . The sixth line ends in his epitaph:

This Bon the untiring one
Who fought against fate
And now that he has died,
Fights against the devil
Where the reader, annoyed,
Will have undoubtedly sent him!

These six small volumes are to be found at the Library of Rheims.

He establishes, around 1826 in collaboration with Alexandre Blacque the first French newspaper of Smyrna.

Further information on the life of Edouard Blacque Bey: (1824-95), journalist and diplomat. Born of French parents in Istanbul, Blacque Bey was the grandson of a lawyer and the son of a journalist. At age eight or nine he was sent to study at Saint-Barbe College, Paris. He returned to Istanbul in 1842 at age 18, was appointed a government translator, was editor of the semi-official newspaper in French, Courrier de Constantinople, 1846. Fluent in Turkish, French, Italian, and English, his diplomatic posts included Attaché and then First Secretary in Turkey’s Paris Embassy, 1853; Turkish Consul in Naples, Italy, 1860; Chargé d’Affairs at the newly opened Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., 1866; and Turkish Minister to the U.S., 1866-73. He was Director, Press Dept., Istanbul, 1876; Member of the State Council, 1878; Director, Sixth Municipal Dept., Istanbul, 1878-90; Ambassador to Bucharest, 1890; and again Director, Sixth Municipal Dept., Istanbul, 1891-95. He was honoured with diplomatic medals from several countries. •Ref. Reşat Ekrem Koçu (chief editor), Istanbul Encyclopaedia, vol. 5, n. pp. 2834-2835 - Istanbul, 1961.

A staunch republican, a follower of Voltaire, a Freemason having received his ordination in Marseilles before his departure for Smyrna, he ceases attending the lodges of the city which, according to him, do not perform worthy deeds.

On November 7, 1829, he marries, for the first time, Marie PIRGHOULY, daugher of Jean Pirghouly, trader, and of Rose Pascalovich. Five children all now dead without offspring.The second child, Alfred Bon, born in Smyrna, on May 11, 1832, died in Athens in April 1915; his wife, Marie Platika, died shortly after him, were to him the German cousin of one of the famous Greek statesman of the day, Charilaos Tricoupi.

The wife of François Bon dies December 1846. Approximately a year after he remaries with the niece of her first wife - Adele PIRGHOULY, daughter of ...

Curious detail: When his first wife dies, he announces it to his parents in Paris. This letter to share the news, does not arrive at its destination. At the time of his second marriage, he informs that to his parents who were unaware of the death of their daughter-in-law. Then, the mother of François Bon writes to him to inform their surprise that they learned that he took a second wife; she adds while she knows that polygamy is allowed in Turkey and is certain that his son is reasonable and upright, he could not have acted in the best of intentions!...

Eleven children issue from this second marriage:

Edmond, died with Puabla in the 100. ?. of the Eugenie empress
Alfred, born on November 29, 1846, died on May 3, 1848
Paul Ernest, born on December 28, 1848, died on October 2, 1858
Alphonse Lucien the doctor, born on December 18, 1850, died on May 4, 1914
Henri Adolphe, born on July 31, 1852, died on February 23, 1859
Gustave Francois, born on November 14, 1835, died on October 10, 1858
Arthur Louis, born on February 19, 1856, died on August 11, 1917
Pierre Raoul, born on January 18, 1857, died on December 1, 1859
Ernest François (my father), born on September 10, 1859
Adolphe Marius Charles, born on February 23, 1862, died on March 5, 1897
Marie Olympe, born on November 23, 1862, died 1944
Joseph Raoul, born on January 27, 1868, died on February 4, 1868

ALPHONSE - Dental surgeon, married to Asta von Michaelis, four children alive: Mrs. Adeline Topaloff (1878) lives in Detroit, the U.S.A. - Sophie Sarkissian (1880) lives in Candia, Crete - Renee Caridhia lives in Paris - Frédérick called Fritz (1885) lives in Paris.
ARTHUR - Trader, married to Marie P. of Andria. Without children.

ERNEST - See below.

ADOLPHE - Trader, married to Gilda de Andria. Five children all alive: François (1882) remains in Paris - Joseph (1885) Constantinople - Mrs. Esther de Portu (1889) Paris and Smyrna - Adolphe (1886) Paris - Hermann (1890) in Casablanca.

MARIE OLYMPE - married on December 9, 1884 to Pierre Prève, 30 years old, trader, in Candia. Six children four of which are boys: Raoul, Maurice, Alfred and Gustave. Two girls: Mrs. Blanche Alexiou and Lucie Penthéroudhaki this one in Athens the other living in Candia.

The death of François Bon was an event in Smyrna. The convoy, interminable, included people of all the classes of the population. The ...