Johannes Bonekemper was born on July 6, 1795 in Niederbraeunfeld, near Nümbrecht, in Rhineland, Prussia. His mother died when he was seven years old; five years later his father died. With a family of four brothers and sisters Bonekemper stopped going to school, since they were very poor. He had to earn a living as a domestic servant to help feed his family. Leaving home at the age of twenty, Bonekemper decided to learn the blacksmith trade. However, after having spent a year at his birthplace, Bonekemper desired to become a minister. He was then notified he had to become a soldier and in 1817 he was sent to France. Throughout his military life he spread his Christian beliefs. In 1820, Bonekemper received his discharge from the army. In 1821, he entered school in Basel, Switzerland, to prepare himself for missionary work. In 1824, he was ordained as an Evangelical minister and was sent to serve the isolated German colonies in the Black Sea area of South Russia. Bonekemper's most satisfying years were those from 1835 to 1846. He spent 24 years of ministry work at Rohrbach traveling to Odessa, Freuental, Bessarabia, Cherson, and other colonies. In 1848, he moved to Atmadscha, Dobrudscha (then part of the Ottoman Empire) where he preached the gospel for 5 years. Because of the Crimean War (1854-1856), Bonekemper and his family were driven out of Turkey, going back to his Prussian birthplace of Nuembrecht which he had not seen for 34 years. There he lived until his death on January 24, 1857. Rev. Johannes Bonekemper was married three times. There were eight children.

The oldest son, Carl, was born in 1827. He immigrated to the United States in 1849 where he was ordained in 1851 and preached until 1854 in Philadelphia, PA. He then returned to Europe and taught at Chrischona Evangelical School near Basel, Switzerland from 1857-1865. Carl then returned to south Russia in 1865, where he served the Reformed Church at Rohrbach-Worms until 1876. After his service at Rohrbach-Worms, he immigrated to the United States, where he preached in numerous states before settling in South Dakota.

Carl Bonekemper married Eugenia Lang in 1867 at Beggingen, Canton Schaffhausen, Switzerland. The family immigrated to America with their three daughters: 1) youngest daughter, Lydia Youngworth, (Tom’s grandmother) at Tyndall, South Dakota; 2) daughter Martha (Mrs. John Reimer) farmed at Scranton, Mercer County, North Dakota; 3) daughter Sara (Mrs. Carl Miller) married in 1908 and farmed in North Dakota. Carl served churches in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Iowa; Wisconsin; and South Dakota, retiring at Scotland, South Dakota. He died in January 13, 1893.