John BUNCH II

1666 - 1729  (62 years)

• Name	John BUNCH II  [1]
  Birth	11 May 1666	Henrico, Virginia, British Colonial America   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Residence	1704	New Kent, Virginia, British Colonial America   [2]
  	100 acres
  Residence	1719	St. Paul's Parish, Hanover, Virginia, British Colonial America   [2]
  _FSFTID	LTPX-C5W
  _FSLINK	https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LTPX-C5W
  _UID	5025CB54E58244CC8385704489E170CF70D4
  Death	1729	Henrico, Virginia, British Colonial America   [1]
  Person ID	I594765143	Carney Wehofer July 2025
  Last Modified	1 Jan 2025

  
  

  Father	John BUNCH, I,   b. 1 Jul 1637, New Kent, Virginia d. 1 Jul 1700, New kent, New Kent Virgina (Age 63 years)
  Mother	Mary SPEAR,   b. 3 Dec 1640, New Kent, New Kent County, Virginia d. Aft 1669, New Kent, Virginia, British Colonial America (Age 29 years)
  Marriage	Between 1661 and 1667	Virginia   [3]
  Family ID	F536728417	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Mary Temperance BATES,   b. 16 Nov 1668, Henrico, Virginia, British Colonial America d. 18 May 1735, New Kent County, Virginia Colony (Age 66 years)
  Marriage	Henrico, Virginia, British Colonial America   [4]
  Children	1. Mary BUNCH,   b. 1688, Cohansey, Salem, New Jersey, United States d. Aft 1699, New Jersey, United States (Age 12 years)   2. John BUNCH, III,   b. 1690, New Kent, New Kent, Virginia, British Colonal America d. 14 Mar 1742, Louisa, Virginia, British Colonial America (Age 52 years)   3. Ann BUNCH,   b. 1692, Prince George's County, Maryland d. Yes, date unknown   4. Paul BUNCH,   b. 1692, Bertie County, North Carolina d. 1775, Bertie County, North Carolina (Age 83 years)   5. Sarah BUNCH,   b. 1698, Virginia, British Colonial America d. 1748 (Age 50 years)
  Family ID	F536728416	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	1 Jan 2025

  
  

