He was an imposing man, and people around the county treated him with respect. Virginia at the time of these brothers would come to be known as the wettest county in the world. In the ensuing shootout, Forrest was also shot several times, but Sheriff Hodges shot Rakes in the leg before he could execute the brothers. So much so that a movie, Lawless, was made about them. To tell their story, I relied mostly on newspaper articles or court transcripts, which provide a scattered picture. It is hard to say what was on my grandfather's 20-year-old mind, and it is even more difficult to try to portray the frightening old man I knew as young, earnest, and in love with my grandmother Bertha. Matt Bondurant's most recent novel is The Night Swimmer. We all just assumed that Grandpa Jack's trade was small and general. Son of Granville Thomas Bondurant and Malisha Elizabeth Bondurant Bondurant brothers are usually a name that comes up. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Bertha and Jack with their children, November 1940. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wettest_County_in_the_World. I do know that he was a charismatic young man with an entrepreneurial spirit, who valued his brothers but who also sought his fair share of glory. Shia LaBeouf plays Jack Bondurant in Lawless (in theaters Aug. 29); the real Jack, circa 1935. Floyd made amends by offering Jack $5 for each barrel of liquor, and he also gave him the address of the two men who had wounded his brother Forrest Banner. Jack Bondurant Shia LaBeouf as Jack Bondurant Who better to start a moonshine distillery than Robert Bondurant, a grandson of Jack Bondurant, one of the famous Franklin County moonshine running Bondurant Brothers (aka Bondurant Boys) from the Prohibition period. Jack married Bertha in 1933 and had three sons and two daughters with her, and he went on to run his father's farm, raise cattle, and grow tobacco. Jack - seeking vengeance for his best friend's death - drove to the bridge to confront Rakes at the blockade. ... Bondurant, Mary V. Byrd, Belva Mae Minter, Lawson Barbour Bondurant, Era S. Jamison, Eddie Thomas Bondurant, Clarence Todd Bondurant, Je... Granville Thomas Bondurant, Elizabeth Malisha Bondurant, ... S Bondurant, Benjamin Howard Bondurant, Lawson B Bondurant, Eddie Thomas Bondurant, Clarence Todd Bondurant, Mary V Byrd, Jesse B Bondurant, Grandville Thomas Bondurant, Bettie Bondurant (born Barbour), Clarence Bondurant, Bondurant, Byrd (born Bondurant), Martinsville, Henry County, Virginia, United States, American Gangsters of the 1920s and 1930s, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wettest_County_in_the_World. The Real Story Behind 'Lawless' by Matt Bondurant | Culture. Their courtship is reproduced to great effect in Lawless, with Mia Wasikowska playing the character based on my grandmother. Improper technique or materials could cause paralysis, blindness, or worse. They are the main characters in the 2012 film Lawless and in Matt Bondurant's novel, The Wettest County in the World. He courted her in secret, and - aiming to become more involved his brother's business - he and his friend Cricket Pate snatched 200 gallons of their brother's liquor and brought it to Rocky Mount to be sold to the Chicago gangster Gummy Walsh. See why nearly a quarter of a million subscribers begin their day with the Starting 5. These 3 men bootlegged gallons and gallons of moonshine all over the state of Virginia and were some of the best at it. Geni requires JavaScript! That was it. You have 4 free articles remaining this month, Sign-up to our daily newsletter for more articles like this + access to 5 extra articles. Richard Foreman, Jr. SMPSP / The Weinstein Company (left); Courtesy of Matt Bondurant. Soon after, Sheriff Pete Hodges drove to Blackwater Station to warn Jack that the bridges had been closed down by ATU officers from the city, and that Rakes was preparing for war. Charley Rakes shooting my grandfather in the chest at close range, then Forrest in the stomach as he went to his brother's aid. I spent a lot of time in his back storage room staring at an old pair of brass knuckles hanging on the wall, understanding even then that my grandfather lived a very different life than anything I would know. Walsh attempted to double-cross Jack and Cricket and had the taken to an open grave to be shot, but Walsh's boss Floyd Banner intervened aftre Jack revealed that he was a Bondurant. In these articles my grandfather and his brothers Forrest and Howard, "The Bondurant Boys," were described as a notorious group with a dangerous reputation. In 1931, while helping his brothers distribute moonshine at a local dance, he fell in love with preacher's daughter Bertha Minnix at first sight. I won't make that mistake again. ...amin Howard Bondurant, Lawson B Bondurant, James Forrest Bondurant, Eddie T Bondurant, Clarance Bondurant, Mary V Bondurant, Jesse B Bond... Apr 8 1910 - Franklin County, Virginia, United States, Nov 6 2000 - Martinsville, Henry County, Virginia, United States. Andrew Jackson "Jack" Bondurant (8 April 1910-6 November 2000) was an American Prohibition -era gangster and one of the three Bondurant brothers of Franklin County, Virginia. Fast forward 80 years, Jack Bondurant's