Wilson Bonner (also spelled Boner) was born about 1830 in Pennsylvania, one of nine children of David and Hannah Bruce (Wilson) Bonner.

On June 15, 1854 at Paris, Washington County, Pennsylvania he married Adaline Butler. She was born in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in 1835, the daughter of Henry and Jane Butler. They had the following children: David, Elmer Ellsworth, Mary, Andrew W., Isaiah, Zeb, Milton, and Margaret Florence.

On August 30, 1864 Wilson Bonner enlisted as a Private in Battery L, 6th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, and was mustered in for a term of one year.

The regiment left for Washington on September 17, 1864, where it was assigned to the 2nd Brigade of DeRussy’s Division, then garrisoning the defenses of the Capitol. On the 29th it was detached, to perform railroad guard duty on the Orange & Alexandria railroad between Alexandria and Manassas, with headquarters at Fairfax Court House. They were engaged in this service until about the middle of November when they returned to the defenses of Washington. Thus far it had served as infantry, but the men were now drilled as artillery and soon became proficient in this arm of the service. They remained in the forts about Washington until June 13, 1865, when they were mustered out at Fort Ethan Allen, Virginia, returned to Camp Reynolds, where the men were finally paid and discharged on the 17th.

Wilson Bonner returned to his home in Bushvalley Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania. Here he lived out his life and died on July 20, 1888. His wife survived him until May 18, 1897.