Logansport (IN) Pharos
February 3, 1891
page 1

THE CHAMPION STAY-A-BED

Mitchell, Ind., Feb. 3 – Mitchell has the most stubborn man in the country. About 27 years ago there lived near Paoli, Ind., a family of colored people named Bond consisting of mother, two daughters, and a son named John. They were in comfortable circumstances, owning their own farm, etc. The mother decided to sell the farm but upon making her decision known to the children, met with great opposition from her son, John, who declared that if the farm was sold he would go to bed and never again get up. But no attention was paid to his threat. The farm was sold, and the family moved to Mitchell.

The first night they stayed in their new home, John went to bed as usual but in the morning refused to arise and has stubbornly fulfilled his threat for about 27 years with one exception, that being at the time of the death of his mother. At first Bond's case caused considerable comment, and physicians examined him and pronounced him in perfect health. All efforts were made to get him out of bed, but every scheme proved futile. When told that the house was on fire or that burglars had broken in, he made no effort whatever to arise. For the last few years his health has been gradually failing, and he lies there with his head and body covered, speaking to no one unless spoken to.

Typed and donated by Randi Richardson.

Randi's note in December 2011:

According to information provided by the Lost River D. A. R. chapter and available online at http://www.ingenweb.org/inorange/african.htm, Reuben Bond d. August 1, 1834, age 36 years; and Penelope Bond d. Nov 1885, age about 80 years. Both buried Bethel Cemetery, Orangeville Twp., Orange County, Indiana...

Randi's note in December 2012:

See "The Bond Family of Color in Orange and Lawrence Counties," Randi Richardson, in Indiana Genealogist, December 2012, pp. 44-47.

Some time ago I sent an item to the IN-South-Central Rootsweb list about John Bond, the subject of an article published in the Logansport (IN) Pharos in 1891. As you may recall, John vowed never to get out of bed if his mother moved the family from Orange County to Lawrence County. His mother, in fact, did move the family and John was true to his word. At the time of the article, 27 years after the family's move, he had been out of bed only once, and that was the occasion of his mother's death. By then his muscles had atrophied and he was crippled.

Because I was curious about John and his family, I did some research and compiled my findings into an article. That article appears in the current issue of the Indiana Genealogist, a members only publication. If you are not a subscriber to the publication, you may be able to access the article through your public library. Noted below are the names of those individuals mentioned in the article: