Named, in 1886, after William Hartshorn Bonsall (1846-1905); that extra “o” was, I suppose, meant to add an exotic touch. Bonsallo Ave. was initially laid out between Washington Blvd. and 23rd Street on the Park Villa tract, which Bonsall owned with Theodore Wiesendanger and Dan McFarland. Bonsall was a born-and-bred Ohioan who fought in the Civil War and ultimately attained the rank of major. When his father died in 1865, he was forced to abandon a promising Army career to help his mother raise his younger siblings. He then established himself as an insurance agent and even dabbled in newspaper publishing. In 1871, Bonsall married McFarland’s sister Ella (1849-1924). They left Ohio for New Jersey in 1882 but came to Los Angeles with their five kids in 1886 – undoubtedly at the invitation of McFarland, who was making it big here in real estate. Bonsall later served on City Council and managed “Soldiers’ Home” – now the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. There’s a Bonsall Avenue on its campus.
Find it on the map:
