Bette Bunker Richards sent me a few photos from the Bunker Family Association’s reunion last weekend. Apparently everyone had a great time, and we’re sorry we had prior obligations that prevent us from going. More photos will be published as they are obtained.  Photos are visible in this album:

http://greencity.phanfare.com/4146721

Earlier this week, our genealogist Bette Bunker Richards wrote a note that prompted an addition to our web site. Bette said:

Of late, I have a lot of trouble finding people who have died.  Many dying now had parents born after 1930 and that makes it really hard from the obits to connect them.  In 2010 the 1940 census will come out and that will help a bit.

I have an idea … Could we put a copy of the Family Group sheet (both sides) on the web site so people could link to it?  Along with it we could put a statement about updating the records and put in my address so that they could mail or email it to me.  It just might get us some updated information.

So we did just that.   The form has been updated with Bette’s address, and is available via download. The file is

Bunker_family_data_sheet.pdf

If you can, take a few minutes and update the information on your family or your various Bunker relatives, and send along to Bette so we can update the Bunker Family Association files.

Nantucket Land and Landowners by Henry Barnard is online at http://books.google.com/books?id=424aAAAAYAAJ.

Bette Richards notes that the book contains many references to Bunkers.

BFA Genealogist Bette Richards has updated information on James Bunker (D-1), George Bunker of Charlestown (C-1) and George Bunker of Nantucket (N-1).  These updates include the information on each contained on the Devon and Bedfordshire CDs.  Here are the links:

James Bunker [PDF]

George Bunker of Charlestown [PDF]

George Bunker of Nantucket [PDF]

Please visit the DNA project page, which has been updated to reflect findings of the project to date.  The Bunker Family Association continues to seek individuals willing to participate in the testing to expand our findings on the various branches of the Bunker family.

Noted genealogist Dick Eastman, who edits Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter, recently published a note on a new book to help genealogists use modern search engines–not just Google–to perform family history research.  Based Dick’s review, the BFA website administrator–that’s me–purchased a copy that arrived yesterday, and I’m half-way through it already.  Google Your Family Tree (FamilyLink.com, Inc., paper, $34.95) is an excellent way to harness technology in family history research.  Author Daniel Lynch is not only a genealogist, he’s a practicing Internet entrepreneur.  If I had to write a one-sentence review of this 350-page paperback, I’d simply said “It’s about results.”

Lynch shows readers how to use basic and advanced search features to focus their searches and filter results.  But that’s not all, he shows you how to use Google Images and Google Video to find visual images to illustrate family histories, how to use Google Maps and Google Earth to explore family history locations current and pasts, and how to use Google Books and Google News Archives to conduct research. Google Language Tools will help translate foreign content.  The book contains visual aids to show you how to use these tools, not just describe them.  There are even descriptions of top free genealogy sites and how to use them, as well as a basic guide to starting a family history.

Lynch describes other search engines, and notes which ones are likely to be most helpful to family history researchers as well.    In my opinion, if  you want to seriously improve your research using the internet, this would be an excellent addition to your library.

Bunker Family Association genealogist Bette Bunker Richards has completed the second CD describing Bunker families who originated in Bedfordshire, England.  My contribution was to produce the Bedford CDs, which are now available.

The CD contains information on the descendents of Roger Bunker of Tringrith, Bedfordshire, England, which includes George Bunker of Charlestown and George Bunker of Nantucket, and those connected through DNA testing to this family.  The group includes Thomas Bunker and Clarissa Chamberlin,  Samuel Bunker and Almira Goodwin, and Joseph Bunker, b. about 1797 in St. Albans, UK, and Mary ???

Also included on the CD are parish records (except Devonshire) copied to date, military service information from all Bunker families (compiled by BFA President Gil Bunker), histories and photos of ships named Bunker Hill, and numerous other images and photographs.

Documents on the CD are in Adobe PDF format.  A free version of a PDF reader may be installed from the disc if the user doesn’t have Adobe Acrobat Reader or equivalent.

The CD may be ordered from Bette Richards by sending a check or money order for $22.50 (includes postage) to her at 1655 W. Ajo Drive, Unit 399, Tucson, AZ 85713-6632.

Host Milt Butcher has passed along update information on plans for the Bunker Family Association’s reunion next summer in Omaha, Nebraska. The reunion will be held June 25-27, and the host hotel is the Marriott Courtyard Hotel, 101 South 10th St. , Omaha. BFA rates at $129 per night (up to 4 persons per room), and the deadline for reservations at this rate is May 29.  The hotel phone number is 402-346-2200.

