Fernand Bona

Henriette Thérèse ROUSSEAU ° November 14, 1805 in Brussels, domestic employee, † June 15, 1873 in Seneffe, daughter of Benoît Ghislain ROUSSEAU †on November 9, 1805 in Brussels and of Joséphine AMUSET, seamstress, † July 26, 1854 in Brussels. She was married on July 17, 1844 in Seneffe to Maximilien Joseph QUAIRIAUX, ° November 9, 1801 in Seneffe and  †  there on May 16, 1873, son of Nicolas Joseph QUAIRIAUX and of  Marie Eugénie Ghislaine DESHAYE , see [1].

A.      Marie Thérèse Rose QUAIRIAUX ° April 26, 1846 in Seneffe who was married on May 12, 1875 in Seneffe [2] to Antoine François BONA, ° March 3, 1848 in Houdeng Aimeries, postal clerk, then postal collector in Seneffe, son of Antoine BONA ° in Namur on June 6, 1815 and † in Strépy Braquegnies on June 20, 1883 and of Constance VERHELST, merchant, ° in Rœulx on August 23, 1820 and † in Strépy Braquegnies on June 20, 1883[3]

                  They had at least four children, all born in Seneffe.

                  1.   Fernand Victor Antoine BONA ° March 3, 1876.[4] industrialist and † on March 12, 1950 in Forest, Brussels region [5]. He had married Louisa Maria Magdeleine AMAND,  ° around 1888 who as a widow was residing in 1950 in Forest, Brussels region.  

                       Fernand BONA distinguished himself many times in the industrial world, both in Belgium and abroad.  We do not know where he did his studies.

We find him in Russia in 1899, 23 years old (!), where he reorganized the Stamping Corporation of Donetz.  His competence caused him to be named, upon his return to Belgium, commercial director of Construction Workshops of Godarville and of the Corporation of Ironworks and Workshops of Tyberchamps at Manage [6].

It was under his initiative and with the help of friends that in 1904, the Sino-Belgian Chamber of Commerce was established in Brussels.  His reputation led a consortium of Belgian factories to send him to China in 1907, when he was 31 years old (!).  He set up an industrial agency in Shanghai.

The Chinese government quickly spotted our man from Seneffe and asked him in 1910 to handle the work of centralizing and shipping its collections for the exhibitions of Turin and Rome.  After transferring the agency from Shanghai to Beijing, Fernand Bona became one of the most powerful suppliers of railroad materials to the Ministry of Communications.

During World War I, he was 38 years old, and his exceptional situation allowed him to supply strategic products such as antimony, copper, etc. to the allied military missions in China.

                  The services that he rendered to China earned him the award of the Chinese Order of l’Epi d’Or.  Upon returning to Belgium, Fernand Bona retired to Forest, where he died in his home at Avenue Kersbeek No. 124.  It seems that he did not have any children.  At the time of his death, he was a company administrator.

                 
                  2.     Julia Célina Marie Antoinette BONA ° January 10, 1877 who dies without marriage at Marchienne au Pont on May 14, 1900.

                  3.     Edmond Albert François BONA ° September 28, 1878.

                  4.     Anna Jeanne Marie Léopoldine BONA ° April 4, 1880. 

[1]This sketch is from information provided by the Geneology Circle of Seneffe and by Madame Mireille Verhelst of Nivelles;

[2]Marriage certificate n° 13 before Florimond Joseph CASTELAIN, mayor and civil registry officer of Seneffe and in the presence of the witnesses: Gustave BONA, employee, 30 years old, residing in Rœulx, brother of the groom; Joseph LIGNON, pensioner, 67 years old, residing in Seneffe; Joseph LEBEAU, postal clerk, 24 years old, residing in Brussels; Adonis LEJEUNE, employee, 24 years old, residing in Strépy, the latter three non-relatives;.

[3]Certain sources have them down as having died in Ecaussinnes.  Unless they had civil funerals, this is inaccurate;

[4]His maternal ancestry is known up to 1709, par Nicolas QUAIRIAUX ° in 1709 at Bois d’Haine and † on June 16,1804 in Seneffe, widower of Marie Françoise MARCQ whom he married on May 7, 1754 at Bois d’Haine;

[5]Deceased at his home in Forest, Brussels region.   Declaration made by his niece Hortense AMAND ° around 1905 residing in Aarschot and spouse of René DELSART and by Charles VANOPHAEREN, merchant, 75 years of age, non-relative;

[6]Which would later become the Construction Corporation of Enghien and Saint Eloi