Ann BUNCH

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• FamilySearch ID: GJ6J-N21

Notes:

John Bunch (1) was transported to the Virginia colony in about 1656 as documented in CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS . In 1657/59 there was a court order in York County involving a John Bunch with a favorable outcome. Then in 1662 a John Bunch (1) patents 450ac of land in New Kent County (neighboring York County and New Kent was a very large county extending to the mountains). If he came to America at 17 (as is the family history in one of the Bunch lines) John (1) would have been born about 1635. This appears to be one individual who came to America BEARING the name John Bunch and settled in New Kent County.

There is another possibility. There was an indentured African American immigrant living in Virginia by the name of John Punch (born abt 1609) who researchers of Barack Obama's ancestry believe changed his last name to Bunch or his son's name to the John Bunch(1). Because of trying to escape his indenture before it was finished, John Punch was penalized to be indentured for his natural life and is considered the "first slave". Would his children have been free, as with indentures, or slaves as with slavery. If his son John was free then he could possibly be the John who patented 450 ac of land in New Kent County, VA in 1662. If truly a slave, neither he nor his son would have had legal rights to patent land.

John Punch would have had to see the name change as advantageous to himself or his son. Perhaps the name "Punch" suggested aggression which he would want to avoid in his circumstance. Immigrants altering their names for various reasons was not unusual. Punch to Bunch would preserve much of the name. It was certainly possible for him to patent land if free, as there is documentation of some other free blacks who acquired land and some African American slaves themselves in the 1600s.

My understanding is that free black land holders were expected to socialize with other free land owners and not with any slaves.
My understanding is also that there was increasing prejudice towards the latter 1600s which escalated during the 1700's as slavery escalated as a practice. Nevertheless, there were a minority of free blacks that retained their freedom and property ownership in the 1700s and the 1800s before and after the Civil War. One example is Henry Bunch of Orange County. He and his family were designated negro, or mulatto and were free property owners in the 1700 and 1800s.

But for most blacks slavery was awful and terribly wrong. Every human being wants to be free and own their own property...not BE someone else's property. Why and how slavery has existed around the world through out history is a sad blight upon much of mankind. Those who abduct (usually their own) and sell, those who transport and sell, and those who purchase and use, all share the guilt and shame. We have no information if this John Bunch gave into the easier, more lucrative lifestyle growing in popularity and had slaves himself.

Two other Bunches appear in the land records in the 1703/04 quit rent rolls: A John Bunch (2) with 100 ac in New Kent County, VA (the first John Bunch (1) had 450 ac to pay on) and a Paul Bunch with 150 ac in King William County, VA. These counties were close, just across the river from one another. This is very suggestive of John (2) and Paul being sons of John Bunch (1) (the new immigrant, or son of John Punch) They both named, what seems to be their first son, John. They would have both been at least
21 to own property in their own names in 1703 and thus probably were born about 1665 to 1682. In 1722 a John Bunch (2-son, or 3-grandson)uses the title "Jun" in a deed indicating his father was a John Bunch.

Both John (2) and Paul Bunch were active and mentioned a number of times in various ways in the land records. Both end up with land in Hanover County VA (Hanover was carved out of New Kent County). Then Paul moved to North Carolina where he died in 1726 in Chowan County leaving a will. John (2)dies in Louisa County, VA (Louisa was carved out of Hanover County) where he died BEFORE 1742. In 1742 two of this John's (2) sons, William and Henry, sell the land they inherited from their father to their older brother John (3). All 5 son's are listed in the deed (John, William, Henry, David and James).

In the 1720's there was Henry Bunch, son of John Bunch (2) that owned land Va. There is also a Henry Bunch "a planter" of Chowan NC who subsequently bought land in Bertie County NC and then lived and died in Bertie NC. They could be the same person, especially if Henry Bunch moved to Chowan County NC when his uncle Paul Bunch moved there and then found better land in Bertie County and eventually went back to Virginia to sell his land in Louisa to his older brother as he would have no use for it.

The history is complicated by another John Bunch immigrating to acquire more land. There is also a Henry Bunch "a planter" of Chowan NC who subsequently bought land in Bertie County NC and then lived and died in Bertie NC. They could be the same person, especially if Henry Bunch moved to Chowan County NC when his uncle Paul Bunch moved there and then found better land in Bertie County and eventually went back to Virginia to sell his land in Louisa to his older brother as he would have no use for it.

The history is complicated by another John Bunch immigrating to America in 1683 and another in 1716 with no current information on where they settled. My understanding is that sometimes there was some dishonesty and names were reused to acquire more land. Perhaps these are mistakes.


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This John Bunch Jr is "NOT" the same man as John Bunch II.
John Bunch II is son of John Bunch I and is a Mulatto man is is the ancesor of Barak Obama


***John Bunch Jr. is the son of John Bunch Sr. who was born in 1640 in England. He arrived in America from England in Richmond in 1656. https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/26347140/person/402128923753/facts

John Bunch Jr was born about 1664/1665 in Henrico, New Kent, Virginia and was not a Mulatto. He was registered as a Colonial Soldier. https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/48434/VAColonialSoldiers-007224-217/342882?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/26347140/person/402128719029/facts/citation/1102182170341/edit/record

He is also listed in https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/48412/DuplicatesVARecs-004065-164/335512?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family

John married Mary ASHER on 16 Nov 1691 in Henrico, Virginia, British Colonial America. Mary and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• FamilySearch ID: GNB3-SR1

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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.

John married Mary SPEAR between 1661 and 1667 in Virginia. Mary was born on 3 Dec 1640 in New Kent, New Kent County, Virginia; died after 1669 in New Kent, Virginia, British Colonial America. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• FamilySearch ID: GJ6J-WRX

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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.