Mary Bonner was born 30th October 1912 in Loughnnaure, County Donegal to Sarah Bonner (nee Boyle). Mary’s father Hugh Bonner had died of pneumonia fours months earlier on 21st June 1912 in Linlithgow, Scotland. The family had originally moved there from Donegal to work in the mines. It had been debated as to what Mary’s date of birth as the pension officer had registered her birth as 31st October 1912. Mary was the fourth child of Sarah and Hugh with the eldest daughter Annie (born c.1906) the only other child to have survived infancy. A son Owen only lived 12days (2nd January 1909 – 14th January 1909) and another daughter Sarah lived just 22 months (June 1910 – 21st March 1912)
Not a lot is known about Mary’s early childhood but her mother did marry again on 23rd December 1919 to Patrick “Paddy” McGarvey. According to the family folklore, Sarah didn’t have much say in her choice of husband but that her brothers picked him for her simply because he had some land and money. While Mary never had a fondness for her step-father she would always bring a bottle of whiskey for the “old man” when visiting. It was an unusual gift seeing as the man was teetotal. Everyone else would then partake of said whiskey despite having already stopped at a pub or two along the way!
It was about 1923, when Mary was only 11 years old, that she left Donegal for Londonderry/Derry in search of work. One can only imagine what it was like for an 11 year old being in an environment they weren’t familiar with and with only Irish as a first language. Mary was fortunate enough to find work keeping house for a family who were good to her. She would mostly go on to do house keeping work but her final employment was in Hunters Shirt Factory.
During her time in the maiden city, Mary did meet a man called William John Mowbray whom she did go out with but it would be William’s older brother Isaac who would win her heart. While Isaac’s family had no objection, Mary’s Catholic family would cut off all contact with her because the man she’d fallen in love with was a Protestant. Mary still took the name Mowbray and they lived together for 16 years before officially getting married on 15th March 1947.
Mary and Isaac did move between several houses but 21Cuthbert Street would become the family home. There were 10 children – 5 sons and 5 daughters – born over a 20 year period with seven children surviving to adulthood. Two of the children Hugh Joseph Alwyn Mowbray (known as Alwyn) and Maureen Annie Mowbray passed away within three months of each other in 1940. It was only after this tragic incident that Mary’s mother Sarah and the wider family started contact with her again.
Despite the hard beginnings, it could be said that Mary and Isaac did have a good life together even if Isaac had developed a bad habit of falling into the small stream that ran by the bus stop. One such occasion involved the weeks shopping falling in with him, it did take some explaining as to how the box was heavier than usual when he got home!
After being together for at least 46 years, Isaac died on 14th September 1978 aged 72. Mary would survive him just under 4years later before passing away on 27th August 1981 aged 68. She left behind 7 children and 23 grandchildren, two more grandchildren would follow with many more great-grandchildren and great-great children.