• Notes

  This John Bunch Jr is "NOT" the same man as John Bunch II a Mullato man who 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 11 May 1666 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 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. The Bunch Family was first found in Flanders. The family then moved from there to Scotland during a religious uprising. It is known that the family lived in Scotland for 400 years. According to Nugent's "Pioneers and Cavaliers of Virginia", John Bunch came to Virginia in 1651 or 1652. He purchased 450 acres of land in 1662, which land was located in New Kent County. From New Kent County in 1720 Hanover County was formed. Then from Hanover County in 1742 Louisa County was formed. Inasmuch as there are now very few records that go back three hundred years it is difficult to trace relationship that far back; however, it is felt reasonably safe to assume that this John Bunch referred to above is the grandfather of the John Bunch who died in 1742, and who is listed as the first ancestor on the lineage sheet attached to page 68 hereof. It is felt reasonably certain that the farm that was purchased by John Bunch in 1662 is the same farm that was owned by David Bunch (1722-1776) and passed on to his heirs in his will, copy of which will is shown on page 20 herein. This will in part states: " . . . Then I give to my son Paul Bunch 74 acres on which my mansion house stands . . . " The farm referred to in this will is now owned by Miss Audrey Hughson, a spinster in her sixties. She says that she is a descendant of the Bunches; therefore, the ownership of the farm is still in the family. She states that the last Bunch to own the farm was Burl Bunch, who died sometime prior to 1873. One does not find the name "Burl" in the Bunch lineage; however, there is a Burwell Bunch, who was born December 6, 1798. He is shown near the bottom of the fourth generation on the lineage sheet attached to page 68 hereof. There is evidence that he did own the farm that was previously owned by David Bunch (1722-1776), and this gives credence to her statement. The story has been handed down through the family that Burwell Bunch (B 1798) came in possession of the part of the farm that had previously belonged to his father, Paul Bunch (1772-1802). And that Burwell then rode horseback out to Missouri, looked up his father's brothers, and purchased from them their interest in the Bunch farm. It is also to be observed that Burwell Bunch's sister, Dorcas Bunch (B 1801) married Ellis G. Hughson, and that their daughter married David L. Bunch. Miss Audrey Hughson believes that she is related to Ellis G. Hughson but doesn't know the connection. She has an old Hughson family Bible in which is recorded the birth (1-12-1850) and death (5-28-1850) of Sarah Ellis Hughson, which apparently is some descendant of Ellis G. Hughson. While Miss Hughson feels sure that she is related to this person, again she does not know how she is related. The foregoing does not, however, explain how Miss Audrey Hughson came in possession of the old Bunch farm. She gives a very interesting account of how she did get the farm. She states that her mother was Bettie Lewis Sanders and was reared in Palmyra, Virginia; and when she was a very small girl she went to visit her relative, Burl Bunch; and while there one of his dogs bit her on the cheek, and it left a bad scar that remained with her the rest of her life. Burl Bunch regretted this very much, and in an effort to rectify the matter, he gave her the farm. Miss Hughson and her brother inherited the farm from their mother; and now that the brother is dead, Miss Hughson is the sole owner. She knows very little about her ancestors, and she is unable to explain what the relationship was between her mother and the Bunch Family. Miss Hughson says that she remembers the house that David Bunch (1722-1776) referred to in his will as his "mansion house"; however, she explains that it was anything but a mansion by present-day standards. Quite likely he referred to it as "mansion house" to distinguish it from another house. In those days, if there were two houses on a farm, the principal house was referred to as the "manor house"; and likely this term was changed by some to "mansion house". She says that this house stood vacant for a long time and then was torn down when her late brother, Robert B. Hughson, constructed a house, one-story frame, on the same site. This is a very desirable site for a house, as it is on a knoll in rolling land. The farm is at the end of Road #717, and on reaching the farm this house is on the left. It is now occupied by a young couple, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Johnson. Miss Hughson says that she may give this portion of the farm to them, as she reared Mrs. Johnson, who was an orphan. A short distance beyond this house Road #717 ends at a two-story house, in which Miss Audrey Hughson now lives alone, except that she has a young girl living there with her at the present. Miss Hughson states that there is a family cemetery on the farm in which the Bunches and their slaves are buried. She explains that the graves were never marked with anything except uninscribed fieldstones and that years ago these stones were removed, and now the plot is being plowed over. At one time there were many Bunches living in Louisa County, Virginia. This is well substantiated by the fact that the courthouse records there now show that during the seventy-five year period covering the last quarter of the eighteenth century and the first half of the nineteenth century there were forty-eight weddings involving some person named Bunch, either as the bride or the groom or both. In four of the weddings, a Bunch married a Bunch. There has been quite an exodus, however, of the Bunches from that county, as it seems that they have now all moved away. A careful check of the current tax records and other inquiries reveal that there is no member of the family still living in Louisa County at the present time. There are now records available elsewhere showing that from ancestors previously living in that county there are descendants now living in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, California and Oregon, and it is quite likely that there are some in other states. In 1784 William Bunch (1752-1831), at age 32, moved from Louisa County, Virginia to Guilford County, North Carolina. There is no information that has been handed down to the present generation as to why he left a rural section of Louisa County and moved over 200 miles to a rural section of Guilford County; particularly when moving was so difficult in those days. The story has been handed down through the family, however, that he did not have a wagon at that time. Wagons were very scarce, and it is doubtful that he could have afforded one. And the story is that he and his family packed their belongings in a hogs-head (a very large wooden barrel), to which he attached shafts, and between which shafts a horse was harnessed, to pull the rolling hogs-head; and it was transported in this manner. It is interesting to theorize as to why this move was made. It is obvious even today that Louisa County is not particularly good farming land; whereas, Guilford County is good farming land. Inasmuch as he was a farmer, this would seem to justify the move. But why did he select Guilford County, and particularly the spot he did, since this was so far from where he had been living? He purchased a tract of land in 1789 