grandson, Robert, has taken over the family tradition. Bondurant Brothers; Howard, Forrest and Jack, were bootlegging brothers during the Prohibition Era. Like many young boys, I was afraid of my grandfather. In retrospect, I think that in writing this book I was trying to make up for lost time. I think of the missed opportunities, the chances I had to talk to my grandfather, and I get angry and filled with regret. This story, this doorway to the past was right there in front of me, waiting. He and his brothers became moonshiners during Prohibition, with Jack serving as their driver and mostly being kept out of the business because of his perceived lack of grit. Bondurant soon bought himself a new car and bought a dress for Bertha, and he took her on a trip to visit his family's still, where they had their first kiss. https://historica.fandom.com/wiki/Jack_Bondurant?oldid=272898. I think my grandfather would be delighted at being portrayed by as talented a young actor as Shia LaBeouf. Bondurant of Horsepasture in Henry County was torn in his reaction to the film. Rakes shot Jack in the side, but Forrest and Howard soon arrived, followed by several local bootleggers. Andrew Jackson "Jack" Bondurant (8 April 1910-6 November 2000) was an American Prohibition-era gangster and one of the three Bondurant brothers of Franklin County, Virginia. He was the gang's de facto leader during the 1930s, despite being the middle brother. We were all aware that my grandfather used to run liquor when he was young, but these were things that were never discussed in Franklin County, Va. Moonshine was a dangerous business: the distillation process involves fire, high pressure, and flammable liquids. A native of Franklin County, he was born April 8, 1910, a son of Granville Thomas Bondurant and Elizabeth Barbour Bondurant, both deceased. Andrew J. Bondurant Andrew Jackson "Jack" Bondurant, 90, of 814 Sutton Hollow Road, Martinsville, died Monday, Nov. 6, 2000, in Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County. During the Prohibition period, the Bondurant Brothers were legendary for running moonshine. The ensuing confrontation ended with Dep. The brothers use their gas station and restaurant as a front for their illegal manufacturing business with the assistance of Jack's disabled friend and engineer, Cricket. Andrew Jackson Bondurant was born in Franklin County, Virginia on 8 April 1910, the son of Granville Thomas Bondurant and Malissa Elizabeth Barbour and the younger brother of Howard and Forrest. However, Cricket was captured and choked to death by Rakes, and Howard later informed Jack of this. Father of Andrew Jackson Bondurant, Jr. and Emmie Lee Bondurant There are no journals, memoirs, or letters from my grandfather and his brothers. Husband of Bertha M. Bondurant Apr 8 1910 - Franklin County, Virginia, USA, Nov 6 2000 - Martinsville City, Virginia, United States, Granville F Bondurant, Elizabeth Malisha (Bettie) Bondurant (born Barbour). So when my father unearthed a series of newspaper articles about a shooting at Maggodee Creek Bridge in 1930, we were quite shocked. The repeal of Prohibition in 1930 ended the "Great Moonshine Conspiracy", and the Bondurant brothers returned to working legitimate jobs. The deputies then warned Rakes to leave Franklin County, but Howard and Jack followed him into the covered bridge, where Howard stabbed Rakes in the back, killing him. Historica Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community. Jack went on to become business partners with Floyd, and he and Cricket made several profitable cross-county liquor runs. Bootlegging, or what they called "blockading" in those days, was also fraught with danger; a car full of booze on the open road was fair game for hijackers or law enforcement. But this time it's being done legally. Jack outlived both of his brothers, who died in the 1960s, and Jack died in Martinsville in 2000 at the age of 90. We know that the Bondurant Boys arrived at the Maggodee Creek Bridge on a snowy winter day and found a roadblock waiting for them. Shia LaBeouf plays Jack Bondurant in Lawless (in theaters Aug. 29); the real Jack, circa 1935. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. However, he was tailed by US Marshal Charley Rakes, his brother Forrest's arch-nemesis, and Jack managed to escape the shootout after briefly stepping on Rakes' face and calling him a "nance". Franklin County in the 1930s wasn't a place where people spent much time documenting their daily activities. I was young and afraid. ...amison (born Bondurant), Benjamin Howard Bondurant, Lawson Barbour (Pete) Bondurant, James Forest Bondurant, Eddie Thomas Bondurant, Clar... Andrew J Jr Jackson Bondurant, Emmie Lee Bondurant, Bondurant, Bondurant, Bondurant, Apr 8 1910 - Franklin, Virginia, United States, Granville Thomas Bondurant, Elizabeth Malisha Barbour, ...urant, Clarence Todd Bondurant, Forrest J. Bondurant, Lawson B Bondurant, Belva Mae Bondurant, Eva S Bondurant, and, 1940 - Road No 717, Snow Creek Mag D, Franklin, Virginia, USA, Andrew J Jr Bondurant, Emmie L Bondurant, Betty L Bondurant, Bobbie J Bondurant, Gramville T Bondurant, Andrew Jackson Bondurant, Bondurant, Bondurant, Bondurant, Bondurant, Granville Thomas Bondurant, Malisha Elizabeth Bondurant.