Henry BUNCH, Sr.

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• FamilySearch ID: G88Q-P1Y

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• FamilySearch ID: GZWJ-97X
• Residence: 1662, New Kent, Virginia, British Colonial America; 450 acres. Land purchased in New Kent County, Virginia Colony near Blisland Church and Wahrani Creek

Notes:

John Bunch I was a mulatto. His wife is unknown. John Bunch I was the son of John Punch an African slave brought to York County, Virginia from either Cameroon or the Ivory coast. John Bunch's mother (John Punch's wife) was an unnamed white woman. He had three sons, John II, Henry and Paul.
When John Bunch was born in 1632 in Virginia, his father, John Punch was an indentured servant, later enslaved as punishment. John Bunch I had a son in 1632. He died in 1704 in his hometown at the age of 72.
John Bunch I was a mulatto. His wife is unknown. His father was brought to York County, Virginia from either Cameroon or the Ivory coast. John Bunch's mother (John Punch's wife) was an unnamed white woman. He had three sons, John II, Henry and Paul.
The researchers continued, then finding the father of Samuel Bunch being John Bunch III who lived about 1680 to 1742 in Virginia, to the grandfather of Samuel being John Bunch II who lived about 1655 to 1704 in Virginia, then the great grandfather to Samuel Bunch was John Bunch I who lived prior to 1637 to 1670s in Virginia. This John Bunch I was the tenth great grandfather to Obama.That alone is quite a lineage, taking the family back to Colonial Virginia in the mid-1600s. The researchers working for Ancestry.com using the vast resources in the archives of Virginia located who they believe would be the eleventh great grandfather, a man named John Punch of York County, Virginia. His surname is a bit different in spelling, but that is a common occurrence, where a family name will be spelled or changed for a number of reasons.Investigating into the story of John Punch became extremely interesting for the researchers. John Punch first came to Colonial Virginia from Africa as an indentured servant. In the beginnings of the English colonies, additional laborers were needed. However, they were not taken as slaves, but rather worked as indentured servants for a specific period of time then gaining their freedom.When you look at the African population in Virginia around 1620, the numbers were small, approximately 25. John Punch appears to have been an early indentured servant to Hugh Gwynn of York Co, Virginia. Slavery as a legal practice did not come into law until 1670.

John Bunch I was considered a free man (because his mother was free) in the 1660s and owned 450 acres in New Kent County, VA. Yet, it appears that John Bunch's mother was white and his father, John Punch, an African, resulting in an interracial marriage which was more acceptable in the 1630s.It was not just the few court records, deeds, wills or other records that survived which helped prove the results, but also DNA testing showed the link, especially with origins from sub-Saharan Africa, possibly the west coast region of Cameroon, in the Bunch lineage.

Added by K.van Wormer:

I am a descendant of John Bunch. My DNA results show I am 1% Bantu-Cameroon as do some others of my relatives from the Bunch line. This is proof of African heritage here.

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• FamilySearch ID: GQS6-NPY

Notes:

This family is very well documented. A team of accredited genealogists researched this family when Barack Obama became president.
On 9 July, 1640, John Punch, African slave owned by Hugh Gwyn was given a lifetime indenture in punishment for running away to Maryland with two white slaves. The white slaves were only given whippings and one extra year of servitude.
Transcript of document
"Whereas Hugh Gwyn hath by order from this Board Brought back from Maryland three servants formerly run away from the said Gwyn, the court doth therefore order that the said three servants shall receive the punishment of whipping and to have thirty stripes apiece one called Victor, a dutchman [sic], the other a Scotchman called James Gregory, shall first serve out their times with their master according to their Indentures, and one whole year apiece after the time of their service is Expired ... the third being a negro named John Punch shall serve his

Cameroon; French: Cameroun, Fula: Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (French: R?publique du Cameroun), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West Africa and Central Africa, it has been categorized as being in both camps. Its nearly 27 million people speak 250 native languages.