located in Bruce Township of Guilford County on Reedy Fork Creek. There is now little known about the house in which he resided on this land, except that it was located on the north side of Reedy Fork Creek, a few hundred yards from the creek and to the west side of his tract of land, near a spring. His son, John Moore Bunch (1790-1868), was married in 1836, and the year before he built a house on the south side of Reedy Fork Creek, but much further from the creek. This house is still standing today; however, it has been altered several times over these 131 years of its existence. The original portion of the house, of log construction, had one large room and two small rooms downstairs and one large room upstairs, with a stairway in the northwest corner. A separate building for the kitchen was located about one hundred feet west of the main house. Sometime thereafter, possibly about 1880, two rooms of frame construction were added immediately adjacent to the west side of the main house; and thereafter one of these rooms was used as a combination living room and bedroom and the other was used as a combination kitchen and dining room. It is not now known when the original detached kitchen was destroyed or torn down, but it was likely about the same time these two rooms were added to the main house. When John Cameron Bunch (1843-1925) was married in 1895 or within a few years thereafter, the main house was weather boarded outside, a front porch was added and the interior was considerably altered by way of moving the stairway to the center of the house, partitioning off a hallway across the front of the house, and the upstairs was divided into two rooms. In 1953 two rooms were added to the back of the frame section, and a bathroom was built between the two sections of the house. The family occupied this house continuously until 1926. It was then rented until 1933 when James Charles Bunch (B 1884) and Walter Anderson Bunch, Jr. (1886-1961) acquired full ownership from the other heirs; and they used it thereafter as a summer and weekend home until their retirement in 1952. They then occupied it fulltime until the latter's death in 1961. Walter Anderson Bunch, Jr. (1886-1961) was the last Bunch born on the farm. He was born in a house located about a quarter of a mile southwest of the house referred to above. That house, which is still standing, with a few acres of land, was sold many years ago and has since been a part of the Dunbar farm. He was also the last Bunch to die on the farm. These distinctions rightly belong to him as he was dearly attached to this farm, and with his passing ends the Bunch occupancy of the farm. While the ownership is still in the family, it is regretful that no member of the family finds it convenient to live there. The house has now been vacant five years, and the land leased to others for farming. There has been an exodus of Bunches from Guilford County, similar to the exodus that occurred in Louisa County, Virginia. While there were never so many Bunched living in Guilford County, they have now all gone. However, Emily Lucille Bunch Catlett (Mrs. James L. Catlett) and her husband have in recent years made their home in Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina. A matter on which comment should be made is that no one can do much research in the genealogy of the Bunch Family in general without encountering some reference to the fact that there were five Bunch brothers who came together to America. There is a lack of unanimity as to the names of the five brothers, and as to when and where they came; however, seemingly the most credible data indicates that their names are Paul, Jeremiah, Malachi, David and Henry, and that they landed at Alexandria, Virginia in 1732. However, records seem to indicate rather definitely that our branch of the Bunch Family did not descend from any of these five brothers; but rather that our ancestors were here in America for a considerable period of time before the arrival of the five brothers. There are many Bunches today with whom we cannot trace any relationship, and a number of these contend that they descended from the five brothers. This is true of many Bunches now living in eastern North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. Research Notes Mentioned during the merge was: The wife of John Bunch II is unknown but he was NOT THE HUSBAND OF MARY TEMPERANCE BATES. According to the Ancestry research this is correct. No wife was ever found for him and only one child was proven. Military This information is not connected to John Bunch but is referring to William Bunch. The sources used to indicated military service for John Bunch do not appear to refer to him. This information was removed from the profile bio for research: "Records show that he fought in the Revolutionary War; therefore, it is felt that a reasonable supposition is that he possibly fought in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, which battle was only three years prior to his move, and the location of the battle is within about five miles of where he settled. If he was in this battle, or while in the army he passed through this area, he could have judged it to be such good farming land that it would justify his move to the area when the war was over." A John Bunch Sr was listed on 4 July 1702 in New Kent County with the Virgnia Militia.[2] imported from another tree Husband: John Bunch Child: John Bunch Child: Henry Bunch Child: Paul Bunch Child: Sarah Bunch Child: William Bunch Marriage: Virginia, Tree #1917 Marriage: 16 NOV 1691, Henico, New Kent, Virginia, USA, Text: Record for Temperance Bates Since there are no picture, cemetery, info, sources attached to the Find A Grave memorial it can not be used as a source. Maybe it can be used in some way with research: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 27 July 2020), memorial page for John Bunch II (1655– 1704), Find A Grave: Memorial #176878465; Maintained by KM (contributor 48988459) Body lost at sea. Sources ? Reed. Page 11. ? Virginia's Colonial Soldiers [database on-line]. Section: Militia Miscellany - Virginia Records, Public Record Office, London. Ancestry.com. Free Ancestry Document View See also: Reed, Paul C. FASG, Natalie D. Cottrill MA, Joseph B. Shumway, AG Professional Genealogists, Anastasia Harman, - Lead Family Historian. "Descent of the Bunch Family in Virginia and the Carolinas." Provo, UT: Ancestry.com., 15 July 2012. Read at Internet Archive Collins Family Tree NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH - 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. 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. ************************************ 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

  
  

• Sources

  [S1160] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org), ((http://www.familysearch.org)), accessed 13 Dec 2022), entry for John BUNCH, person ID L5BW-J78. (Reliability: 3). [S1160] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org), ((http://www.familysearch.org)), accessed 18 Nov 2024), entry for John BUNCH II, person ID LTPX-C5W. (Reliability: 3). [S1160] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org), ((http://www.familysearch.org)), accessed 13 Dec 2022), entry for John Bruce Bunch, person ID GNBR-15F. (Reliability: 3). [S1160] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.familysearch.org), ((http://www.familysearch.org)), accessed 13 Dec 2022), entry for John Bunch II, person ID GJ6J-FMY. (Reliability: 3).