Nearby attractions:

• One block from the Old Market area with 10 square blocks of shops and restaurants
• Henry Doorly Zoo rated 4th in the country (the San Diego–site of the BFA 2010 reunion–zoo is 5th)
• Joslyn Art Museum–at least a half day of art viewing
• Boy’s Town with its worldwide reputation for helping troubled youth
• Durham Western Heritage displays of western history
• Lauritzen Botanical Gardens, beautiful gardens as well as the world’s largest steam locomotive and diesel locomotive on display.

BFA Genealogist Bette Richards <betterichs@live.com> sent the following comments to the Bunker e-mail group at rootsweb.com [November 21]:

Sometimes running through Bunker names we find some differences between us and other families.

For instance, the Devon Bunkers have a higher than average number of craftsmen amongst them, carpenters, masons, blacksmiths, shoemakers, etc.

The Nantucket Bunkers have a higher than average number of artists, writers, actors, muscians and entertainers.

What I find interesting about this is that both the English branches of the family seem to have a higher than average number of creative people.  Some of this we learn from our parents of course, but not all of it.  Some of it must be in our genes.

Our family has people of nearly all occupations.  I can’t think of one we have missed, but that is normal when you have several hundred years of known history.  All families have members that have been in all occupations, rich, poor, educated, not educated, prominent, famous and infamous.  But not all families have so many creative people as our familes do.  I find that very interesting.

I am from the Devon branch.  I do many creative things.  No one in my family has been famous at anything but we have numerous people in the building trades, nearly every generation we have people that are in crafts or art of some kind and also musicians and dancers.   I would be miserable if I could not create things and when I am sick or depressed I lose this creative ability and it really bothers me.  I find this interesting and thought you might too.

And of course, not many families have the record of military service that ours does.  Considering that many of our ancestors were Quakers for several generations, that is rather amazing.  In some Bunker families there have been several generations of people that served or are serving in the military. The Devon CD has so many Bunker military people listed and for every one of America’s wars.  The Bedfordshire CD will have an updated version because nearly every month we find new veterans amongst the Bunkers.  At some point we have to stop and publish but {BFA President] Gil [Bunker] keeps working on that and it just keeps growing.  We are beginning to get the WW II veterans more now.  There were a lot of them since virtually every able-bodied male between the ages of 18 and 50 served from America, England, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.  Our databases grow every day.

BFA Genealogist Bette RIchards makes some interesting points in a Nov. 20 message to the Bunker list group at rootsweb.com:

While going through some records I found several instances when more than one child in a family was baptized on the same day. Maybe there were twins or even triplets but it is just as likely that the children were born at different times and all baptized at once.

In other cases I have found records with children born a month apart in the same year. I would have ordinarily imagined this to be some kind of mistake if I had not had a friend who had twins born 2 months apart. Twins are usually born within a few hours of each other but not always.

If you run into these situations it is best to just record the information and not make assumptions. If you are able to find more records that give the age of the children you may be able to determine if they were twins or multiple births but you can’t make that assumption.

Then there are the children whose only date of birth is a year and you have two within one year. That is really easy. My husband had a sister born the same year as he was. One was born in January and the other in November. In case of premature birth, siblings could be less than 9 months apart in age.

If you have a death certificate, gravestone or burial record or proven will that has a date that occurs over 11 months before the birth of a child, it is highly unlikely that the deceased was the parent. Of course, if it was the mother of the child, that would be impossible. But even in that case you may have a baptismal record that has been called a birth record and mom may have died say October 11 and baby have a “birth” date of October 20th or even later. In those cases rather than assuming a different mother, check to see if the record is a baptismal one.

And then there are the fathers who have children with multiple women at the same time or within months of each other. With our early polygamous families there is a lot of that and not all places record the name of both the father and mother.

Record everything, even several dates for the same event and record the source of that information. Even if there is no source, keep the information. There may be an error in some of the records.

George and William are the most popular Bunker names for males. For females it is Elizabeth and Mary. There are numerous cousins born at nearly the same time with the same name and then they have the audicity to marry women with the same name. Genealogists go bald tearing out their hair over these things. Sometimes we get it right and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we are able to correctly sort and assign families with the same names and similar birthdates and sometimes not. We just keep working on it. Always be open to the fact that you or an earlier researcher has made an error or that the early record keeper made an error. It happens all the time.